Two music students at Â鶹ÉçÇø Pembroke have been accepted to elite graduate programs.
Taylor Royer, a 2017 graduate, has been accepted into the Master of Music in Vocal Performance program at New York University's prestigious Steinhardt School. She will be pursuing a Music Theatre Performance and Post-Master's Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy.
Alexi Hines, a spring 2021 graduate, has been accepted into the Â鶹ÉçÇø Greensboro School of Music to pursue a Master of Music in Flute Performance degree. The Â鶹ÉçÇøG School of Music has an excellent national reputation for graduate programs in music.
Since earning her Â鶹ÉçÇøP degree in musical theatre, Royer has taught choir at Scotland High School. The Jacksonville, North Carolina, native earned the Travis Stockley Memorial Scholarship and the Gordon R. and Rosemary R. Gibson Endowed Scholarship in Musical Theatre while studying at Â鶹ÉçÇøP.
"The support my professors and the music department gave me has been invaluable," Royer said. "They are truly invested in us as students, musicians and people. I was able to take advantage of the personalized attention and opportunities at Â鶹ÉçÇøP that I would never have been given in a larger program. It is because of my time there that I was able to build my skills as an actor and musician and create the network of support that has allowed me to take this next step in my educational journey."
Royer will begin the master's program in the fall. Her goal is to teach voice at the university level.
Hines will continue her studies at Â鶹ÉçÇøG this summer. The Lexington native will graduate with a bachelor's in music on Saturday.
A standout music student at Â鶹ÉçÇøP, Hines earned an Award in Performance, Outstanding Freshman in Performance and the Outstanding Senior in Performance award. She was a member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Women's Music Fraternity.
Hines also completed the Special Award in Performance requirements–a rare designation conferred fewer than 10 times in the last decade at Â鶹ÉçÇøP.
The award is presented to outstanding undergraduate performers who complete all requirements for the recognition and is the Â鶹ÉçÇøP version of a performer's certificate. It is designed to prepare students for orchestral auditions, solo or chamber music competitions and recording projects or entrance into graduate school.
"During my time here, the support system I have fostered has allowed me to grow as an individual and a student, preparing me for my next steps in my career," she said.
Upon completing the program at Â鶹ÉçÇøG, Hines plans to pursue a doctoral program in flute performance and teach flute at the university level.
