Aryana Deveraux, a Siskiyou County native studying at Southern Oregon University, has been selected for a highly competitive summer opera program in Vienna, Austria — and the local arts community is stepping up to help send her there.
Deveraux, a junior at Southern Oregon University majoring in Music Performance with a focus on opera, was recently accepted to a summer program affiliated with the Vienna Summer Music Festival. The program accepts only 35 singers from a pool of hundreds of applicants worldwide.
To help raise the roughly $6,000 needed to cover tuition, flights, and meals, SPAC is hosting a benefit concert — “Music of Vienna” — on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 315 Yreka St. in Yreka. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, with donations gratefully accepted.
The evening will feature performances by Djembe Caliente, Moonstruck, Bill Lachenmyer, Dallas Gulrich, Connie Croad, Rusty Miller, Stephen Eldred, Sage Bagwell, and Deveraux herself.
Although entry is free, tickets are required and can be obtained at Zephyr’s, Bella Art Works, Smoked Tomato Pie, and Jupiter Salon in Yreka.
Vienna is widely regarded as the opera capital of the world, and the festival draws some of the industry’s top vocal pedagogues, directors, and performers as instructors. During the monthlong program, Deveraux will participate in courses, masterclasses, private lessons, and rehearsals, and will perform two roles during the festival’s culminating opera performances.
Deveraux has deep roots in Siskiyou County. Born and raised here, she has been performing throughout the county since age 14. Her father grew up in Montague and her mother in Yreka. She carries a 3.90 GPA, is a Leon Mulling Scholarship recipient, and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.
Those unable to attend the concert but wishing to contribute directly can mail checks made out to Aryana Deveraux to PO Box 213, Montague, CA 96064.
Or you can donate to Aryana Deveraux GoFundMe account by accessing the link below:
https://gofund.me/8d6acd94b
