Songs That Got Me Here
Katie Beezer
I am currently a sophomore studying history on the River Campus. I am in the GRADE program, which is a five-year masters program for education. I am planning to be a secondary ed. history teacher. I am from Old Saybrook, CT. I am an only child and my dog is my best friend. I like long walks on the beach (since I live right on Long Island Sound) and my new obsession is bubble tea. As I look back on my life and think what songs got me to where I am today, the first memory that pops into my head was when I was in sixth grade and got to play Mary in my church’s Christmas pageant. After singing in front of an audience I knew that I wanted to continue to do it. In middle school I participated in the musicals Cinderella, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Peter Pan. In high school I was very involved in an all women’s chorus and a chamber singers group. When I was a sophomore, the chamber singers sang “Prayer of the Children” by Kurt Bestor. It was one of the songs that got me here because it was a song that touched me in a way that no song had before. It made me think that I needed to appreciate what I had in life and to be thankful for what I have. One of the most influential songs from my life is “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton. My chorus did an arrangement of it where most of the song was a solo. I was only a junior in a chorus full of seniors, so I was naturally intimidated to try out for the solo. I faced my fears and sang for the class and in the end got a call back for the song. I competed against two other seniors for the solo. Getting the solo was one of the greatest moments of my high school career. On the night of the concert all I can remember is seeing my mom’s face when she looked down at the program and saw my name under the solo section. The song is so light and free; it’s one that gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. Lastly, there’s “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway show Wicked. It was the last song I sang in high school and I got the solo for it. Singing it a the concert was one of those bittersweet moments because it transitioned me from the safe and comfortable feeling of high school to the unknown and exciting feeling of going to college. Plus it is from one of the greatest Broadway shows.
Marina Brace
I’m a junior at the River Campus. I started taking violin lessons when I was only 7 years old. My grandparents are musicians and wanted me to develop a love for it. Their encouragement helped music become one of the most important aspects of my life. I would spend hours each week practicing and sharpening my ears. I loved playing so much that eventually I sung my violin repertoire whenever I couldn’t pull out my violin and play them. It was at that point that I discovered I loved singing, and I couldn't wait until I was able to join chorus in school. In 6th grade, one of my favorite pieces was “Go Down Moses”. It was the most incredible feeling to be able to belt out such a bluesy and powerful tune. “Go Down Moses” increased my sensitivity to the emotions music can hold. But by far, the piece that gave me the deepest love of choral performance is “The Prayer” by David Foster. It is simply one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard. I love singing the lush Italian language and the two-part harmony is gorgeous. But my favorite thing about the piece is the lyrics. I don’t have a religious faith but I do believe in the power of love and grace and peace, and this piece prays for all of what I consider to be the most beautiful parts of humanity. “The Prayer” was blissful to sing and it’s still one of my favorite pieces to this day.
I was born on August 30th, 1995 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I grew up in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania and graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware. From a very young age I would spend my days singing. My mother studied music through her young adulthood and instilled in me a love of both listening and performing music.
Throughout high school I participated in the Mastersingers of Archmere Academy and the Wilmington Children’s Chorus where I was given unimaginable opportunities, from singing at Carnegie Hall, to performing as the soprano soloist in Schubert’s Mass in G, to going on tour through France and Germany. It is very difficult for me to choose just one or two songs that have brought me here, but singing as the soprano one spirit in The Magic Flute by Mozart with the Opera Delaware Company truly allowed me to experience professional singing and strongly influenced my desire to pursue singing. I believe that all the songs I have studied have shaped me as a musician and have played an important role in bringing me to Eastman.
As a freshman student at Eastman I hope to develop and grow throughout the next years. With the guidance of my peers and teachers, I aspire to develop vocally and understand music more deeply. I am really looking forward to collaborating with everyone in Women’s Chorus this year and study new music.
Hi everyone! My name is Madison (or Madi) and I am a sophomore at the University of Rochester. I’m majoring in English and Environmental Studies, and I have lived in Rochester (in the town of Brighton, specifically) for most of my life, with my mom, dad, brother, and two cats.
Thanks to my parents, music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was little, every night at bedtime my mom and dad would sing songs to me like “Silent Night,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Edelweiss,” and “You Are My Sunshine” until I fell asleep, the wonderful melodies dancing through my mind and into my dreams. My favorite movies were (and still are!) musicals like The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and The Sound of Music. At church, hymns surrounded me with glorious beauty, and at home and in the car my family would listen, sing, and dance to a lot of classic rock, especially Fleetwood Mac, U2, Led Zeppelin, and Eric Clapton.
My passion for learning and performing music began with the piano. I started taking lessons in kindergarten, after my parents noticed my interest in playing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on our electric keyboard, and I have loved playing piano ever since.
By contrast, my path towards singing was much more hesitant—although I like to sing, my natural shyness/introversion/stage fright kept me from pursuing it. In fourth grade, I joined my class chorus, but dropped out before the first concert. Then for the next few years I had hardly a thought of singing… except for when I attended my brother’s chorus concerts, which often brought on a twinge of regret in the back of my mind for not sticking with it. Finally, though, I committed myself to joining chorus, beginning my first full year with my high school’s Women’s Chorus in tenth grade, and I’m so glad I did! In my first concert, I had to deal with the terror of standing in the Front Row, but it was ultimately more exhilarating than scary to sing our opening piece, Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is,” in front of an auditorium full of family and friends. From then on, some highlights of high school chorus for me included singing the spiritual “Go Down Moses,” performing “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” and other songs in Disney World with Mixed Choir my senior year, and singing “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime on the stage of Kodak Hall with all of the other seniors in chorus at our graduation. I also really enjoyed singing Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” in ESM-UR Women’s Chorus last year, and I look forward to learning many new pieces this year!
I am 17 years old from Rochester, MI, and I am a Vocal Performance major here at the Eastman School of Music. Music has always been a part of my life in one form or another. Whether it was through voice lessons at the age of 8, or through my mothers favorite game of “guess the composer before the radio tells us” classical music has always been prevalent. However, just because I was around music written before the the 1900’s did not mean that I always enjoyed it. If fact, there were many times where I resented the smooth melodic lines of romantic music and the beautifully ornamented melodies of Baroque. My 13 year-old mind did not quite comprehend it all, how could someone really enjoy listening to this old person music?
This mentality quickly shifted the moment I joined my high school chorus at Stoney Creek High School. We worked on many beautiful pieces during my 4 years there. I was incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful director, Dr. Brandon Ulrich. He was someone who really knew how to open up the hearts of very narrow minded high school students to the wonderful world of classical music. My favorite piece I ever performed under his direction was in my senior year, when we performed a 3 movement piece called Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen. This 3 movement Latin piece is absolutely breathtaking when performed, and made me truly appreciate singing in a chorale.
My second favorite piece I ever performed was Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams at the Interlochen Arts Camp in 2012. The vocal performance majors at Interlochen that year were fortunate enough to sing with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. David Fryling. After the last chord rang I can remember gazing out onto the audience and seeing the expressions of joy that our music had given them, then looking around at my fellow World Youth Honors Choir members and seeing a look of pride and contentment of being a part of something so powerful and well done.
Now only 2 years later I am thrilled to be a part of another choir that I know will bring out the exact same emotions I have felt while singing before.
This may sound cheesy, but I always thought of the Jonas Brothers as the source of my passion for music. I remember being 12 years old and singing their songs wherever I went, the shower, school, and even outside while shopping. I had no shame telling everyone I was a fan, and one of their songs, Lovebug, has followed me throughout my teenage years. One day in music class the song "A Hard Day's Night" was playing. It was of my favorite songs and as I was singing along to the Beatles, my music instructor asked me if I was interested in auditioning for the school's choir. I gave it a shot and I was in. Choir was fun, but it wasn't until we did If I Fell by the Beatles that something inside me changed. It lured me into a world where music isn’t only listening but it is also creating it yourself. He always told me to make the songs mine by adding a little bit of myself to it. My music instructor also showed me a video of The Magic Flute by Mozart, and it blew me away because I had no idea what kind of power vocal chords could have. I kept these songs with me throughout the years because they make me feel at peace.
Music has always been an important part of my life. I couldn't recall the name of a specific song that made choir a part of my life. I think it was that sense of surprise brought by many choral pieces that made me continue to be part of this big family. Even though some pieces sounds boring and not enjoyable at first, I am always fascinated by how intricately it is composed when all the parts are put together after tons of practices.
Music is a facet of life I tend to enjoy the most. It can be perceived in many different ways: the tone, the message, everything. I have always appreciated music. When I was in third grade, I began to take piano lessons and in fourth grade, I joined my elementary school’s orchestra and eventually took violin lessons. Although I enjoyed playing these instruments, singing stood out to me the most. I auditioned for and joined my high school’s advanced choir and also became an elected officer for it. Because of singing, I’ve had many opportunities that influenced me and motivated me to keep singing. I have performed on TNT’S Christmas in Washington for three years and Kennedy Center Honors one year. Performing in front of President Obama, his family, and many other people was extremely exhilarating. Also, I was fortunate enough to work with many great artists such as Diana Ross, Jennifer Hudson, James Taylor, and even the amazing Backstreet Boys. Through these performances, I learned the most important lessons of being in a choir: teamwork, communication, and leadership skills.
I do not have “songs that got me here,” but my experiences definitely have. I hope to heighten my skills in classical singing, sigh- reading, and other techniques in order to apply it to my major (biomedical engineering) and my life beyond Rochester and to maintain a relationship with my love, music.
My journey throughout music began when I was a little girl. At that point in time, I never imagined how much music would eventually mean to me. I grew up in Puerto Rico and lived there my whole life until I arrived at Rochester. My first song repertoire was led by Barney the Dinosaur. My parents tell me that as little as eighteen months I was already singing and dancing. My first big encounter with music began when I started taking dance lessons at the age of 3. I loved to dance and move with the music, expressing what I felt through dance.
The first opportunity I had to sing in public came when I was seven during a Girl Scout talent competition. I sang my favorite song at the time “Como la Flor” from Selena, and won first place. This event inspired me to study music. Then at the age of 8, I formally started studying music as part of the Coro de Niño’s de Ponce Choir. I started taking classes two days a week and after a year, two days turned to three. This choir exposed me to playing multiple instruments such as the guitar, hand bells, etc. We sang songs in different languages such as Italian and German. This choir also gave me exposure to singing towards all-kinds of audiences. During that time some songs became special to me such as, On Eagle’s Wings, The Impossible Quest and The Storm is Passing Over. I incorporated music into my school life by joining a Music Club and the first Musical Theater and Choir programs at my school. I also participated in talent competitions at my school, winning on several occasions. After being in that choir for ten years I have now come to the University of Rochester. I am glad to have joined the Women’s Choir where I can continue developing my musical studies.
I enjoy singing. While singing, my heart as well as my body is joyful. Whenever I'm happy or sad, I often sing out to share my happiness with others and sadness with myself. Singing a upset song in the night, and my pain will be gone with that.
I am in choirs when I was in an elementary school. Singing together and getting prize in the competition together always excite me. And that is why I joined such a wonderful group. When everyone is making beautiful sound together, the beauty of the voice becomes prettier.
Singing makes me brave and confident no matter there are listeners or not. I do not mind. Even though I could not be a professional singer, I can still get a lot of good fun from singing. And because of singing, my life becomes more colorful.
The experience of last year in the women’s chorus is wonderful. We went to Syracuse University at 6am. We went to Eastman to perform. And absolutely, I made friends, who love singing as well. I am glad that I am so lucky to join this in my freshman year, it is like opening a door to me. And there is a new place I have never seen inside the door. I know I am not good enough, and I still remember how surprised I was when I hear those wonderful voices from other students. Lucky me, I could be a part in such a wonderful group with such a wonderful professor and so many wonderful singers. With this incredible chance, I shall keep singing.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved singing and listening to music. However, I have always been shy about singing in front of others. One of my first memories of music at school was our second grade musical production of Alice in Wonderland in which Alice got several of her own solos. Although I hardly thought of myself as being a particularly good fit to play a blonde Alice I decided to try out for the role, which in large part because of my nerves, didn’t amount to much. However, in fourth grade came my first opportunity to successfully audition and join a school choir. I quickly found that choir was the perfect place for me. I felt like I could sing loudly and confidently, but since I was always singing with a group, I never really got nervous. That experience ignited my love for choir that continued through middle school, high school, and now college.
