After singing in countless choir ensembles, such as Warhawk Singers, and starring in various stage productions, such as “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” senior vocal music education major Harper Innis is a household name in ULM’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA).
A Shreveport native, Innis discovered his love for the arts at a young age while singing along to radio tunes.
“I began singing along to songs on the radio at the age of five, but really began my singing journey when I joined the children’s choir at my church at seven,” Innis said. “I quickly realized that I loved singing and never wanted to stop doing it.”
Some of Innis’ highlight performances include Andrew Lippa’s “The Addams Family,” in which he starred as Pugsley in Spring 2021, and Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene” where he played Daniel Buchanan in Fall 2022. After considering his performances, Innis landed on “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Spring 2023 as his favorite.
“The cast was something special and all of our roles had equal importance in the show,” Innis said. “All of us really enjoyed working together and had some chemistry that I had not experienced in a cast before.”
He also mentioned that he enjoyed the music in “The Addams Family,” deeming it a “Chef’s kiss!”
As of the Fall 2024 semester, Innis has continued performing with multiple ULM chorus groups and has performed a solo song.
“I recently performed for visiting high school students during our ‘Arts on the Bayou’ campus event,” Innis said. “I also performed a solo art song titled ‘Vaga luna che inargenti,’ and helped lead the charge in showing what opportunities our vocal department has to offer!”
When asked about his experience and opinion on ULM’s VAPA program, Innis shared nothing but praise.
“Being a part of ULM’s VAPA has been a journey; the faculty have been nothing but supportive throughout my entire tenure and I have been fortunate enough to build professional relationships with my professors that I know will last a lifetime,” Innis said. “Although you are consistently busy, you eventually find that you and your peers have grown and matured together, and it builds positive rapport amongst one another and that is one of the best things about it.”
After graduating in Fall 2024, Innis hopes to get his master’s degree either in music education or choral conducting, and to have over 100 students in his music program.