Nearly 500 Houston-area children auditioned for Houston Grand Opera’s show, “The Sound of Music,” making it the largest children’s audition in company history. Annie Voorhees, a ninth grader at St. John’s School. Vorhees, who has been performing in theater since elementary school, ended up snagging the role of Louisa. Here’s more on her journey to starring in The Sound of Music.
What sparked your interest in singing and performing?
“I did choir at my school. One of my friends was doing theater at WildFish Theatre. That’s where I did my first show [in] second grade. It was ‘A Year With Frog and Toad.’ I played Young Frog. Ever since then, I did about eight shows at WildFish. My grandma is a Sound of Music fanatic. It’s her favorite musical of all time. She was always very musical and I think she’s kind of what got me into it.”
What was the audition process like for The Sound of Music?
“On the day of the callbacks, there was this big rehearsal room. They started calling everyone in. Then they grouped us into ages. They started sending some people away. Then, it ended up being me and another girl. Her name is Annie Blitz. She plays the Louisa cover. It was a little confusing because we had the same name. We [also] both came in wearing the same outfit. The directors and everyone at the panel were like, ‘Did you guys plan this?’ “
What’s one of your favorite songs in The Sound of Music? Why?
“I really like ‘Climb Every Mountain’ because that’s at the very end of the show. We’re all climbing the mountain. It’s just a really powerful thing because all the nuns are singing and it’s a really pretty sound.”