By the time my freshman year of high school rolled around I decided I was finally ready to be more than just another member of our school choir. One of my friends urged me to audition for region choir. Through the process of auditioning for region throughout high school, I have gained a much stronger sense of confidence in myself as a performer and found some of my favorite choral songs along the way. These most notably include There is No Rose by Z. Randall Stroope (whom I later met at the Texas Choral Director’s Association conference!), You Are The Music by Dan Forrest, Misericordias Domini K.22 by Mozart, and Lauda Jerusalem by Nicola Porpora. Music and choir has provided me with a lot over the years including these songs, but most importantly has helped me to make many friendships and some of my fondest memories.
A second grade classroom is not likely the first place that comes to mind as the typical setting for a profound aesthetic experience, and my teacher, Mrs. Gordon, probably hadn’t planned for an innocuous treble arrangement of The Irish Blessing to reduce one of her quietest students to a fit of tears. But that’s exactly what happened to me, and from then on, music—particularly vocal music—went from being an unapproachable enigma to an expressive vehicle for examining and learning about life in ways that have since proven at times surprising, frightening, and ultimately fulfilling.
Certain musical experiences have had a formative effect on my personal development: singing David Childs’ setting of I Am Not Yours with my first honor choir; being chilled by the icy strings of Pärt’s Cantus: In Memoriam of Benjamin Britten, feeling the winding harmonies of Poulenc’s Gloria floating to meet the ring of lights lining the Carnegie Hall ceiling, teaching an arrangement of The Beatles’ Let It Be to my own collegiate singing group and later reprising it on national television; the ringing of Palestrina’s plaintive Sicut Cervus in a battered Austrian abbey, the apogee of intonation and emotional expression in great barbershop performances, the ennui of the choral adaption of Barber's "Adagio for Strings", the melancholy and captivating performances of soloists like Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Audra McDonald… and many more, all of which have inspired me to look inward and outward as both a person and performer.
One song that is especially important to me is the classic Somewhere Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz. When I was a toddler, my favorite toy was the baby piano that my parents bought for me. It didn’t matter to me that there were barbies, balls, and princess costumes in my monstrous pile of toys, I always picked the piano to play with. My parents soon figured out that I only played with the piano, so my dad decided to teach me how to play the melody “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. That was the first song I ever learned on the piano. After a year of playing the same melody of one song on the piano, I begged my parents to let me take piano lessons, and so began my passion for piano and music.
Another song that got me here is Tonight, from West Side Story. After seeing West Side Story for the first time when I was seven, I became absolutely obsessed with the soundtrack to the musical. My mother purchased the CD version of the soundtrack, and I immediately listened to every track on the disk. This was the first time that I ever really listened to the orchestral parts of the musical, such as the Overture and Prologue. I soon only listened to these tracks, and became fascinated by the orchestral score. After doing some research, I realized the genius behind the music was Leonard Bernstein. From there, I learned Leonard Bernstein often conducted classical music, which I then started listening to. This ignited my love for classical music.
"Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herz"—that was the piece to first provide segue into classical music for me. This already impressive aria made quite an impact upon my impressionable 5-year-old brain. A series of piano and violin lessons were to follow. Somehow, my family convinced me to audition for a musical production when I was ten, which didn’t amount to much. But a mere year later I, of my own volition, went and auditioned for the beloved musical The Sound of Music and landed the role of Brigitta. At 12 I began voice lessons. The piece I remember most vividly and fondly from my first recital, the piece which gave me the inkling that I might just love classical repertoire, was Brahms’ "Vergebliches Ständchen."
Over the course of several years I had the privilege of performing in amateur, community, and professional productions of the musicals Annie, Little Women, Will Roger’s Follies, CATS, The Music Man, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. As much as I loved the mixture of dance, theatre, and music, I was able to both uncover and use a deeper type of expression through classical works. The third piece that I would say has brought me to this point is Dvorak’s lullaby, Do bru noc. This was given to me a while after I had begun studying voice with a serious, classical professor. The beauty and excitement of combining two of my loves—music and language—set the hook and has continued to reel me into classical music more passionately ever since. What can I say? There’s nothing like singing ancient words such as those found in the Queen of the Night aria, “Vergebliches Ständchen,” and Dvorak’s lullaby and recognizing that they are articulating thoughts and telling stories that still come forth in today’s world. That realization is what got me here.
Madeleine Graham
My name is Maddie Graham and I love to sing. I started out singing in my Church’s choir, then got involved with my school’s choirs starting in elementary school. The first song that has significance to me is “Happy Birthday.” In 6th grade, I sang “Happy Birthday” during an audition to get into an all-girls select choir at my school. The teacher told me (rather insensitively) that my singing only ranked an eight out of ten. Thankfully, when trying out for the Women’s Chorus here at the University of Rochester, I sang “Happy Birthday” once again and this time was admitted.
The second song that sticks out to me is “Hallelujah” from the Messiah. At the Christmas concert every year at my high school, alumni and recent grads are invited to join all choirs in singing this piece. Each year my mom has stood next to me, despite the fact that I’m an alto and she’s a soprano. I have always cherished this experience with my mom, and hope that I can return to my high school to sing Handel’s piece alongside students and maybe even my own kids.
The final piece that led me here is a medley of Frozen. Last in the medley was the song “Let it Go”. Not only was the song appropriately titled, being a departing senior, but the last line of the song was as well. “The cold never bothered me anyway” was the last line I sang in my high school career. How perfect then, that I ended up here at the University of Rochester where cold is the norm. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the Women’s Chorus and can’t wait to make new memories with everyone.
I’ve always loved singing since I was forced to do chorus in 5th grade. It inspired me to join my church choir as well as continue on with choir into my middle school and high school years. In seventh grade I was introduced to the high school music department and we sang, as a group of 600 choral music students, All Shall be Amen and Alleluia written by James Whitbourn, commissioned by my choral director James D. Moyer. It was one of the most magical moments of my life. All these people, standing together and singing together this beautiful piece that represented the unity of the choral department. I teared up singing it the first time in seventh grade and bawled the last time singing it my senior year.
A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten has always had a spot in my heart because it was the first large piece I sang with an all-women’s choir. It made me appreciate the beauty of women’s chorus (and also introduced me to my love of the harp). Being in a select women’s choir for two years of my high school career introduced me to a wide range of music that focused around the elegance and power of the female voice, and although I love singing in mixed choirs also, I tend to enjoy women’s choirs better than mixed. Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen also have written some of my favorite songs, including Lux Aurumque and Alleluia by Whitacre and O Magnum Mysterium by Lauridsen. I performed both the Lux and O Magnum my senior year of high school and consider them one of the highlights of my singing career so far- not in difficulty, but in the feeling that arose when I had perfect harmony with others in my choir. Choral music, especially women’s choral music, has been a huge part of my life to help me both connect with others and discover more about myself.
I have never been one of those people who says they cannot listen to a song they like too often without “ruining it” for themselves. In fact, I often listen to my favorite songs over and over and over again. Basically, the origins of this behavior can be traced back to me as a small child. The first song is one that I do not remember learning but somehow still remember a lot of the words to. Picture a small uncoordinated three year old twirling around to “I can see clearly now." Per my parents, I would ask them when “When is it coming on the radio?” not infrequently. When it did come on the radio I would immediately drop everything and sing. I actually still love this song today. Flash forward to my elementary school days: I had a brief affair with Cher’s (do you) Believe (in love after love?!) but this phase is most notably defined by my music crush on Celine Dion. My whole life I had introduced myself to people and they would say “Oh, like Celine Dion the singer!”. So naturally one day I asked my mom to buy me a Celine Dion CD. I felt a particular attachment to Celine; we share the same name after all. My favorite albums were the “greatest hits” one my mom initially bought and the Christmas album of course. Today, people are most likely to say “Oh, like Selena Gomez but with out the –ah” upon hearing my name, but I’ll always continue to use Celine’s name to clear up confusion with my name and its pronunciation.
In high school I started doing theatre. Granted, this was mostly because my new high school did not have an orchestra program and I needed to find a new fine arts extracurricular activity. Despite the haphazard beginning, it ended up shaping my life in a really important way. I participated in all the musicals and plays the department had and learned how to communicate clearly, improvise and sing in front of an audience. In many ways it was “A Hard Knock Life” but I always came back next semester to be in the next production. In addition to flying off into “Neverland” and spending time on “Skid Row” I also auditioned for the school’s competitive choir and ended up travelling to New York City to compete in a national competition. This was when I learned how to sing as part of an ensemble instead of like a soloist in a theatrical production. Upon coming to the University of Rochester one of my friends mentioned Women’s Chorus and I immediately thought it sounded like a great idea. It has been a great way to meet new girls and keep singing. As I cross over to University of Rochester student to employee, I am glad to be a part of this group!
Every winter break, my parents put on old home videos of me as a child. I usually watch the antics of my younger self with mixed delight and horror. I can't help but smile, however, when we watch the one of three year old me and The Sound of Music. I was obsessed with the movie, acting out the scenes with my stuffed animals and singing and dancing with my dad during Sixteen Going on Seventeen. The music from that movie is responsible for one of my earliest and most poignent memories: serenading my German-born great-grandma with the song Edelweiss. It also fostered my early love of singing. Now a senior at the University of Rochester, I still have a special place in my heart and on my mp3 player for that soundtrack.
I pursued that early child singing beginning in elementary school, where I can recall the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" making a strong impact. I sang it every so often in church and it was one of the audition songs for solos in my fourth grade chorus. I sang it and got a solo. After that, I went on to take voice lessons and participated in choruses in middle and high school. Moreover, I would come to reflect on the immense power of that song again and again as I got older and became involved with social justice movements. It is a song that still resonates profoundly with me.
Alison Harper
Three years running, between the ages of 9 and 11, the only thing I asked for my birthday was to go see Cats. Again. We bought the CD (Original London cast) and I listened to it while doing my homework, while playing computer games, and right before I went to sleep. We also had the soundtracks to West Side Story, Oklahoma! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, but the lyrics in Cats were the most interesting by far, especially in my favourite song: Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat.
I took singing lessons at school and dutifully went through the books of worthy pieces selected by the Royal Academy of Music, but the only one that ever stood out was the first song I ever performed in front of other people: Handel’s Silent Worship. Until that point, singing had been something I did for myself, and it was profoundly strange to have other people actually listening.
Throughout years of choir practice and the various whims of conductors, I’ve sung some interesting pieces, music which stretched my abilities and went around in my head for days after rehearsal, such as Carmina Burana and Elijah Rock, but the best and most memorable performance was sadly not from my own choir. It was an all-male church choir somewhat untraditionally singing Luck Be a Lady Tonight from Guys and Dolls. I’ve never seen a group of people having that much fun while wearing choir robes.
Angel Huang
I started singing at a very young age, when I was about three or four years old and since that time, singing to me has always been about enjoying myself and expression. One of the first songs that got me to the point I am now was 98 Degree's "Sunshine After the Rain". It was one of the very first songs I remember listening to as a child and it was my favorite song for more than a decade. When I first sang this is when I realized just how much I loved singing. The next song that marked a milestone in my life was Vivaldi's Requiem. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and the mesh of voices worked in harmony to evoke feelings in me that were inspiring. It was at this moment that I knew I wanted to sing in choirs. I wanted to be a part of a whole which evoked listeners to just immerse themselves in the moment. One of the songs that really solidified my resolution to always be a part of a choir was Z. Randall Stroope's Lamentations of Jeremiah. Singing this piece was absolutely exhilarating. The soft entrance of the basses enthralled me. The light, soaring voices of the sopranos gave me a sense of freedom. The altos' resonating voices provided a foundation for all the feelings I had. It was a piece which surprised me by how many emotions it evoked. It was a pleasure not only to sing, but to listen to. It was at that point that I knew I found something I could truly never leave behind.
Charlotte Humes
I grew up in a house full of music. My grandfather is a choir director, and passed on his love of-- and talent for-- music to my mother, who raised my sister and myself to appreciate it. Every day started with a rousing rendition of "Wake Up, You Sleepyhead" and at night we crooned "You Are My Sunshine."
I joined the elementary school choir in the third grade, and after three years was brave enough to have my first solo in the piece "Siyahamba." I continued to sing throughout middle school, and further pursued my musical interests by joining band (the first and only ever jazz flautist at my school), and learning to play the dulcimer (the state instrument of Kentucky).
