In his second year as an apprentice artist with the Santa Fe Opera, Weston Hurt is well on his way to the international performing career he dreams about.

One of the top five young artist programs in the country, Santa Fe has given Hurt, a baritone, the opportunity to cover roles on the mainstage and participate in the ensembles of the mainstage opera. In addition, each apprentice artist is featured in a fully produced scene program at the end of the summer. "It is here where many impresarios from around the country, along with managers, agents and directors come to hear the talent in Santa Fe," he says.

When his contract there is up, Hurt will leave with his spouse Christina Schade Hurt '00 for New York to enter a two-year residency at The Juilliard Opera Center.

"Being in the Juilliard Opera Center will give me the opportunity to begin making my New York City connections. New York is where everything in this business happens."

Growing up in Spring, Texas, Hurt never would have envisioned his current career path. Although his mother has always been a singer, pianist and choral conductor, she had to force him to join his high school's choir to fulfill his fine arts requirement. "I made the Texas All-State choir my junior year...and then began thinking, 'Hey, I must be pretty good!'"

He chose to attend Southwestern because of Gerald Dolter, the primary voice teacher and director of Opera Theatre. "During my first two years at SU, I was given the opportunity to sing four opera roles! My first semester I sang Figaro in Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro'--I was hooked!" When Dolter left to accept a position at Texas Tech, Hurt decided to follow him. But after two years in Lubbock, Hurt accepted a professional singing contract with The National Opera Company in Raleigh, N.C. before completing his degree.

A year later, with his mother's encouragement, he declined to renew his contract and re-enrolled at Southwestern in the fall of 1998 to complete his final coursework before graduating with a bachelor of music in vocal performance. He went on to study at Indiana University, where he completed his performer's diploma in professional opera studies this May.

Along the way, he's performed professionally as a solo artist with the Kentucky Opera, Opera Illinois, and as a concert soloist with Chorus Austin and the Indianapolis Symphony.

"As a singing artist, I am given the opportunity to portray what the composer thought that the librettist or poet meant and put those emotions into my personal performance. There is nothing like performing for a live audience. Anything can happen--and oftentimes does. The most difficult aspect is knowing what comes next. Every career in this business is different. If you ask 50 different singers how they 'made it,' you will more than likely get 50 different replies!"

On stage, Hurt is challenged to interpret his character in a much different way than most performers. Since he was born without his right hand, he must find a way to incorporate the physical characteristic for each role. "Whether it be a General that lost his hand during battle or a nobleman that lost it in a duel, I can always find a logical reason for why that character lost his arm. It hasn't stopped me yet, and I don't plan on ever letting it get in my way--or anything else for that matter!"