Literature
Biography
Hillary Watkins, 29 year old soprano, was born in Jackson, Mississippi to Dr. Earl and Cassaundra Watkins. She is the younger sister to music producer, Christopher Earl Watkins. Hillary is a proud alumna of Jackson State University with a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis Music Vocal Performance.
Throughout her career, she has participated in a wide range of artistic and business pursuits. She has conducted independent research in the fields of ethnic music and cultural economics, performing and volunteering in community, participated in music and theatre engagements, maintained a private voice studio, and participating in personal growth and development courses. All of these attributes contribute to her diverse abilities.
Hillary started playing violin at E. Isable Elementary School, in third grade, under the instruction of Cotina Wicks. Also, under Cotina Wicks, she attended Blackburn Middle School and performed in the orchestra as 2nd violin section leader. While in orchestra she performed in Texas and Missouri. Hillary is also a proud alumna of Jim Hill High School. While attending this prestigious school, under the direction Mr. James Hawkins, she earned the title of the school’s Grand Champion 1st Soprano Section Leader. During that time, she competed in District and State Choir Competitions for 4 years (Pearl Competition/superior rating/grand champion); competed in national and international choir competitions (4years – high school/superior rating/grand champion); invited to sing in honor of a Pulitzer Prize Winner, and 2 years local medalist (2011-2012) for NAACP ACT-SO Competition.
LEAD VOCALIST IN UNIVERSITY'S CONCERT CHORAL
During her first two years at Jackson State, Hillary became a lead vocalist in the University’s Concert Chorale and University Choir under the direction of W.C. Castilla. Under the vocal instruction Dr. Phyllis Lewis-Hale, she won 1st place gold medalist in the MMTA Collegiate Competition held at the MS University for Women in Columbus, MS. She also competed in NATS Competition held at the University of Southern Mississippi where she progressed into the semifinals and finals. Hillary was also able to travel and perform in Vienna, Austria in Europe with the University Concert Chorale. She also traveled with the Chorale during their Spring Tour. The tour consisted of Mississippi. Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois. In July 2016, Hillary lived in Viterbo, Italy for month while performing in 4 concerts and in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flue). She performed the lead role as the Queen of the Night. Hillary performed in JSU’s Opera Workshop 2017 Spring Performance. She was featured in scenes from Mozart’s Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flue) as the Queen of the Night and Gilda from Verdi’s Rigoletto. Hillary competed in the Neue Stimman International Competition in May of 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. She was also featured on the JSU website and the Clarion Ledger as the “Little Lady with the Big Voice”. In 2018 she competed in New York Lyric Opera Theatre Competition and the Classical Singer Competition where she advanced to the semifinals. Hillary also participated in the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Memphis where she performed and won the Encouragement Award. Since then Hillary has performed in a host of concerts, including her own. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at Roosevelt University under the vocal instruction of Judith Haddon, located in Chicago, IL.