I am very excited to continue my involvement with music at the University of Rochester by participating in the Women's Chorus this semester.
Hi everyone! I am currently studying Computer and Electrical engineering at the University of Rochester. I started studying classical piano at age four and since then, music has played a large role in my life. At the age of nine, I took up the cello and joined my elementary school chorus. Around the age of eleven, I began writing original music and I have created two CDs composed of original music and consisting of various instruments— primarily piano and voice. At the age of twelve, I sang my very first solo as a soprano: Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite by John Dowland. This was the first time I had ever acknowledged myself as a singer as oppose to just a pianist or cellist. Thus, I participated in various music ensembles throughout middle school and high school. I was first chair cellist in my high school orchestra as well as the section leader of my choir. I also participated in my high school Voice Ensemble as a soprano one. Additionally, I played piano in various ensembles, per-forming a variety of genres and I established and conducted an a cappella group in high school.
I cannot say that there is one particular song that has brought me to where I am today. Rather, it is an accumulation of experiences that has taken me here. For me, creating, performing, and experiencing music has opened new doors, created new moments, and inspired new life. With that said, I am excited to be participating in Women’s Chorus! Part of the reason why I love participating in choral ensembles is that there is great focus on the entire group as oppose to just the individual. Being in a choir embodies a sense of team and community, something that I am truly looking forward to.
I started playing music at the age of six, with the piano. I later took up violin, and sang in my middle school’s chorus, but piano was always my main instrument. I grew to love the music of Chopin, specifically playing his 24th Prelude. I still play it every now and then to remind myself that no matter how difficult something is, once you learn something, you never really forget it. I may not be able to play some of the faster and more complicated parts perfectly, but I can still relearn it quickly. I play it to remind myself that once, I managed to conquer a really difficult challenge, and that if I did it then, I can do something that difficult again.
I also performed in my middle school’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in Hebrew. I played Golda, where I sang a duet for the first time onstage, “Do You Love Me.” While that was my first and only taste of theater, it encouraged me to keep singing – just not in a theater setting.
I continued singing, and playing the violin and piano through high school. In high school, I was a member of the chorus for a year or two, but it took the backstage to my other instruments. I still sang on my own (a lot of Dreamgirls, mainly “And I Am Telling You”), but it stayed informal. I wasn’t interested in singing in front of an audience at that point.
When I came to the University of Rochester, I joined Women’s Chorus so that I would have a way to continue music, without anything as rigorous as private auditions (especially since I dislike performing solo). I’m starting my third year in Women’s Chorus, and I hope to continue until I graduate!
I don’t recall a particular song that inspired me to study music. When I was eight, I remember that my mom asked me if I would be interested in learning piano. After I said I thought it might be fun, she came home a few days later and announced that she had signed me up for lessons. Piano, unfortunately for me, ended up not being very fun at all. I got so frustrated trying to learn bass clef that I begged to quit for months.
In fifth grade, I switched to playing violin at school, and I LOVED it. I remember being so excited to play the song Simple Gifts because the soaring melody flowed so freely. Other pieces that have inspired me over the years have included Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and the last movement of the Firebird Suite. My (current) favorite piece for choir is the last movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection.” I simply can’t help myself from crying when I hear it. I love the inspiring message of the words, and I think the larger-than-life orchestration is beautiful.
Sarah Korath
My musical story began the day I joined choir in fifth grade. Choir started off as a club-like activity—a fun place to socialize with all my friends. It became so much more, however, after I received my first choir solo, which was “Castle On A Cloud” from Les Miserables. After that I realized I enjoyed singing, and longed to do more. After a while I specifically fell in love with musical theatre, which led me to one of my favorite singers today, Barbra Streisand. Her song, “Who Are You Now”, from the musical Funny Girl was one that I particularly fell in love with, and remember singing throughout middle school. I continued to awe over musical theatre performances throughout junior high, and went to Broadway shows every chance I got. Something changed, however, my sophomore year. I had joined our school’s Select Choir, an auditioned ensemble of about 50 teenage students. The choir opened me up to a whole new type of music I had never been exposed to before—real choral music. I still remember hearing the choir perform “Afternoon On A Hill”, by Colin Britt in our auditorium. I grew to love classical music, both choral and instrumental, including Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which is probably my favorite piece of classical music today. Two years went by until I realized that my love for singing and classical music could be combined to one. That’s when I fell in love with opera. I still remember the first time I listened to Kathleen Battle’s version of Frühlingsstimmen by Johann Strauss. It was then that I realized I loved both opera and choir, and wanted to somehow pursue a career in classical music. It’s been almost a year since then, and here I am at the Eastman School of Music, so I suppose you could say the rest was history!
My musical story begins when I was around three years old where I would listen to cassettes of dance tunes with my siblings. We would run around this table in the den and dance along to the music being played. My parents told us that we would run around the table singing for hours.
I started really getting fascinated about music when my cousins came over and played the piano. Therefore, when I was about 8 years old I began private piano lessons. I remember my cousin Michelle playing the song "Chim Chim Cheree" from the film Mary Poppins and I would eagerly mimic what she played.
Another song I began to treasure was "Sleigh Ride." I remember having trouble learning this on the piano, but when I finally understood it I felt incredibly rewarded. I also performed this song in the Wind Ensemble in my high school and remember how my sister was the flute section leader at the time; I looked up to her because she inspired me to work harder to expand my musicianship.
One of my absolute favorite songs to listen to and to play is "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy. This song is very dear to me because I learned it with two of my main inspiring piano teachers in my life. However, aside from plainly learning this difficult movement I learned something incredibly valuable: to paint a story with music yet to genuinely express my passion and respectful appreciation of the music itself.
Hey girls! I am Louisa Lei, a senior majoring in Financial Economics and Math. This is the 4th semester I am in the Women’s Chorus. I play an ethnic Chinese instrument Hulusi (log into FB to see me playing it) at a professional level and also learned a little bit piano and guitar. I already got enough credits for my Music Minor so this time I am here just because I want to sing. The story starts at my age of five when the Children’s Choir of my city was recruiting at my kindergarten. I wasn't nominated to have an audition because no one knew I could sing (either did I). But for some unknown reason I told my mom that I really wanted to be there and then she took me to the rehearsal for an exceptional audition. Luckily I got accepted and soon became the conductor’s favorite kid. Afterwards I became the head of soprano in my elementary school choir and one of the soloists in junior high.lthough I know I am not going to study in the music field, Eastman is one of the reasons why I chose U of R. I joined the Women’s Chorus the first week I got here and I picked a Russian song (strictly speaking, Soviet song) for the audition (yes literally “the song that got me here”). It is called ПРЕКРАСНОЕ ДАЛЕКО meaning something like The Beautiful Far or The Glorious Future. I had this song at Grade 5. It’s so pretty and you should check it out. Now after hearing Russian kids sing this I realized how terrible our punctuations were but at the time we won the first prize in the city and in the province.
Bethany Lennox
Growing up, I had always been (loudly!) involved in children's choirs in church and only slightly less so in elementary and middle school choir groups. But it wasn't until high school when I started taking singing more seriously, in both a choral and musical theatre sense. From Edward Elgar's The Snow and Diemer and Rutter's Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind in choir to Per La Gloria d'Adorarvi from Griselda and Harper's Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal in All-State Choir to "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore" from Bye Bye Birdie and "Little Girls" and "Easy Street" from Annie, high school opened me up to the diversity in styles, genres, and unique characteristics of all different types of music. Now, being part of Women's Chorus, I get to experience that diversity every week, whether by singing in Ukranian or playing percussion along with a 3000-year old hymn to a moon goddess or studying the writing and lives of different poets. Women's Chorus is a highlight of my week, and being able to sing vastly differing but equally amazing songs is an opportunity I am glad I am not missing!
I was not born to be a singer nor have I always been passionate about music, but I ended up passing the highest piano test, being a member of Women’s Chorus, and carrying on irresistible immersion into the field of music. Remembering the first time I sat on the bench using the fist knocking keyboard of piano was the time when I was three. Surprisingly, everyone surrounding me said, “She must be a talent.” Because of this irresponsible compliment, I, like every Chinese kid, took a new command of skill, called “playing the piano”. Hardly could I stress more the unwillingness and sadness being forced to do a thing which supposed to be romantic, undoctrined and creative. After passing the ultimate test at the age of 13, I totally quit this elongated process until one day I picked up Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata casually and melody floated through my fingers. An instant told me that this was my song though composed by Ludwig Beethoven, performed by pianists of all time. Yet this moment with sense of relief that I finally saw the light belonging to myself. Later, I sang the popular songs, accompanied a small chorus at high school and memorized the beautiful melodies which I later turned into short piece of keyboard music. Though I once missed many chances singing in a chorus, luckily I am a member of UR’s women chorus and I will grab it tightly. Now, Norah Jones is my favorite Jazz singer and if I have the chance, I want to play and sing Jazz.
My music journey starts when I had my first piano lessons at the age of three. When I played the piano for the first time, I was deeply impressed by the beautiful sound that piano made and I knew I would love it so much. As the years passed by, music has become my passion. When I am stressful, music makes me relaxed; when I am upset, music cheers me up. Learning the piano has never been an easy thing, I, however, enjoy the feeling when beautiful melody flowing through my fingers. In my high school in Shanghai, China, I was a piano accompanist of school chorus and I also sang in the chorus. During my one-year exchange program to study at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn, New York City, I also joined the Saint Ann's Choir and made a lot of friends who were passionate about music as well. Also, I am a big fan of musical, so most of my favorite pieces of music come from musicals, such as Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera, On My Own from Les Miserables, and Memory from Cats. Anyways, I am so excited to be one of the members of Women's Chorus at U of R and I am looking forward to singing all those beautiful songs here!
When in primary school, I was taken by my parents to see the very first opera of my life, Cats. To be honest, I don’t quite recall what the story was, but the beautiful melody of its song, Memory, has remained in my mind for years, as well as the strength and emotion the singer dedicated herself into the song. I was deeply touched, and fell in love with music and singing ever since.
Due to stressful studies in Chinese middle school, I did not have the chance to practice my voice with the instruction of the professional. Nevertheless, I tried my best to involve in every activity that might improve my ability to sing, and that was when I performed on stage for my first time with my classmates. The song is called Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower), a traditional Chinese song. I came to realize then that singing in chorus was also a good way of portraying emotion.
Now I have a class of fellows to sing with me, and THE song that got me here is called Xiao He Tang Shui (The River Flows). It is also a Chinese traditional song. I heard it for a several times, but the most impressive one is when a famous female singer performed it for a contest. She was excellent and her voice truly expressed the soul of solo. I tried to imitate her but ouch.
These songs are ones that got me here.
Yuan-ju Liu
I always love singing.
I think it was my mom who inspired me to love singing. The time in the car is when we enjoy ourselves. When the day is great, we sing out loud, laughing and talking about our day. When we are in a fight, we don't sing out. But as the music plays and the voice of the singer comes out, I know, deep in my mind and heart, that we forgive each other, we were just too embarrassed to admit it. Singing is a way for us to communicate and that is why singing is such a important part in my life.
I also love movies, so most of my favorite songs are from movies. You'll be in My Heart by Phil Collins from the Tarzan movie was my favorite song when I was a kid. I could still replay the scene in the movie whenever I hear the songs from it. Another favorite song for me is Yellow by Coldplay. And when I hear songs like Yellow, I would marvel how perfectly lyric writers use words and make the song a real story by the poetic lyrics.
Last week was a very surprising night for me, because that was our first time and we already made such fantastic sound together. This will be my first year in the Women’s Chorus. I am so exciting to have a chance to sing with other girls and perform on stage in the incoming future. I believe this would be a wonderful part throughout my college life!
I'm here at Eastman to be a music educator, to put that out there. At first, I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to be teaching people who didn't know how to sing, to sing. I didn't have the patience for that! And frankly, I still sort of don't. But that's what I'm here to learn. In this little bio of myself, I'm going to not say the few songs that inspired my love of music or what wanted me to be a musician, but rather music that made me want to be a music educator. This may be a peculiar answer, but it's more of a reason why I'm at Eastman than a beautiful aria I heard once when I was 12.
Before my Junior year of high school, I didn't think that I was going to persue music as a career. Though I love performing, I didn't very much want to be a performer, and I had seen the tired faces of my music teacher and my voice teacher at the time. Education seemed like what people did when they weren't good enough to perform, or after they had their 15 minutes of fame. Everything changed when I started assistant music directing musicals. I saw how music could inspire people and how I could make that happen! Therefore, the music that brought me here is the cheesy composition of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical." While music directing this show, I discovered my love for teaching.
