Dr. Erinn Roberts practicing proper breath support with student Pixie Roach on Feb. 24, 2025. Photo by Tayson Prete.

The sound of music is alive in southern Alberta, thanks in part to local vocal academies. With the Lethbridge Music and Speech Arts Festival just around the corner, the help couldn’t come sooner. 

The Roberts Vocal Academy, founded and run by Dr. Erinn Roberts, is designed to do just that; help local talent shine. After years of teaching at both the university and high school level, Roberts is back teaching private lessons, helping students improve with specialized one-on-one teaching. 

After graduating with a Doctorate of Music in Voice/Opera performance from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Music in Operatic performance from the same institution, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal performance from the University of Lethbridge, she then set off across Canada and beyond, performing in leading roles in stage performances across the world. 

But after returning to Lethbridge and spending half a decade teaching in the public school system, she has returned to private lessons, stating that she missed the specialized training with students. “In this season of life, I thought ‘you know what? It’s time for me to step back from the classroom and I’m going to go back to private teaching,’” says Roberts. “And it’s been so much fun because I get that one-on-one relationship with students, which I really love.” 

Roberts has helped spark the love of musical performance in many Lethbridge students, and has helped them improve, in many different ways.  

Many such students, like Shayla Ghose, Sophie Goth, and Pixie Roach are all hard at work achieving their self-set goals. 

Some are getting ready for auditions and competitions. “I’m preparing for some contemporary festivals, as well as some for musical theatre,” says Ghose. 

Others are hard at work getting ready for the Lethbridge Music and Speech Arts festival. “At the festival, I’m singing a song from one of Mozart’s Operas, and a song from Little Women,” says Goth. 

And others still are just wanting to simply improve their vocal ability. “I just want to get better at singing, you know? I want to work on my head voice,” says Roach. 

Whatever the case, talent is blooming in our city, and Roberts couldn’t be happier. “I’ve been really amazed with the response, and lots of students who want to sing, which is awesome,” says Roberts. “Singing is a great thing, and I love it, and I’m glad others love it too.” 

The Lethbridge Music and Speech Arts festival takes place at the beginning of April, where aspiring musicians and actors of all varieties will be competing for prizes and glory. But no matter the results, people can rest assured that Lethbridge is a town coloured by music thanks to institutions like the Roberts Vocal Academy.