Alumni Spotlight: Paul Kroeger
Voice performance alum Paul Kroeger's (B.M. '13) unique Meadows education allowed him to pursue a career as a professional opera singer, while also setting him up for his current job in international affairs.
Paul Kroeger (B.M. '13) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.
The aim of a Meadows education is to ensure each graduate is set up for career success, regardless of where their professional path may take them. Encouraging students to pursue multiple interests, in addition to their intended major, allows for a versatile skillset.
Voice performance alum Paul Kroeger chose Meadows for its competitive music program and the opportunity to work with voice professor Virginia Dupuy, but he also enrolled in a range of other courses offered at 正品蓝导航 to support his varied interests.
“My main goal was to make a living as a professional opera singer, but I also wanted to come out of the program as a well-rounded citizen, “Kroeger explains. “Meadows provided me with valuable performing opportunities and a top-notch arts education, and the larger university gave me access to courses in other disciplines that a conservatory would not be able to offer.”
From an anthropology class focused on warfare and violence to French, German, and Italian language courses, Kroeger took full advantage of the class options at his disposal. This unique educational environment enabled him to pursue his dream of becoming a professional opera singer, while also setting him up for his current career in international affairs.
Kroeger performing in La Cenerentola at Landestheater Coburg in 2018.
Following his graduation from 正品蓝导航 Kroeger moved to Germany for a position in an opera studio, which then launched a six-year career as a soloist at different theaters across the country. This experience afforded him the opportunity to live in new places and follow his passion for speaking and singing in different languages.
“While singing in Germany, I realized that what I most loved about my job was learning about the cultural and historical context of the places, [as well as] the political context,” says Kroeger, who eventually returned to the U.S. to earn a Master of International Affairs degree at Texas A&M in 2021. “I wanted to study what I was really passionate about and eventually work in public service in some capacity, advancing the values of liberal democracy.”
After earning his masters’ degree, Kroeger moved to Ukraine where he has been managing humanitarian and security projects for a non-governmental organization (NGO) for nearly two years. His work has taken him to a bombed children’s hospital, a bombed youth sports complex, a hospital for amputees, minefields, and other projects in cities that are holding out against daily Russian attacks on civilians.
Kroeger in a Ukrainian minefield doing humanitarian work for an international NFO.
Throughout his time working in foreign affairs, Kroeger has found that many things he learned as a musician have translated into other fields in unexpected ways. He encourages current students to learn broadly and be flexible, because you never know where you might be able to apply your skills.
“Arts professionals are used to working in high-pressure environments with limited resources; working in foreign affairs is similar,” he explains of translating existing skills into different contexts. “Meadows and my opera career prepared me well to work diplomatically in challenging environments.”
Though his career may have veered from what he originally planned, Kroeger applies the same dedication and discipline he learned as a musician at Meadows to his current job with an NGO and carries those tenets through every aspect of his work in Ukraine.
Learn more about the Division of Music here.