Hooked on Opera

Randy Ho (BA ’20, BSBA ’20) is a modern-day troubadour, roaming from opera house to opera house as a residency artist, bringing classic tales of love, joy, loss and the occasional sinister plot to a new generation of audiences around the globe.

Ho got his start on stage at the Denver School of the Arts, where he sang baritone in choir and school musicals. One of his teachers was Sarah Cambidge (BM ’11, MM ’13), a renowned opera singer, who piqued his interest in DU’s vocal performance program. When he arrived on campus, he quickly discovered that his voice was better suited to singing as a tenor. “I was told, you should be singing opera. It was one of those decisions where the world kind of chooses you,” he says.

A first-generation college student, Ho says he “grew up a DU kid.” He attended hockey camps and was surrounded by alumni, including teachers, tutors and three of his cousins. He participated in a program that helped kids living in public housing achieve their academic potential and eventually earned scholarships through the Howard Family Foundation and a program in the Graduate School of Social Work.

Ho was a double major in the Lamont School of Music and the Daniels College of Business. As he sharpened his vocals, he also gained an understanding of contracts, finances and marketing tactics for bringing audiences to the ticket box. The two degrees enabled him to turn his love of music into a career in the music business.

‘Something clicked’

A career-defining moment came when Ho was studying abroad in Milan and he traveled throughout Italy, France and Czechia. “Experiencing the birthplace of opera— something clicked,” he says. “I got to see historical opera houses, and I started to get this idea that I enjoy traveling, and this is something that I could do for my job.”

After graduating from DU, Ho earned a master’s degree in voice and opera from Johns Hopkins University and landed roles with opera houses in Pensacola, Denver and Santa Fe—the “Red Rocks of opera,” he says. He was once called upon to fill in last minute for a role in Santiago, Chile—where he reaped the fruits of his labor during the curtain call.

“I remember hearing this rush of applause that I’ll just never forget,” says Ho. “I was almost in tears— you put in so much hard work and, as a musician, it’s so thankless. It’s so thankless until that moment.”

Opera for all

When he’s off stage, Ho is focused on making opera approachable and marketable. He consults with opera companies and artists, helping them harness the power of social media and search engine optimization.

Ho understands that opera can be intimidating, but the stories are like old school musicals whose stories transcend time, he says. He pulls out the most engaging aspects—love triangles, addiction, violence—and markets them with the music to hook potential audiences.

“People have this idea that you need to come dressed up; that they won’t understand because of the language barrier,” Ho says. But most theaters no longer require traditional attire, he points out, and subtitles are often displayed on seatbacks or above the stage.

“You can come as you are,” he says. “Give it a chance. You might like it. You might even love it.”