Milagros Luna
I am not; a Jewish Klezmer, a Spanish Flamenco, or a Mexican Ranchera. I am; the bells in the Jewish Klezmer song “Sha Shitl!”, the guitar in the Spanish Flamenco song Cantos de Ida y Vuelta, and the vihuela (a Mexican folklore instrument) in the Mexican Ranchera song Cielito Lindo y Querido.
The bells in “Sha Shitl!” carryout a clash of dissonant notes that then become melodic pitches. I culturally resemble the clash of contrasting cultures that then become concordant ideals. Clash! Is what a swimmer hears as palms change environment, from air to water, crossing the Rio Grande River. This change stings but the swimmer then realizes, as I came to understand, on the other side of the river a hand is stretched out awaiting yours. Clash! Your hands soon heal -ready to mold your American dream.
The guitar in Cantos de Ida y Vuelta reflects moonlight upon its polished surface. I resemble the flash of light a helping hand can offer someone’s darkest of nights. I taught choir to a group of disabled elementary level children during high school. One day as I was gathering up scores the kids had left behind on stands; a visually impaired little girl tugs at my skirt and says softly, “Thank you for allowing me to see the notes today Ms. Moon.”
The vihuela in “Cielito Lindo y Querido” transmits the steady rhythm at which the rest of a Mariachi ensemble should perform. When it comes to academic and musical activities I resemble the vihuela. I have realized that one must learn to balance obligation with passion levels to always progress.
It is because I know what I am not that I know what I am. I am a combination of miraculous clashes, flashes, and rhythms. Because of these things I am Milagros Luna Rios- Miracles Moon Rivers.
Alissa Magee
If you were to look at the entire Women’s Chorus and single out the girl with the curliest hair, you’d have found me. I’m Alissa Magee, and before you even think about it; no, I haven’t straightened it, and I never will. I wish I could point out a revelatory song in my life that confirmed music was what I was meant to do, but the truth is there isn’t one. There are instead many cathartic cries, bursts of laughter, and quiet feelings of awe that are inspired by a myriad of pieces and a multitude of small moments in them. But that is for me the profound joy of studying an art. I will never forget crying to a recording of Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne singing the final note in “Mira, o Norma” opening night at the Met. The way Joyce DiDonato in a wheelchair sang the lesson scene in that one special Barber makes me laugh even on the millionth replay. I’d be remiss not to mention the final Fleming-Graham Der Rosenkavalier, where their authentic tears so perfectly captured the essence of the opera, the pure sentiment of goodbye. These snippets are treasures that can’t be recreated, and they are the reason why I chose to go into music. I came to Eastman to continue to feel, cry, laugh, and ultimately experience the full splendor of these little moments that give me a sense of something more. This pursuit is what has brought me to Women’s Chorus.
My name is Lesley Mah and I am a sophomore tentatively majoring in Economics and minoring in Chinese. I was born in San Francisco, California, but am currently living in Salem, Oregon.
Last semester was my first time in Women’s Chorus and I’m thrilled to be back for my second. While I’ve always loved singing, I haven’t always loved the idea of being in a chorus. When I got an invitation to join my elementary school chorus, I hid the invitation from my parents since I feared being on stage! However, my parents insisted that I join choir in middle school since I sang around the house all the time.
While I didn’t love chorus at first, I grew to enjoy it when I listened to my middle’s school top choir sing, “Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd.” I thought to myself that if I stayed in choir a little longer, I might too, get to sing it. Two years later, my choir indeed, sung that song. This song made me realize the emotion I was able to express while singing.
During my junior year of high school, I did All-City Choir and performed, “I am Not Yours,” composed by Randall Z. Stroope (who also happened to be our conductor that year). This piece always alleviated my stresses when I sang it. After my All-City experience, I realized didn’t want to go through college without being in chorus. These experiences have led me to the seat I am sitting in today.
Chieri Ono
The first song I remember singing was a song from TV back when I lived in Japan, when I was about four years old. All I remember about it now is that the song talked about fish and salt. Unfortunately my young brain at the time was not able to retain the details to the song, but I do remember singing songs from Sound of Music as a very young girl as well (incredibly original, isn’t it?).
When I moved to the US at age five, I was surrounded by music and song at school. My kindergarten teachers would give us many instructions through music. You could say that my school was a bit “hippie,” but I absolutely loved it. One of my favorite songs as a kindergartener was “White Corral Bells,” yet this song among others I sang with many made-up words as English was a completely new language to me.
Then, in elementary school, I remember singing an Irish hymn that started with, “May the road rise up to meet you.” This I sang with my class in school throughout many years, each year understanding the meaning of the song a little better. It is a song that reminds me of my home in California: a school that played a huge part in bringing music into my life. Continuing through middle school and junior high, I continued to sing at school. Songs I remember singing are “One Little Candle,” “Blow Bugle Blow,” and several Jewish songs. At around 4th grade, I participated in a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute as one of the “Spirits/boys;” this was my first step onto stage with only two others to sing with.
Around 2006, I saw a musical called Anything Goes. I was very impressed by the main female vocalist in this musical, and later found out that she had had voice training from the very director who had put on the Magic Flute I had participated in. This director then came to be my voice coach for two years. Training with her, I performed songs such as “On My Own” from Les Miserables and “Oh Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me?” by Handel. This was a big step in my work with music. I remember being incredibly nervous as I performed my first solos, and I know that this experience helped me to build confidence in myself- not only as a singer, but in other things as well.
Finally, in high school, I continued to work with my voice coach not in private lessons but as part of a small ensemble, performing at churches in what was called a “Song Fest.” The group also frequently visited senior homes, bringing with it the the gift of music and song. Some songs I sang with this group include, “Shenandoah, “Ave Maria,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
I am now at the University of Rochester, ready to learn and to improve not only my singing but also my knowledge in music as a whole. It seems that I am a novice here, and it is my goal to be able to learn, improve, perform, collaborate, and to be “ever better,” alongside many others who have the same love and enthusiasm for music as I do.
Galen Otten
I was a sports kid for a long time, but then I found singing. I didn't end up singing classical music until about two years ago, but I still liked it. My house was always filled with classical music on the radio, so I grew up loving it. My first song I can remember that was important to me was "Castle On A Cloud" from Les Miserables-that and every song from The Sound of Music. For nine years I studied musical theater and towards the end of that time I was very into jazz singing. My favorite songs were "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Skylark". Around the time I was singing jazz my voice started changing and maturing and my voice teacher started me on classical singing. At first I really didn't like singing it (probably because it was too hard), but as I worked at it and changed teachers I began to love it. I was taken by the beauty of classic, famous arias like "Nessun Dorma" and "O Mio Babbino Caro" and so I dedicated my time to this incredible thing we do.
I would have to say that right now my favorite aria is "Song To the Moon" from Rusalka. This song makes me cry and sometimes laugh out of excitement. All I know is that I can't be still when I am listening to it. This is how I feel about classical music, so I am thrilled to be surrounded by it for years to come!
Hello all! My friend Amanda Oren introduced me to the URWC 4 years ago—I was not aware that community members could join this chorus---and it has been a bright spot in my weekly schedule ever since then!
My story: I was born in Italy, in a small mountain town in central Sicily. My family emigrated to the US when I was young, so I attended American schools my whole life--until I returned to Italy to study medicine (where I got lots of practice speaking Italian because ALL the exams are given orally!).
I’ve always loved to sing! I think I got that love from my mom, who although untrained as a musician, has a lovely & strong soprano voice that she regularly uses during church services, even now at age 86! I joined choirs every year of grammar school to college, but somehow, I never really learned much theory or how to count beats to stay in rhythm--I primarily enjoyed the “feeling” of the music in my body & how I could stretch my voice in so many directions and hear it grow stronger as a unit with my fellow choristers.
My fondest memories of singing & acting were my yearly participation in our high school musicals, in addition to several choral groups. I went to a Catholic HS (Bishop Kearney) “renowned” in Rochester as having “the best high school musicals” of the 70’s & 80’s! Yes, if you can do math, I said 70’s—most of you were probably not born yet---so that makes me probably the “eldest” in our women’s chorus (at least for this year!)! I had a very shy, timid personality until singing on stage, and those musicals brought out my “performer side.” Some of my most enjoyable roles included playing Bloody Mary in South Pacific— talking to those “stingy bastards” with words I was not usually allowed to say in a Catholic HS—and enticing soldiers to come with me to Bali Hai; Fiddler on the Roof as Tevye’s daughter Chava, and singing pieces from The Sound of Music as “Maria” for younger audiences. Beyond the musicals, we sang & danced to lots of great soft & hard rock tunes in the 70’s—like QUEEN’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Three Dog Night & the Eagles.
Alas, my musical stage life went on hold when I chose to become a physician: that meant long hours as a pre-med student studying lots of sciences, etc. Then I went back “to my old country” to study medicine & my musical moments were primarily singing in our church folk group and dancing to the sounds of DISCO in the evenings when we all went out to relax & enjoy time away from the heavy medical books!
Fast-forward to Rochester in the mid-90’s: After finishing my medical specialties (in family medicine & family therapy), I met my husband, who then introduced me to a completely new venue of music--- the classical side. He is also a family physician, but studied all types of music growing up. So now I live with an amazing bass-baritone who can sing German lieder, Bach, a capella Renaissance, etc. I find I enjoy Mozart or baroque music the most, but I still need a fix of QUEEN now & then!
Back to our Women’s Chorus: I enjoy sharing & learning from the talented students around me, observing their early-years-worries, and then watching them blossom as graduates, on to their own adventures in life! And...getting a free music class once a week from our fabulous conductor-teacher-creative guy, Dr. Philip Silvey & Co! I’m finally learning some theory & how to count those rhythms!
My thanks to Dr. Silvey & all for making URWC such a great group to be a part of!
The journey I took to become the singer I am today started when I was five years old and I enrolled in an improv class. From a young age, I’ve always had theatrical tendencies. The participation in the improv class led to an interest to do more theater. The most available theater for me to take part in was musical theater. I acted in shows such as Bye, Bye Birdie, Guys and Dolls and High School Musical as a child. As I continued to do musical theater, I realized that the most interesting roles were the singing roles. As an eleven year old, my singing voice wasn’t the strongest. My ability to change characters and fully immerse myself into a dramatic role was what I loved to do. But in order to be eligible for these interesting roles, I needed help developing my singing voice. I started voice lessons at eleven years old and continued them throughout high school. I began to see that using my singing voice wasn’t just a way for me to do more theater. After many lessons, I realized that singing set me free from my scholastic and extra-curricular stresses. When I would enter a voice lesson, everything that was bothering me just dropped and I became lost in the music. When I first started lessons, I stuck pretty strictly to musical theater songs. For instance, I sang “Adelaide's Lament” from Guys and Dolls and loved every nasal note I had to apply to the piece. Some of my other broadway favorites that I learned consisted of: “It’s Possible” from Seussical, “Miss Marmelstein” from I Can Get It For You Wholesale and “Nothing” from A Chorus Line. As I got older and switched voice teachers, I enrolled in my high school’s chorus and chorale groups and began singing more classical pieces. My new teacher broadened my horizons from classical Italian Arias, classical german art-songs to 1960’s folk music that included Joni Mitchell’s “The River” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Into every vocal recital and choral performance that I had, I brought my theatricality. I would embody each song I performed as a different character and I felt so liberated just doing that. I’ve also been inspired by the vocal versatility of pop star Lady Gaga. Her music and her message has been an important part of my life. Singing along to her music throughout high school instilled a strength within. Upon my graduation from High School, I recorded a set of songs with my voice teacher that I perfected over the years. This set included: Strauss’ “Zueignung,” “Nothing” from A Chorus Line and Sara Bareilles’ “Brave.” I’m very excited as a freshman to embark on this musical journey with the University of Rochester Women’s Chorus.
