Soprano Ella Vaughn is 19 years old and attends Oberlin Conservatory, where she studies under Dr. Katherine Jolly. Ella will be singing the role of Cendrillon in the upcoming fall opera at Oberlin. This past summer she covered the role of Miss Wordsworth from Albert Herring at Chicago Summer Opera. Ella was named a winner of the Schmidt Vocal Arts Undergraduate Competition in 2024. She also won 1st place in the Schmidt Vocal Arts National High School Competition in 2023. She was a YoungArts finalist and has received 1st place awards from The George Shirley Competition, Matinèe Musicale, The Overture Awards, and The Martha Marcks Mack Vocal Award. Ella grew up in Cincinnati Ohio where she developed her love and passion for the arts. She hopes to expand the audiences of classical music and opera by making them more accessible to all.