Senior Aaron Short expressed a talent for music at a young age, and he is building his experience at Wichita State University in vocal performance and opera.

“Music is the most pure form of expression, more so than language,” Short said.

His favorite quote, by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, is, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Short, who sings tenor, said music makes life more enjoyable. It is the center of his life.

Singing was fun for Short as a child. He said he felt comfortable performing on stage.

For his first public performance, at 6 years old, Short sang in a town fair talent show in Belton, Mo., his hometown.

He also participated in the children’s chorus in the Civic Opera of Kansas City, and performed in high school and community productions before coming to WSU.

His parents were professionals in the music and theater worlds, and they were his biggest influence to pursuing opera as a career.

“They pretty much raised me to love music,” Short said. “It is directly their fault that I’m going into music.”

Short took voice lessons from his mother and performed in a production of “Pippin” under his father’s direction at Olathe South High School in Kansas City, Kan.

At WSU, Short has performed in “Dialogues of the Carmelites,” “Tamerlano,” “Iolanthe” and “Street Scene.”

Marie King, opera program director at WSU, said, “From his very first role as a freshman, (Short) had a maturity and attention to character that caught the attention of everyone in the program.”

Short’s favorite opera, composed by Puccini, is “Tosca” because it has everything a good opera should have: love, hate, murder and drama wrapped together in a Puccini package, he said.

Short enjoys opera because it, combined with theater, is a “smorgasbord of dramatic content.

“The drama of opera is heightened because there’s no stopping in scenes,” he said. “And it’s almost always in a foreign language.”

Short has studied Italian and French. Learning languages for performances is an added benefit for opera singers.

“If you don’t want to sing anymore, you can go be a (translator),” he said.

The WSU summer opera program, Canta in Italia, took Short to Italy for one month to experience demanding vocal study and language instruction. He called it “opera boot camp.”

And this past summer, Short performed in operas for Inspiration Point Opera in the Ozarks.

His experiences and the real-world knowledge he gained in Arkansas made him confident in every aspect of his future singing career, he said.

After college, Short said there is no set path for opera singers to follow.

He wants to get his master’s degree, and then he plans to work in a young artist program to build his reputation and voice.

At some point, he said he’ll get an agent, accept gigs and make a name for himself. He hopes to have a substantial opera career in about 10 years.

“It takes a very long time to be a singer,” he said, “which is what’s tough about the industry.”

King has faith Short will succeed: “Aaron has a very fine voice, strong dramatic sensibilities and is very musical. All these qualities, combined with an exceptional work ethic, make him a strong contender for a career in opera.”