April 11, 2011
High school students sing the classics
Chip Ellis
Emily Hopkins and Daniel King, 17-year-old students headed this fall to Oberlin College, will perform opera and Broadway songs at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church at noon Wednesday.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- High school seniors Daniel King and Emily Hopkins enjoy a wide range of music.

Recently, each of them received $45,000 scholarships to study music, beginning this fall, at the prestigious Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College in Ohio.

At noon Wednesday, the 17-year-olds will perform at the Kanawha Forum -- a weekly concert series held on five Wednesdays each spring and fall at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church in Charleston.

King and Hopkins said they will sing a variety of songs, ranging from a Mozart aria to a duet from his opera "The Marriage of Figaro" to songs from the Broadway musicals like "Phantom of the Opera" and "The King and I."

King, who lives in Sissonville, grew up on a farm. "My dad always rebuilt cars, and I loved to work with him."

Today, King's father does electrical work in coal mines, installing security systems. His mother is a cook at Montrose Elementary School.

"I always wanted to sing. I was in the show choir at Nitro High School when someone told me about Roger Lucas.

"Talking to him was the best decision I ever made in my life," King said. "I never really intended to go to college until I met Mr. Lucas."

Lucas, a longtime tenor soloist in the Kanawha Presbyterian choir, graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he met his wife, Deborah.

Today, Roger and Deborah Lucas offer vocal lessons to dozens of high school students, as well as adults, in their Charleston home.

Hopkins grew up in Hurricane and attends Hurricane High School. Her mother is a nurse at Thomas Memorial Hospital. Her father works for Airgas, installing fire suppression systems.

"I never listened to classical music until I took a music appreciation course at school. I decided I wanted to sing opera. Then I met Deborah. There are no words to describe her."

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Copyright 2011 The Charleston Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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