Laura Lowry, vocal student soprano at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, has been awarded a Fulbright research grant to study in Germany for the 2016 – 17 academic year.

Germany is one of the most competitive, highly coveted Fulbright countries. Lowry will be based in Stuttgart and her work there will be in the form of scholarly research as well as performance. She will also work with a coach and voice teacher as she prepares recitals and lecture recitals, in German, of the lieder of 19th-century female composer Emilie Zumsteeg.

Zumsteeg’s lieder was the subject of Lowry’s lecture recital with Natalia Rivera, which led to her fleshed-out Fulbright proposal. Lowry’s research and performances this next year, in addition to the CD she’s recording with Conservatory faculty Natalia Rivera, will ensure that Zumsteeg’s lieder finds its rightful place alongside the likes of Fanny Mendelssohn and Alma Mahler, among others.

Lowry is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the UMKC Conservatory where she studies with Aidan Soder, associate professor of voice. She also holds a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from the UMKC Conservatory.