Hi there! I am so glad to be a member of the women’s choir again! Most of my friends call me Qiu,because it is easier to pronounce and sounds interesting. I am now a junior in the University of Rochester, studying brain and cognitive science, on a neurobiology track. Songs that got me here, um… Well, I played the piano and danced, but I rarely sang before joining Women’s Choir last year. I started to play the piano when I was about 5 years old. And then stuck to it for the later 13 years. Along those years, I got used to express and absorb emotions from the sounds of instruments’ and even approached to an extreme that I got annoyed by humans’ voices. Then I met one of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated movies: Whisper of the Heart. Its theme song is actually one of the most common American folk songs, Country Road, but when the theme song was sung out by a young girl with strong Japanese accent, it was completely different: pure happiness. It brought me back to the appreciation of humans’ voice, and I finally realized that it was a lot harder to control our voice than it seemed to be. The song that caught my eyes for choir singing was Vois Sur Ton Chemin from “Les Choristes.” I still can’t take the melody out of my mind even when I only think of its name. Children’s voice and the beauty of French in Vois Sur Ton Chemin perfectly interpreted the definition of elegant. I also sensed a strong power of choir singing that can put people together and give them a feel of belonging and happiness. As for myself, although I am still not 100% confident about my voice, I can experience the happiness of being in Women’s Choir, because this is such a nice and friendly group that has the most passionate and talented women musicians. I am really looking forward to singing with all of you and let’s create amazing music, again!
I am currently a sophomore here at the University of Rochester. I’m a Molecular Genetics major, as well as pre-med. I decided to join Women’s Chorus this year because, frankly, I love music. Music has been my constant companion through out life. I’ve danced to it, sang it, and recently began learning how to make music of my own.
One of the first songs that brought me here today is “Witness”, a traditional African-American Spiritual. It was one of the first songs I ever sang on stage with my high school choir, and the energy behind it has stuck with me through the years since. Because of “Witness”, I love singing spirituals and I am really looking forward to the piece we’re singing this year!
Another song that is significant to me is the song “The Only Exception” by Paramore. It was the first song that I was able to both play and sing at the same time. It is the first song that comes to mind when I’m asked to sing anything, and it puts a smile on my face no matter what’s happening in my life at the time.
At the time when I was a little child, my parents got a set of classical music CDs. We had fine speakers on top of my piano, so every day when they were busy working, I would put one CD into the player, close my eyes, throw myself into the immense, wondrous ocean of music, and dance! dance! dance! These beautiful songs led music to be an indispensable element like air and water in my life.
My grandparents loved singing, and they also taught me to sing. Funny but treasurable memories are that every time when there was a guest visiting, I would sing in front of everyone loudly and proudly. I began to record songs by myself later in 5th grade. The first song is called Journey by Angela Zhang - yes, it’s a song in English even at that time I couldn’t really handle the language. Before college, I recorded over a hundred songs, each filled with my passion about music; fortunately after entering college, I got a chance to record songs in a professional music studio in Shanghai. And it was truly excited to look into musicians’ daily life.
This is my fourth year being a member of this wonderful Women’s Chorus. I really appreciate Dr. Silvey for giving prominent and enjoyable classes, during which I always feel time flies quickly, and inspiring with words and conducting.
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”
Ava Sauer
Shyness. Stage fright. They plagued my childhood. I was often quite, too afraid to make conversation and most certainly too afraid to sing in front of others. Despite this, I loved singing from an early age. I would go out to a hill in my backyard which I thought was out of hearing range and sing as much and as gustily as I could. It was not until I was much older that my parents told me that they were aware of this and secretly listening. As I got older, I started to turn to improvisation theatre classes and musicals to break out of my shell; strangely enough, because I feared performance so much, it was the most exhilarating experience in my life. Theatre, and subsequently vocal performance in particular, became one of the most significant parts of my identity.
One song that greatly impacted this realm of my life is Schubert’s “An Die Musik;” my performance of this song was an utter failure. It was one of my only stage experiences that I was truly upset over. I was not properly prepared and I was tired, so the performance did not turn out the way I had hoped. I was incredibly emotionally distraught, even moved to tears. This, ironically, turned out to have the most important – and positive – effect on my study of voice. After a week of contemplating quitting singing all together, I realized how much it really meant to me. I threw myself back into the world of music with more drive and passion than ever before. The initial experience was bad, but I am incredibly thankful for where I am now because of it.
Music has always been a huge part of my life as well as an ever growing passion. I started loving music during my toddler years in “Sally’s Music Circle” singing, dancing and playing instruments alongside my mother. I continued to pursue this love for music through learning the piano. When my parents divorced and I moved to a new town I did not continue with piano but I had many new opportunities, most notably the Hanover Community Children’s Chorus. There I was able to learn more about choral music and about myself as a vocalist. I then picked up the Viola and French horn in fourth grade and am still currently playing the French horn in the University of Rochester Brass Choir.
In middle and high school I got involved with musicals and had the opportunity to play “Rizzo” in the musical, Grease freshman year and “Mrs. Walker” in The Who’s musical, Tommy junior year. Performing music on the stage added a new dynamic to my love for music and my passion for performance. Also, having the opportunity to explore renaissance music in my high school’s madrigal singers and Victorian carols in our Victorian singers expanded my appreciation for music from all ages of time.
So while one or two songs do not sick out in my mind as “songs that got me here”, songs and music are what helped shape me into the person I am today and are the reason I am a member of Women Chorus.
From a young age I was immersed in music and found inspiration from friends and family, most notably my grandfather. He showed me the life long relationship that can be formed with music and how it can open so many doors.
I started learning piano at the age of 5. As many Asian parents do, my parents sent me to piano lessons every week and supervised me everyday when practicing piano. To be honest, I did not like it at the beginning few years and thought about giving up a few times. But as time passes by, I gradually started to find out the beauty of piano, and of music. Music makes me proud. Because of the piano education since young, I was the one of few people in my class who would not sing out of tune at all. I performed so many times in front of my friends, family, teachers and all kinds of people, and got so many compliments from them. When I am sad, my music cheers me up.
So I continued studying some other instruments. I learned guitar, voice singing, harmonica and a Chinese instrument called Hulusi. Learning and playing are both so much fun for me. I realized that, nothing else than music can give me this much happiness in my life.
Two years ago, I went to an international school in South Wales, UK. I studied IB there. When I was choosing my subjects, I chose Higher Level music without any hesitation. I thought I would be easy for me, who studied music for this long. However, it turned out to be a big challenge for me. I had never done composition before and I had to do it for the IB. I really put a lot of effort into it and, in the end, I finished my composition portfolio as well as other performance and essay writing portfolio. From then, I decided to learn music and continue it through my whole life. I want to use music to help people, cure people’s heart. I want to be a music therapist as well as a good musician.
Teresa Shyr
My name is Teresa Shyr. I am currently a Music Education major at Eastman School of Music, and I play the piano. Music has been a big part of my life from ever since I can remember. I remember being in my first choir when I was in 6th grade, and from then on, I have always been in choir. One song that I still remember is called Ain’t No Grave arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory. This piece was my first encounter with spiritual music, and the first “fun” music I have ever sung. It was definitely an experience as we clapped and stomped in perfect unison. This piece was also one of our competition pieces that year, and our performance of Ain’t No Grave during the competition was so impressive that this piece has stuck with me.
Another piece that I think about from time to time is a piece written by my high school choir director, Dr. Patrick D. Finley. The piece takes its lyrics from the poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. I was playing the accompaniment for that piece (which is beautiful), but had never pondered the meaning of the words. It was only until my director explained the meaning of the words that I grasped the true beauty of this piece. In short, the poem is telling the story of how a boy does not want his father to die. Set to music, I really felt the meaning of the words and their true depth.
This is the story of how I ended up conducting the Women’s Chorus. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, one of nine kids born to an elementary principal (Dad) and an RN (Mom). My mom says she knew I was musical by the way I could not stop swaying on stage in my first kindergarten performance. I started piano lessons in second grade, tried to quit a couple of years later, but had to stick to a 3-year commitment I made with my folks (good thing I did). I remember during opening exercises in third grade, sitting on the carpet with my legs crossed, crowded between classmates and loving the sound of us all singing White Coral Bells as a three-part canon. In sixth grade I sang my first solo, Gershwin’s I’m Bidin’ My Time, wearing a too-big-for-me cowboy hat supplied by my hippie generation music teacher, Mrs. Holsinger.
Because I took piano lessons, I ended up accompanying choirs in junior high and high school, my first big challenge in eighth grade being the junior high choral version of Captain & Tenille’s 70s hit Love Will Keep Us Together. The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I was accepted into the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts to study visual art. There I minored in music, shared some of my original compositions for the first time, and solidified my desire to pursue music in earnest. I sang in district, regional, state, and all-eastern choruses, and won the solo in William Dawson’s arrangement of Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit at the Founders Hall auditorium at the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania.
I started college studying music theory and composition, but added a music education major my sophomore year. There I kept writing music and singing with choirs, and even got to reprise my solo in the Dawson spiritual. I finished my degree in December of my fifth year and decided to start graduate school at Penn State in music composition. I sang in the choir there and wrote an extended choral work about my family as my final project. I took some short-term teaching jobs in PA while I finished my degree, and then began a full time job in west Michigan. I stayed there for seven years conducting high school and middle school choirs, putting on musicals and madrigal dinners, and really working out most of what I know about teaching choral music. One highlight of that time was having a women’s ensemble chosen to sing at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival where they premiered one of my own compositions. Four years later that piece was accepted for publication and now I have a number of works published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing and Carl Fischer. Another highlight was playing the role of Tony in the Kalamazoo Civic Theater’s 1995 production of West Side Story and singing a portion of my all time favorite song, Somewhere (just before dying on stage).
After seven years of teaching in Michigan, I enrolled in graduate school to pursue a doctorate of music education at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and sang in the graduate chorale and a small seven-member early music ensemble that performed in Paris on September 11, 2001 (as you can imagine, there is a long story that goes with this). After three years of grad school, I graduated and took a job in the music education division of the University of Maryland where I stayed for six years. I followed that with a couple years of teaching at the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory. In 2010
I arrived in Rochester and now I am thrilled to be conducting this amazing ensemble made up of brilliant musicians (who all happen to be women).
My name is Kristi Thomas and I fell in love with music. In the beginning, I took voice lessons and learned to love my voice by singing De Vieni non Tarder. I also made a family. In my senior year of high school, we went on a retreat to bond and intensively learn the music of the upcoming season. One of these songs was It Only Takes a Moment. Singing that song with my choir is the place where I have felt the most content and at ease in my entire life. I wrote an essay describing how I felt: "It is times like these that I feel perfectly at home with my surroundings. Times where I can freely express myself without fear of judgment and be at ease. These rare moments in life only come from opening myself up to vulnerability. To open myself up to the world with loved ones to catch me and share in the moment. It is moments like this one that keep me singing. It is moments like these, moments without worry or stress, that I feel perfectly content."
Growing up, I always loved singing whether it be in the shower or in my very first vocal recital in the first grade singing “My Favorite Things” from the famous Sound of Music. Throughout elementary school and middle school I joined various vocal ensembles where we would perform on stages, in churches, at homeless shelters, and even on occasion for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Despite all of these wonderful experiences it was not until my sophomore year of high school that I discovered my passion for singing. I was standing with my choir on the steps of a tremendous cathedral with its high ceilings, stained glass, and beautiful murals, about to begin Rachmaninoff’s beautiful tune “Bogoroditse Devo.” We began in perfect pitch, and continued in beautiful harmony and intense dynamics that sent chills throughout my body. When the piece came to its close, at first there was no applause, just pure silence with the quiet echo of the last note circling through the air. It was the greatest feeling in the world.
However, I am blessed to say that it was not the last time I experienced this type of emotion. The feeling returned when I went back to the cathedral the following year singing the song “Esto Les Digo” by Kinley Lange, and again with Eric Whitacre’s “A Boy and A Girl.” I feel incredibly lucky to be here at the University of Rochester so I may further develop my passion for singing with Women’s Chorus!
I am a Junior and a Biochemistry Major. I just joined the Women's Chorus this semester. I was in school choirs from 5th to 8th grade but unfortunately had to stop in high school due to other academic commitments. I am excited about being able to participate in this chorus and will hopefully continue to be a part of it for the rest of my college career.
I have always loved music and singing. Growing up there was always music playing in my house and I would often sing along. I can't imagine living my life without the appreciation I have for music and its continued presence in my life. Throughout my choral career I have sang a wide variety of songs, from classical music and spirituals to broadway and pop hits.
One song that I remember singing in when I was in 6th grade was "Carolina in the Morning." Given that I was living in South Carolina at the time, it was fairly easy to connect to the song and its meaning. Though I had some choral experience in 5th grade, I think that this song was the first that I really had to work on and learn vocally, not just for a fun performance.
