(By Stephanie Hounsell, Canadian Champion and Burlington Post)

For Amanda Smith, following her destiny meant ignoring the noise of the world and listening to the inner song of her heart — and the advice of her music teacher.

Smith, 20, is one of two local music students who have been accepted into a university vocal program to pursue opera. The other student is 18-year-old Lindsay Moniz.

It’s quite an accomplishment, with entrance to music programs in such highly regarded universities difficult to gain — particularly for vocalists. “Two Milton girls are going into the opera scene for real,” said teacher Kirsten Pitkanen with obvious excitement.

Next week, Smith will be leaving for Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo — one of the top music schools in the country — and is now dealing with those starting-school butterflies. She has no idea what to expect, but knows she’s doing the right thing. “I know this is something I’m supposed to be doing,” she said.

At the end of her four-year bachelor of music program, plus the one-year opera diploma, Smith has every hope she’ll be able to realize her dream of joining an opera company.

But for Smith, getting to this point hasn’t been easy. She’d already been studying psychology at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus, for two years when Pitkanen told her she should be studying vocal performance at university. “I said, ‘You’re going to regret this if you don’t give it a shot,’” Pitkanen recalled.

It was difficult to hear, Smith said, since she was essentially being told she was on the wrong career path. But deep inside, Smith knew Pitkanen was right and decided to audition for the music program at Laurier.

Naturally, her parents were reluctant about the switch, Smith said, but they eventually got on board.

Along came the audition last spring, which went well despite the fact Smith was one of the lesser experienced vocalists trying out — she only had two-and-a-half years of vocal training under her belt, while some singers had been taking lessons for a decade.

Soon after, Smith received the letter she’d been hoping for. She’d been accepted. Not only that, she was among a handful of top accepted students.

“It’s pretty interesting how it all turned out — it’s like it was meant to be,” she said.

The recent events have strengthened Smith’s belief in the importance of doing what you love — even if that means taking a bit of a risk.

“I see so many people who go to school and study just for the sake of studying,” she said. “I want a life, not just a job.”

Moniz is equally as excited about the new chapter she’s about to start as she gets ready to attend the University of Western Ontario in London.

Moniz was in the middle of economics class last spring when she decided to check her e-mail and found out she’d been accepted.

“I started crying in class,” she said, chuckling. “I had all these people I don’t know staring at me.”

Like Smith, Moniz will be working toward a bachelor of music. In her second year, she’ll be able to pick either the performance or music education stream. Although she loves nothing more than to be on stage, Moniz said she’s leaning toward becoming a music teacher. “It’s a hard decision to make — opera or education,” she said, adding she’ll leave her options open.

Moniz has been taking lessons with Pitkanen for the past couple of years. If it weren’t for Pitkanen, Moniz feels confident she never would have taken up opera.

“She made me love it so much,” Moniz said, adding she liked the fact it was something different from what most people her age were into. “I like standing out.”

Opera also provided a well-needed challenge for Moniz, who said a song can take a year or two to learn and perfect.

With Pitkanen’s background in opera performance, Moniz said she was constantly inspired.

“I looked up to her and saw what she’s done, and I know I can too,” she said.

Pitkanen couldn’t be prouder of her students. Both Smith and Moniz have the two elements required to succeed in the world of professional music: talent and a strong work ethic, she said.

“Natural talent isn’t enough.”

It’s a big deal that both these young women were selected for such prestigious programs, Pitkanen added.

“If they want to, they will be opera singers,” she said with certainty. “It seems like a far-fetched dream, but it’s not. It’s attainable.”

Stephanie Hounsell can be reached at sthiessen[at]miltoncanadianchampion.com