Poster Laura Osnes performs in the Classical MPR studio.
Laura Osnes performs in the Classical MPR studio.
MPR photo/Nate Ryan

Laura Osnes: back in Minnesota, back in the Spotlight

Laura Osnes: back in Minnesota, back in the spotlight

She started out in high school musicals in Eagan, Minn. Now, Laura Osnes has five Broadway shows on her résumé, and two Tony nominations for Best Actress. And, in just the past two weeks, she performed at Carnegie Hall and at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

But Osnes never forgets where it all began. So this week she returned to the Twin Cities to mentor the next generation of performers in the Spotlight Musical Theatre Program. It was created by Hennepin Theatre Trust to educate and honor high school musical theater students. They're a gifted bunch; once upon a time, one of the students in the program was a girl from Eagan — named Laura Osnes. She went on to star in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway.

During her trip home, she stopped by the studio to sing a song from the musical, and we talked about her Minnesota past, her recent huge success singing Carousel at Lyric Opera, and what's next (beyond a big birthday!).

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