My name is Emily Wiencek and I am a double major in History and Psychology with a Pre-Med track here at the U of R. Although I am a sophomore, this is my first semester in Women's Chorus. I am so excited to be able to sing!
I grew up in a household full of music. Whether it was singing, theater, playing piano, or just listening and enjoying, music was always an important part of my family's life. I started singing in the Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus in third grade and sang with them through my senior year of high school. With that chorus and performing with multiple school choirs, I have sung quite a bit and have performed many songs. I do have some that have definitely stuck with me though. I remember learning the Hebrew round "Sim Shalom" and just absolutely falling in love with it. Another of my favorites is "Adiemus" by Karl Jenkins. But one of the most important pieces to me is the Quaker hymn "How Can I Keep from Singing?". The song, as implied by its name, expresses the joy and love of music and song. It definitely allows me to show my love for music too!
I was born in Maryland, but I remember most of my childhood being spent in Japan. Being part of a military family, I was constantly on the move and always surrounded by different sounds and environments. I was always musical from a young age, or so I’m told, and I could not be kept quiet once I got a song in my head. My true love of music took off as soon as I heard my grandfather’s record of Edith Piaf singing “L’Hymne a l’amour”. I was addicted!
I started piano lessons, and I had every intention to become the next Beethoven or Mozart. How things have changed! Through piano, I found my own voice and started exploring all different kinds of music. Thanks to my movie addiction, I came across the next song that made me realize that the voice wasn’t simply another instrument, but a gateway to the very soul of human emotion. I heard a recording of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” during a concert when Freddy Mercury was close to the height of his tragically fatal disease. I was determined to keep music in my life and hopefully achieve a similar passion in my performance.
I attended an arts program while I was living in England, then I was accepted into the Governor’s School for the Arts during my high school years in Virginia. There I studied classical voice, and I discovered the glory of Beverly Sills. Her fire and fearlessness during “Coppia iniqua” from Donezzeti’s Anna Bolena still give me chills to this day. In that first moment, I knew that that was what I wanted to do with my life, and that decision brought me to Eastman to study the beautiful world of music.
I am Helen, an international from Taiwan. When I was 7th grade in junior high school in Taiwan, I was chosen to be a part of our girls’ choir at beginning of the first semester. The school has very famous choir team and it is a tradition in our school that every girl must have audition with the music teacher in her first week of school. Joining the choir was not my goal to enroll this school, and I had never thought it would impact my life that much.
I have been in love with choir since that. I love to sing in a group. Every time the harmony of a choir reverberates in the air, I am totally moved by the spirit of togetherness and camaraderie. Music has magic. Its beauty calms me down and cheers me up when I am upset. I like making music. We sang many beautiful and classic songs during junior and high school (my school is a private school combined with both junior and high school) such as Stabat Mater, Cantate Domino, Can you hear me, and Part of your world.
Years later, I came to the Boston, US. I missed home and missed singing with others. As a result, I joined the MIT- Cambridge Chinese Choral Society (CCCS), a Taiwanese social group. After the audition, I was accepted by the choir and I was excited to be a soprano again. This choir is very interesting and very different from the school choir I had in Taiwan. It is a mixed choir. There is great diversity in this group. It consists of students, researchers, professors, and even businessmen; young and old people from 16 years old to 80 years old alike. Unlike a school choir, members have more freedom to decide whether they want to come to practice. After some time, I found that some people were committed to practice, while some disappeared after several meetings. When I was in the school choir in Taiwan, we had a common goal of preparing for the annual national choral competition and we had the privilege to use the resources the school provided. In the CCCS choir, people got together solely because of passion or interest and hence needed to deal with raising funds.
This mixed choir gave me a new experience in singing. At first, it was weird for me to sing with not only girls, but also men. However, after I got used to it, it became amazing. The range of the music is much broader than only girls’ choir. We sang lots of old Taiwanese songs at that time which was very different from what I sang in school as well. I loved the relaxing time singing with CCCS.
Before getting into the college, I knew I would like to join a choir again. I was not sure whether I wanted to join a girls’ choir or a mixed choir until I heard the first ensemble of women’s choir. It brought me back to my school time. It reminded me how beautiful the harmony was, so I came here.
Songs got me here. They got me here to meet you.
Weiting Zhong
I have never been in a chorus before I came into college. Also, as I study the piano, I usually listen to keyboard and orchestra but not vocal pieces. Therefore Women’s Chorus is one of my first impressions on vocal music. But even if I have never gotten in touch with classical vocal music, I love listening to pop songs very much. And among the many songs I listened, two songs indeed change my life and my view towards music.
The first one is Michael Jackson’s Heal the World. I first listened to this song when I was in the sixth grade in an English class. That was the first time I heard a piece of music with drums and beats. Even if I didn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics at the time, I felt this new type of music very attractive and impression. It is different from classical music as it is not so grand and organized, but it is more emotional and expressive that it has the power to make listeners burst out crying. Three years after I first heard this song, I listened to it carefully again. This time I can totally understand the lyrics and I finally got the deep meaning of this song. Heal the World is the song that opens a new door to me in the field of music. After that, I began to fall in love with pop music.
The second song is a song from a movie. It is My Heart Will Go On from the blockbuster Titanic. When I first heard this song at the end of the movie, my mind was filled with all the scenes in the film and tears flowed everywhere on my face. During the following week, as long as I closed my eyes, I felt like I can hear the melody and see the scenes in the movie. That is the first song that really touched my heart and it let me understand the real power that music can influence people. In many lonely nights, when I felt tired and wanted to give up all the hard works, I would listen to this song by the window. Every time the familiar melodies began and I looked at all the lights in the city from different windows, I felt that it is so good to be alive and I am lucky compared to those who lose their lives in disasters. Thus I can get the power to keep studying.
I look forward to the experience in Women’s Chorus and I hope I can meet more good songs in the future.
I am currently a sophomore studying history on the River Campus. I am in the GRADE program, which is a five-year masters program for education. I am planning to be a secondary ed. history teacher. I am from Old Saybrook, CT. I am an only child and my dog is my best friend. I like long walks on the beach (since I live right on Long Island Sound) and my new obsession is bubble tea. As I look back on my life and think what songs got me to where I am today, the first memory that pops into my head was when I was in sixth grade and got to play Mary in my church’s Christmas pageant. After singing in front of an audience I knew that I wanted to continue to do it. In middle school I participated in the musicals Cinderella, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Peter Pan. In high school I was very involved in an all women’s chorus and a chamber singers group. When I was a sophomore, the chamber singers sang “Prayer of the Children” by Kurt Bestor. It was one of the songs that got me here because it was a song that touched me in a way that no song had before. It made me think that I needed to appreciate what I had in life and to be thankful for what I have. One of the most influential songs from my life is “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton. My chorus did an arrangement of it where most of the song was a solo. I was only a junior in a chorus full of seniors, so I was naturally intimidated to try out for the solo. I faced my fears and sang for the class and in the end got a call back for the song. I competed against two other seniors for the solo. Getting the solo was one of the greatest moments of my high school career. On the night of the concert all I can remember is seeing my mom’s face when she looked down at the program and saw my name under the solo section. The song is so light and free; it’s one that gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. Lastly, there’s “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway show Wicked. It was the last song I sang in high school and I got the solo for it. Singing it a the concert was one of those bittersweet moments because it transitioned me from the safe and comfortable feeling of high school to the unknown and exciting feeling of going to college. Plus it is from one of the greatest Broadway shows.
Marina Brace
I’m a junior at the River Campus. I started taking violin lessons when I was only 7 years old. My grandparents are musicians and wanted me to develop a love for it. Their encouragement helped music become one of the most important aspects of my life. I would spend hours each week practicing and sharpening my ears. I loved playing so much that eventually I sung my violin repertoire whenever I couldn’t pull out my violin and play them. It was at that point that I discovered I loved singing, and I couldn't wait until I was able to join chorus in school. In 6th grade, one of my favorite pieces was “Go Down Moses”. It was the most incredible feeling to be able to belt out such a bluesy and powerful tune. “Go Down Moses” increased my sensitivity to the emotions music can hold. But by far, the piece that gave me the deepest love of choral performance is “The Prayer” by David Foster. It is simply one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard. I love singing the lush Italian language and the two-part harmony is gorgeous. But my favorite thing about the piece is the lyrics. I don’t have a religious faith but I do believe in the power of love and grace and peace, and this piece prays for all of what I consider to be the most beautiful parts of humanity. “The Prayer” was blissful to sing and it’s still one of my favorite pieces to this day.
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| Giuliana Brawley |
Throughout high school I participated in the Mastersingers of Archmere Academy and the Wilmington Children’s Chorus where I was given unimaginable opportunities, from singing at Carnegie Hall, to performing as the soprano soloist in Schubert’s Mass in G, to going on tour through France and Germany. It is very difficult for me to choose just one or two songs that have brought me here, but singing as the soprano one spirit in The Magic Flute by Mozart with the Opera Delaware Company truly allowed me to experience professional singing and strongly influenced my desire to pursue singing. I believe that all the songs I have studied have shaped me as a musician and have played an important role in bringing me to Eastman.
As a freshman student at Eastman I hope to develop and grow throughout the next years. With the guidance of my peers and teachers, I aspire to develop vocally and understand music more deeply. I am really looking forward to collaborating with everyone in Women’s Chorus this year and study new music.
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| Madison Carter |
Thanks to my parents, music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was little, every night at bedtime my mom and dad would sing songs to me like “Silent Night,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Edelweiss,” and “You Are My Sunshine” until I fell asleep, the wonderful melodies dancing through my mind and into my dreams. My favorite movies were (and still are!) musicals like The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and The Sound of Music. At church, hymns surrounded me with glorious beauty, and at home and in the car my family would listen, sing, and dance to a lot of classic rock, especially Fleetwood Mac, U2, Led Zeppelin, and Eric Clapton.
My passion for learning and performing music began with the piano. I started taking lessons in kindergarten, after my parents noticed my interest in playing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on our electric keyboard, and I have loved playing piano ever since.
By contrast, my path towards singing was much more hesitant—although I like to sing, my natural shyness/introversion/stage fright kept me from pursuing it. In fourth grade, I joined my class chorus, but dropped out before the first concert. Then for the next few years I had hardly a thought of singing… except for when I attended my brother’s chorus concerts, which often brought on a twinge of regret in the back of my mind for not sticking with it. Finally, though, I committed myself to joining chorus, beginning my first full year with my high school’s Women’s Chorus in tenth grade, and I’m so glad I did! In my first concert, I had to deal with the terror of standing in the Front Row, but it was ultimately more exhilarating than scary to sing our opening piece, Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is,” in front of an auditorium full of family and friends. From then on, some highlights of high school chorus for me included singing the spiritual “Go Down Moses,” performing “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” and other songs in Disney World with Mixed Choir my senior year, and singing “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime on the stage of Kodak Hall with all of the other seniors in chorus at our graduation. I also really enjoyed singing Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” in ESM-UR Women’s Chorus last year, and I look forward to learning many new pieces this year!
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| Alicia Chamberlain |
This mentality quickly shifted the moment I joined my high school chorus at Stoney Creek High School. We worked on many beautiful pieces during my 4 years there. I was incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful director, Dr. Brandon Ulrich. He was someone who really knew how to open up the hearts of very narrow minded high school students to the wonderful world of classical music. My favorite piece I ever performed under his direction was in my senior year, when we performed a 3 movement piece called Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen. This 3 movement Latin piece is absolutely breathtaking when performed, and made me truly appreciate singing in a chorale.
My second favorite piece I ever performed was Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams at the Interlochen Arts Camp in 2012. The vocal performance majors at Interlochen that year were fortunate enough to sing with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. David Fryling. After the last chord rang I can remember gazing out onto the audience and seeing the expressions of joy that our music had given them, then looking around at my fellow World Youth Honors Choir members and seeing a look of pride and contentment of being a part of something so powerful and well done.
Now only 2 years later I am thrilled to be a part of another choir that I know will bring out the exact same emotions I have felt while singing before.
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| Maria Azucena Chanez |
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| Pauline Chen |
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| Hyun Choi |
I do not have “songs that got me here,” but my experiences definitely have. I hope to heighten my skills in classical singing, sigh- reading, and other techniques in order to apply it to my major (biomedical engineering) and my life beyond Rochester and to maintain a relationship with my love, music.
