Busy summer for local singer

FORT KENT - She's belted out songs of patriotism, love and hope for state and national leaders, for military veterans and for judges at competitions across the North American Continent.  She can sing tunes from classical to jazz, Disney to folk tunes.  Yet things have been changing for the maturing young singer.

For local singer Melanie Saucier, this summer marks a new stretch in the direction she is pushing her talent and career.  The fifteen-year-old entertainer comes from a family of singers, and many folks in the St. John valley became familiar with her brassy style and enthusiasm.

But Saucier said that when her voice began to change at around age 11, she started moving towards classic opera.  This summer she has used her flowering soprano voice to garner awards in Canada and entertain people all across the St. John Valley.

In a recent interview, Saucier said she had attended a camp at the Université de Moncton to refine her skills.  She said, "It's always a great experience."

For a week, she and other campers worked from 8 to 5 every day, learning from expert singers, musicians, and dramatists.  At the end of the week, the young people put on a final concert including orchestral music, singing, and acting.  She said she joined other singers to present the classic song, Santa Lucia.

She also attended the Victoria Music Festival and the New Brunswick Competitive Festival of Music.  She said, "I've been training for ten years and for ten years I've been competing in New Brunswick."

At both events, Melanie took all gold with highest vocal marks.  At the New Brunswick festival, she received a Grade of Distinction for her work.

Saucier says she is actively pursuing a career in operatic singing.  She said, "I actually didn't like opera until I was eleven."  But when her voice changed, she and her teachers realized the emerging voice had "operatic colors."

Now she trains regularly with Leola Dionne and travels once a month to Moncton to receive instruction from Lisa Roy.

She is eager to travel the path of the operatic singer.

"That's what I want."