THOMASVILLE — In Thomasville, where opera singer Jenny Rouse was born and raised, there is no opera house, no professional resident orchestra, and no conservatory of music.

Yet the connection to classical music in Thomasville is strong: There is a world-class artist series sponsored by the Thomasville Entertainment Foundation that brings international talent to perform here every season. This is unusual for a town this size in this region of the world. 

In addition, there is a handful of people from Thomasville who are working internationally in classical music.

Rouse is among them and eager to bring the joy and excitement of her career back to the town that means so much to her. She now makes her home in Nuremberg, Germany, to be within reasonable travel distances to the venues where she frequently sings traditional European opera.

Although she made her way from the University of Georgia to New York City and finally to Zurich, Switzerland, where her career began and led her to work with some of the greatest conductors and singers (Franz Welser Most, Samuel Ramey, Mirella Freni), the thrill of theater is still the same as when she acted in plays with Thomasville on Stage and Company. 

However, Rouse’s talent and career opportunities led her to stay in Europe, where in the past decade, the literally hundreds of opera houses provide the means to “put on elaborate costumes and sing for an audience on a regular basis — and actually getting paid a living wage for it.” Some of her favorite roles have been Queen of the Night in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and La Contessa in “Le Comte Ory” by Rossini.

The following are questions Rouse is commonly asked about her business:

Q: Do they really sing without a microphone in large concert halls?

A: Yes. It comes from breath control.

Q: How many languages do you sing in?

A: Around eight.

Q: Is the myth about the fat opera singer true or false?

A: False. Most opera singers are fit, as they must perform on stage and present a physically pleasing appearance for the audience.

Rouse, who has heard all these questions and more, is happy to hear each of them and tell her story. Although she doesn’t currently teach voice, she enjoys giving talks about opera and offer demonstrations of her talents to all ages. Rouse believes that the earlier children are introduced to opera and classical music, the richer their lives are.

“Around the age of 7, especially, kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds seem to respond positively to some of the basics of singing classical opera, which in itself is full of funny breathing exercises and colorful sounds that would normally not be produced by a human being.” Rouse said. “They have fun with it, and that’s the way it should be. It’s not an art form just for the elite, but, historically, it was entertainment for everyone.”

She also has mixed opera with dance, drama, hip-hop and even traditional Arabic folk music, the latter of which was a series of concerts presented in Amman, Jordan, to a full house and broadcast on national television.

What’s next in her remarkable career? While continuing singing engagements in Europe, she has made plans to give recitals and talks about opera and classical music in Manhattan, New York, as well as in Thomasville.

Rouse dreams of touring America bringing opera to towns and cities where the art form would normally not be available. Also in the works are “opera fusion” projects that combine classical singing with other genres, such as popular music and modern dance.

Rouse can be seen on her Facebook page “Jenny Rouse, soprano” as well as jennyrouse.com for video and audio clips and schedules.

Rouse’s father and stepmother, Terry and Rhetta Rouse, as well as her mother, Barbara Campbell, are longtime Thomasville residents.