Fall 2018: Current Engagements

"Current: belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now."

It can be incredibly difficult to think of your life in terms of what's currently happening. I don't know if that changes at any point in life, but as a musician, college student, and teenager-pretending-to-be-an-adult, I find it challenging to not be wrapped up in the past or what's to come. That's why it's almost cathartic to give an update on what I'm doing.

Fall of this year has me preparing for some pretty amazing things. In IUP's Chorale, I've been working to prepare a special collaborative concert with the Johnstown Symphony to perform Handel's "Messiah". Just today, I had the pleasure of hearing a lecture and Q&A session featuring our maestro, James Blachly, who discussed Handel's work and how it still remains relevant (and popular) to this day. Collaborating to achieve a musical experience as moving - as well as outright difficult - as "Messiah" has been rewarding, and once this Sunday's performance comes to an end, I'm sure I'll already begin to miss how it challenged me as a musician. Still, through Chorale under the direction of Dr. Ryan Beeken, I'll continue to grow, as we'll start to prepare Verdi's "Requiem" as soon as the Spring semester begins.

As a sophomore voice student, I'm also beginning to delve more into the world of competitions, as well as auditioning for voice festivals and Young Artist Programs (YAPs). Some endearingly call these, "pay-to-play" programs, because of the daunting idea of paying more money than most students ever have to participate in specialized programs and productions in hopes of learning how to remotely begin to survive in the professional world. Selecting which programs to even audition for and apply to has been a confusing and overall interesting process. It requires you to be realistic about your own ability, needs, and areas of improvement as a musician and a performer.

Planning accordingly for these programs, should I even be accepted, has been even harder.

Auditions, and the anxiety that comes with them is one thing. The uncertainty of being what these programs have in mind for their cast or selections is only one factor in the entire process. Logistics, finances, travel... These are all things to consider and plan for when applying to summer programs. It almost feels like applying to undergrad all over again, but with seemingly less of a chance and even more unclear guidelines. Luckily, I had the opportunity to create a proposal and general breakdown of the programs I'm applying to thus far in order to apply for a scholarship to help afford attendance through IUP's Cook Honors College. You can find my Achievement Fund application, along with charts and information on the programs I'm applying to here.

My goal is to submit all of my application materials for festivals and YAPs by the end of the fall semester, which is approaching more quickly than I'd like. I've begun the process of recording auditions for the programs whose live auditions I cannot attend; you can find those videos on the homepage of my site. The recording process has been long and tedious, with take after take being time consuming. It's a challenge to not turn into a complete perfectionist while recording auditions, wanting to constantly do retakes of repertoire. Sloppy footage keeps you humble - but it also provides a good laugh at the end of the day. It's a long and, frankly, weird process to undergo, but I find it rewarding. You discover your strengths (and weaknesses), and feel a real sense of accomplishment and pride for your work once the ordeal is over.

With voice juries and finals in a week, and deadlines for these programs approaching at the end of the calendar year, it's been so important to me to have my support system of colleagues and mentors to keep me grounded. Never has there been a better time for self-care and reflection. Though applying to YAPs and festivals has been a rigorous affair, I feel it's crucial for me to do at this stage in my development as a performer, and I know I'll grow from it no matter the outcome.

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" As the semester grinds on you may feel intensely burnt-out. You may even consider dropping out of music altogether. If that happens, go back and listen to your favorite recordings, make music with your friends, do anything you can to remind yourself why you loved music before you started studying it. An education in music can be a very good thing, but it can also squeeze the life out of any love you ever had for it. Don’t let it."

-Eric Whitacre