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| Claudia Conty |
The first opportunity I had to sing in public came when I was seven during a Girl Scout talent competition. I sang my favorite song at the time “Como la Flor” from Selena, and won first place. This event inspired me to study music. Then at the age of 8, I formally started studying music as part of the Coro de Niño’s de Ponce Choir. I started taking classes two days a week and after a year, two days turned to three. This choir exposed me to playing multiple instruments such as the guitar, hand bells, etc. We sang songs in different languages such as Italian and German. This choir also gave me exposure to singing towards all-kinds of audiences. During that time some songs became special to me such as, On Eagle’s Wings, The Impossible Quest and The Storm is Passing Over. I incorporated music into my school life by joining a Music Club and the first Musical Theater and Choir programs at my school. I also participated in talent competitions at my school, winning on several occasions. After being in that choir for ten years I have now come to the University of Rochester. I am glad to have joined the Women’s Choir where I can continue developing my musical studies.
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| Jie Deng |
I am in choirs when I was in an elementary school. Singing together and getting prize in the competition together always excite me. And that is why I joined such a wonderful group. When everyone is making beautiful sound together, the beauty of the voice becomes prettier.
Singing makes me brave and confident no matter there are listeners or not. I do not mind. Even though I could not be a professional singer, I can still get a lot of good fun from singing. And because of singing, my life becomes more colorful.
The experience of last year in the women’s chorus is wonderful. We went to Syracuse University at 6am. We went to Eastman to perform. And absolutely, I made friends, who love singing as well. I am glad that I am so lucky to join this in my freshman year, it is like opening a door to me. And there is a new place I have never seen inside the door. I know I am not good enough, and I still remember how surprised I was when I hear those wonderful voices from other students. Lucky me, I could be a part in such a wonderful group with such a wonderful professor and so many wonderful singers. With this incredible chance, I shall keep singing.
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| Cita Dunn |
By the time my freshman year of high school rolled around I decided I was finally ready to be more than just another member of our school choir. One of my friends urged me to audition for region choir. Through the process of auditioning for region throughout high school, I have gained a much stronger sense of confidence in myself as a performer and found some of my favorite choral songs along the way. These most notably include There is No Rose by Z. Randall Stroope (whom I later met at the Texas Choral Director’s Association conference!), You Are The Music by Dan Forrest, Misericordias Domini K.22 by Mozart, and Lauda Jerusalem by Nicola Porpora. Music and choir has provided me with a lot over the years including these songs, but most importantly has helped me to make many friendships and some of my fondest memories.
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| Kari Francis |
Certain musical experiences have had a formative effect on my personal development: singing David Childs’ setting of I Am Not Yours with my first honor choir; being chilled by the icy strings of Pärt’s Cantus: In Memoriam of Benjamin Britten, feeling the winding harmonies of Poulenc’s Gloria floating to meet the ring of lights lining the Carnegie Hall ceiling, teaching an arrangement of The Beatles’ Let It Be to my own collegiate singing group and later reprising it on national television; the ringing of Palestrina’s plaintive Sicut Cervus in a battered Austrian abbey, the apogee of intonation and emotional expression in great barbershop performances, the ennui of the choral adaption of Barber's "Adagio for Strings", the melancholy and captivating performances of soloists like Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Audra McDonald… and many more, all of which have inspired me to look inward and outward as both a person and performer.
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| Emily Gordon |
Another song that got me here is Tonight, from West Side Story. After seeing West Side Story for the first time when I was seven, I became absolutely obsessed with the soundtrack to the musical. My mother purchased the CD version of the soundtrack, and I immediately listened to every track on the disk. This was the first time that I ever really listened to the orchestral parts of the musical, such as the Overture and Prologue. I soon only listened to these tracks, and became fascinated by the orchestral score. After doing some research, I realized the genius behind the music was Leonard Bernstein. From there, I learned Leonard Bernstein often conducted classical music, which I then started listening to. This ignited my love for classical music.
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| Christiana Goslin |
Over the course of several years I had the privilege of performing in amateur, community, and professional productions of the musicals Annie, Little Women, Will Roger’s Follies, CATS, The Music Man, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. As much as I loved the mixture of dance, theatre, and music, I was able to both uncover and use a deeper type of expression through classical works. The third piece that I would say has brought me to this point is Dvorak’s lullaby, Do bru noc. This was given to me a while after I had begun studying voice with a serious, classical professor. The beauty and excitement of combining two of my loves—music and language—set the hook and has continued to reel me into classical music more passionately ever since. What can I say? There’s nothing like singing ancient words such as those found in the Queen of the Night aria, “Vergebliches Ständchen,” and Dvorak’s lullaby and recognizing that they are articulating thoughts and telling stories that still come forth in today’s world. That realization is what got me here.
Madeleine Graham
My name is Maddie Graham and I love to sing. I started out singing in my Church’s choir, then got involved with my school’s choirs starting in elementary school. The first song that has significance to me is “Happy Birthday.” In 6th grade, I sang “Happy Birthday” during an audition to get into an all-girls select choir at my school. The teacher told me (rather insensitively) that my singing only ranked an eight out of ten. Thankfully, when trying out for the Women’s Chorus here at the University of Rochester, I sang “Happy Birthday” once again and this time was admitted.
The second song that sticks out to me is “Hallelujah” from the Messiah. At the Christmas concert every year at my high school, alumni and recent grads are invited to join all choirs in singing this piece. Each year my mom has stood next to me, despite the fact that I’m an alto and she’s a soprano. I have always cherished this experience with my mom, and hope that I can return to my high school to sing Handel’s piece alongside students and maybe even my own kids.
The final piece that led me here is a medley of Frozen. Last in the medley was the song “Let it Go”. Not only was the song appropriately titled, being a departing senior, but the last line of the song was as well. “The cold never bothered me anyway” was the last line I sang in my high school career. How perfect then, that I ended up here at the University of Rochester where cold is the norm. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the Women’s Chorus and can’t wait to make new memories with everyone.
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| Rachel Hammelman |
A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten has always had a spot in my heart because it was the first large piece I sang with an all-women’s choir. It made me appreciate the beauty of women’s chorus (and also introduced me to my love of the harp). Being in a select women’s choir for two years of my high school career introduced me to a wide range of music that focused around the elegance and power of the female voice, and although I love singing in mixed choirs also, I tend to enjoy women’s choirs better than mixed. Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen also have written some of my favorite songs, including Lux Aurumque and Alleluia by Whitacre and O Magnum Mysterium by Lauridsen. I performed both the Lux and O Magnum my senior year of high school and consider them one of the highlights of my singing career so far- not in difficulty, but in the feeling that arose when I had perfect harmony with others in my choir. Choral music, especially women’s choral music, has been a huge part of my life to help me both connect with others and discover more about myself.
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| Selin Haci |
In high school I started doing theatre. Granted, this was mostly because my new high school did not have an orchestra program and I needed to find a new fine arts extracurricular activity. Despite the haphazard beginning, it ended up shaping my life in a really important way. I participated in all the musicals and plays the department had and learned how to communicate clearly, improvise and sing in front of an audience. In many ways it was “A Hard Knock Life” but I always came back next semester to be in the next production. In addition to flying off into “Neverland” and spending time on “Skid Row” I also auditioned for the school’s competitive choir and ended up travelling to New York City to compete in a national competition. This was when I learned how to sing as part of an ensemble instead of like a soloist in a theatrical production. Upon coming to the University of Rochester one of my friends mentioned Women’s Chorus and I immediately thought it sounded like a great idea. It has been a great way to meet new girls and keep singing. As I cross over to University of Rochester student to employee, I am glad to be a part of this group!
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| Jennifer Hansler |
I pursued that early child singing beginning in elementary school, where I can recall the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" making a strong impact. I sang it every so often in church and it was one of the audition songs for solos in my fourth grade chorus. I sang it and got a solo. After that, I went on to take voice lessons and participated in choruses in middle and high school. Moreover, I would come to reflect on the immense power of that song again and again as I got older and became involved with social justice movements. It is a song that still resonates profoundly with me.
Alison Harper
Three years running, between the ages of 9 and 11, the only thing I asked for my birthday was to go see Cats. Again. We bought the CD (Original London cast) and I listened to it while doing my homework, while playing computer games, and right before I went to sleep. We also had the soundtracks to West Side Story, Oklahoma! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, but the lyrics in Cats were the most interesting by far, especially in my favourite song: Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat.
I took singing lessons at school and dutifully went through the books of worthy pieces selected by the Royal Academy of Music, but the only one that ever stood out was the first song I ever performed in front of other people: Handel’s Silent Worship. Until that point, singing had been something I did for myself, and it was profoundly strange to have other people actually listening.
Throughout years of choir practice and the various whims of conductors, I’ve sung some interesting pieces, music which stretched my abilities and went around in my head for days after rehearsal, such as Carmina Burana and Elijah Rock, but the best and most memorable performance was sadly not from my own choir. It was an all-male church choir somewhat untraditionally singing Luck Be a Lady Tonight from Guys and Dolls. I’ve never seen a group of people having that much fun while wearing choir robes.
Angel Huang
I started singing at a very young age, when I was about three or four years old and since that time, singing to me has always been about enjoying myself and expression. One of the first songs that got me to the point I am now was 98 Degree's "Sunshine After the Rain". It was one of the very first songs I remember listening to as a child and it was my favorite song for more than a decade. When I first sang this is when I realized just how much I loved singing. The next song that marked a milestone in my life was Vivaldi's Requiem. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and the mesh of voices worked in harmony to evoke feelings in me that were inspiring. It was at this moment that I knew I wanted to sing in choirs. I wanted to be a part of a whole which evoked listeners to just immerse themselves in the moment. One of the songs that really solidified my resolution to always be a part of a choir was Z. Randall Stroope's Lamentations of Jeremiah. Singing this piece was absolutely exhilarating. The soft entrance of the basses enthralled me. The light, soaring voices of the sopranos gave me a sense of freedom. The altos' resonating voices provided a foundation for all the feelings I had. It was a piece which surprised me by how many emotions it evoked. It was a pleasure not only to sing, but to listen to. It was at that point that I knew I found something I could truly never leave behind.
Charlotte Humes
I grew up in a house full of music. My grandfather is a choir director, and passed on his love of-- and talent for-- music to my mother, who raised my sister and myself to appreciate it. Every day started with a rousing rendition of "Wake Up, You Sleepyhead" and at night we crooned "You Are My Sunshine."
I joined the elementary school choir in the third grade, and after three years was brave enough to have my first solo in the piece "Siyahamba." I continued to sing throughout middle school, and further pursued my musical interests by joining band (the first and only ever jazz flautist at my school), and learning to play the dulcimer (the state instrument of Kentucky).
I am very excited to continue my involvement with music at the University of Rochester by participating in the Women's Chorus this semester.
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| Natalie Jara |
I cannot say that there is one particular song that has brought me to where I am today. Rather, it is an accumulation of experiences that has taken me here. For me, creating, performing, and experiencing music has opened new doors, created new moments, and inspired new life. With that said, I am excited to be participating in Women’s Chorus! Part of the reason why I love participating in choral ensembles is that there is great focus on the entire group as oppose to just the individual. Being in a choir embodies a sense of team and community, something that I am truly looking forward to.
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| Rachel Kasimer |
I also performed in my middle school’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in Hebrew. I played Golda, where I sang a duet for the first time onstage, “Do You Love Me.” While that was my first and only taste of theater, it encouraged me to keep singing – just not in a theater setting.
I continued singing, and playing the violin and piano through high school. In high school, I was a member of the chorus for a year or two, but it took the backstage to my other instruments. I still sang on my own (a lot of Dreamgirls, mainly “And I Am Telling You”), but it stayed informal. I wasn’t interested in singing in front of an audience at that point.
When I came to the University of Rochester, I joined Women’s Chorus so that I would have a way to continue music, without anything as rigorous as private auditions (especially since I dislike performing solo). I’m starting my third year in Women’s Chorus, and I hope to continue until I graduate!
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| Sarah Klevorn |
In fifth grade, I switched to playing violin at school, and I LOVED it. I remember being so excited to play the song Simple Gifts because the soaring melody flowed so freely. Other pieces that have inspired me over the years have included Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and the last movement of the Firebird Suite. My (current) favorite piece for choir is the last movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection.” I simply can’t help myself from crying when I hear it. I love the inspiring message of the words, and I think the larger-than-life orchestration is beautiful.
Sarah Korath
My musical story began the day I joined choir in fifth grade. Choir started off as a club-like activity—a fun place to socialize with all my friends. It became so much more, however, after I received my first choir solo, which was “Castle On A Cloud” from Les Miserables. After that I realized I enjoyed singing, and longed to do more. After a while I specifically fell in love with musical theatre, which led me to one of my favorite singers today, Barbra Streisand. Her song, “Who Are You Now”, from the musical Funny Girl was one that I particularly fell in love with, and remember singing throughout middle school. I continued to awe over musical theatre performances throughout junior high, and went to Broadway shows every chance I got. Something changed, however, my sophomore year. I had joined our school’s Select Choir, an auditioned ensemble of about 50 teenage students. The choir opened me up to a whole new type of music I had never been exposed to before—real choral music. I still remember hearing the choir perform “Afternoon On A Hill”, by Colin Britt in our auditorium. I grew to love classical music, both choral and instrumental, including Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which is probably my favorite piece of classical music today. Two years went by until I realized that my love for singing and classical music could be combined to one. That’s when I fell in love with opera. I still remember the first time I listened to Kathleen Battle’s version of Frühlingsstimmen by Johann Strauss. It was then that I realized I loved both opera and choir, and wanted to somehow pursue a career in classical music. It’s been almost a year since then, and here I am at the Eastman School of Music, so I suppose you could say the rest was history!
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| Sophia Koukoulas |
I started really getting fascinated about music when my cousins came over and played the piano. Therefore, when I was about 8 years old I began private piano lessons. I remember my cousin Michelle playing the song "Chim Chim Cheree" from the film Mary Poppins and I would eagerly mimic what she played.
Another song I began to treasure was "Sleigh Ride." I remember having trouble learning this on the piano, but when I finally understood it I felt incredibly rewarded. I also performed this song in the Wind Ensemble in my high school and remember how my sister was the flute section leader at the time; I looked up to her because she inspired me to work harder to expand my musicianship.
One of my absolute favorite songs to listen to and to play is "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy. This song is very dear to me because I learned it with two of my main inspiring piano teachers in my life. However, aside from plainly learning this difficult movement I learned something incredibly valuable: to paint a story with music yet to genuinely express my passion and respectful appreciation of the music itself.
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| Louisa Lei |
Bethany Lennox
Growing up, I had always been (loudly!) involved in children's choirs in church and only slightly less so in elementary and middle school choir groups. But it wasn't until high school when I started taking singing more seriously, in both a choral and musical theatre sense. From Edward Elgar's The Snow and Diemer and Rutter's Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind in choir to Per La Gloria d'Adorarvi from Griselda and Harper's Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal in All-State Choir to "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore" from Bye Bye Birdie and "Little Girls" and "Easy Street" from Annie, high school opened me up to the diversity in styles, genres, and unique characteristics of all different types of music. Now, being part of Women's Chorus, I get to experience that diversity every week, whether by singing in Ukranian or playing percussion along with a 3000-year old hymn to a moon goddess or studying the writing and lives of different poets. Women's Chorus is a highlight of my week, and being able to sing vastly differing but equally amazing songs is an opportunity I am glad I am not missing!
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| Bingying (Echo) Liu |
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| Ruiyang Li |
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| Ruochen Liu |
Due to stressful studies in Chinese middle school, I did not have the chance to practice my voice with the instruction of the professional. Nevertheless, I tried my best to involve in every activity that might improve my ability to sing, and that was when I performed on stage for my first time with my classmates. The song is called Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower), a traditional Chinese song. I came to realize then that singing in chorus was also a good way of portraying emotion.
Now I have a class of fellows to sing with me, and THE song that got me here is called Xiao He Tang Shui (The River Flows). It is also a Chinese traditional song. I heard it for a several times, but the most impressive one is when a famous female singer performed it for a contest. She was excellent and her voice truly expressed the soul of solo. I tried to imitate her but ouch.
These songs are ones that got me here.
Yuan-ju Liu
I always love singing.
I think it was my mom who inspired me to love singing. The time in the car is when we enjoy ourselves. When the day is great, we sing out loud, laughing and talking about our day. When we are in a fight, we don't sing out. But as the music plays and the voice of the singer comes out, I know, deep in my mind and heart, that we forgive each other, we were just too embarrassed to admit it. Singing is a way for us to communicate and that is why singing is such a important part in my life.
I also love movies, so most of my favorite songs are from movies. You'll be in My Heart by Phil Collins from the Tarzan movie was my favorite song when I was a kid. I could still replay the scene in the movie whenever I hear the songs from it. Another favorite song for me is Yellow by Coldplay. And when I hear songs like Yellow, I would marvel how perfectly lyric writers use words and make the song a real story by the poetic lyrics.
Last week was a very surprising night for me, because that was our first time and we already made such fantastic sound together. This will be my first year in the Women’s Chorus. I am so exciting to have a chance to sing with other girls and perform on stage in the incoming future. I believe this would be a wonderful part throughout my college life!
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| Emily Luce |
Before my Junior year of high school, I didn't think that I was going to persue music as a career. Though I love performing, I didn't very much want to be a performer, and I had seen the tired faces of my music teacher and my voice teacher at the time. Education seemed like what people did when they weren't good enough to perform, or after they had their 15 minutes of fame. Everything changed when I started assistant music directing musicals. I saw how music could inspire people and how I could make that happen! Therefore, the music that brought me here is the cheesy composition of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical." While music directing this show, I discovered my love for teaching.
Milagros Luna
I am not; a Jewish Klezmer, a Spanish Flamenco, or a Mexican Ranchera. I am; the bells in the Jewish Klezmer song “Sha Shitl!”, the guitar in the Spanish Flamenco song Cantos de Ida y Vuelta, and the vihuela (a Mexican folklore instrument) in the Mexican Ranchera song Cielito Lindo y Querido.
The bells in “Sha Shitl!” carryout a clash of dissonant notes that then become melodic pitches. I culturally resemble the clash of contrasting cultures that then become concordant ideals. Clash! Is what a swimmer hears as palms change environment, from air to water, crossing the Rio Grande River. This change stings but the swimmer then realizes, as I came to understand, on the other side of the river a hand is stretched out awaiting yours. Clash! Your hands soon heal -ready to mold your American dream.
The guitar in Cantos de Ida y Vuelta reflects moonlight upon its polished surface. I resemble the flash of light a helping hand can offer someone’s darkest of nights. I taught choir to a group of disabled elementary level children during high school. One day as I was gathering up scores the kids had left behind on stands; a visually impaired little girl tugs at my skirt and says softly, “Thank you for allowing me to see the notes today Ms. Moon.”
The vihuela in “Cielito Lindo y Querido” transmits the steady rhythm at which the rest of a Mariachi ensemble should perform. When it comes to academic and musical activities I resemble the vihuela. I have realized that one must learn to balance obligation with passion levels to always progress.
It is because I know what I am not that I know what I am. I am a combination of miraculous clashes, flashes, and rhythms. Because of these things I am Milagros Luna Rios- Miracles Moon Rivers.
Alissa Magee
If you were to look at the entire Women’s Chorus and single out the girl with the curliest hair, you’d have found me. I’m Alissa Magee, and before you even think about it; no, I haven’t straightened it, and I never will. I wish I could point out a revelatory song in my life that confirmed music was what I was meant to do, but the truth is there isn’t one. There are instead many cathartic cries, bursts of laughter, and quiet feelings of awe that are inspired by a myriad of pieces and a multitude of small moments in them. But that is for me the profound joy of studying an art. I will never forget crying to a recording of Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne singing the final note in “Mira, o Norma” opening night at the Met. The way Joyce DiDonato in a wheelchair sang the lesson scene in that one special Barber makes me laugh even on the millionth replay. I’d be remiss not to mention the final Fleming-Graham Der Rosenkavalier, where their authentic tears so perfectly captured the essence of the opera, the pure sentiment of goodbye. These snippets are treasures that can’t be recreated, and they are the reason why I chose to go into music. I came to Eastman to continue to feel, cry, laugh, and ultimately experience the full splendor of these little moments that give me a sense of something more. This pursuit is what has brought me to Women’s Chorus.
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| Lesley Mah |
Last semester was my first time in Women’s Chorus and I’m thrilled to be back for my second. While I’ve always loved singing, I haven’t always loved the idea of being in a chorus. When I got an invitation to join my elementary school chorus, I hid the invitation from my parents since I feared being on stage! However, my parents insisted that I join choir in middle school since I sang around the house all the time.
While I didn’t love chorus at first, I grew to enjoy it when I listened to my middle’s school top choir sing, “Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd.” I thought to myself that if I stayed in choir a little longer, I might too, get to sing it. Two years later, my choir indeed, sung that song. This song made me realize the emotion I was able to express while singing.
During my junior year of high school, I did All-City Choir and performed, “I am Not Yours,” composed by Randall Z. Stroope (who also happened to be our conductor that year). This piece always alleviated my stresses when I sang it. After my All-City experience, I realized didn’t want to go through college without being in chorus. These experiences have led me to the seat I am sitting in today.
Chieri Ono
The first song I remember singing was a song from TV back when I lived in Japan, when I was about four years old. All I remember about it now is that the song talked about fish and salt. Unfortunately my young brain at the time was not able to retain the details to the song, but I do remember singing songs from Sound of Music as a very young girl as well (incredibly original, isn’t it?).
When I moved to the US at age five, I was surrounded by music and song at school. My kindergarten teachers would give us many instructions through music. You could say that my school was a bit “hippie,” but I absolutely loved it. One of my favorite songs as a kindergartener was “White Corral Bells,” yet this song among others I sang with many made-up words as English was a completely new language to me.
Then, in elementary school, I remember singing an Irish hymn that started with, “May the road rise up to meet you.” This I sang with my class in school throughout many years, each year understanding the meaning of the song a little better. It is a song that reminds me of my home in California: a school that played a huge part in bringing music into my life. Continuing through middle school and junior high, I continued to sing at school. Songs I remember singing are “One Little Candle,” “Blow Bugle Blow,” and several Jewish songs. At around 4th grade, I participated in a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute as one of the “Spirits/boys;” this was my first step onto stage with only two others to sing with.
Around 2006, I saw a musical called Anything Goes. I was very impressed by the main female vocalist in this musical, and later found out that she had had voice training from the very director who had put on the Magic Flute I had participated in. This director then came to be my voice coach for two years. Training with her, I performed songs such as “On My Own” from Les Miserables and “Oh Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me?” by Handel. This was a big step in my work with music. I remember being incredibly nervous as I performed my first solos, and I know that this experience helped me to build confidence in myself- not only as a singer, but in other things as well.
Finally, in high school, I continued to work with my voice coach not in private lessons but as part of a small ensemble, performing at churches in what was called a “Song Fest.” The group also frequently visited senior homes, bringing with it the the gift of music and song. Some songs I sang with this group include, “Shenandoah, “Ave Maria,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
I am now at the University of Rochester, ready to learn and to improve not only my singing but also my knowledge in music as a whole. It seems that I am a novice here, and it is my goal to be able to learn, improve, perform, collaborate, and to be “ever better,” alongside many others who have the same love and enthusiasm for music as I do.
Galen Otten
I was a sports kid for a long time, but then I found singing. I didn't end up singing classical music until about two years ago, but I still liked it. My house was always filled with classical music on the radio, so I grew up loving it. My first song I can remember that was important to me was "Castle On A Cloud" from Les Miserables-that and every song from The Sound of Music. For nine years I studied musical theater and towards the end of that time I was very into jazz singing. My favorite songs were "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Skylark". Around the time I was singing jazz my voice started changing and maturing and my voice teacher started me on classical singing. At first I really didn't like singing it (probably because it was too hard), but as I worked at it and changed teachers I began to love it. I was taken by the beauty of classic, famous arias like "Nessun Dorma" and "O Mio Babbino Caro" and so I dedicated my time to this incredible thing we do.
I would have to say that right now my favorite aria is "Song To the Moon" from Rusalka. This song makes me cry and sometimes laugh out of excitement. All I know is that I can't be still when I am listening to it. This is how I feel about classical music, so I am thrilled to be surrounded by it for years to come!
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| Maria Gabriella Mastrosimone |
My story: I was born in Italy, in a small mountain town in central Sicily. My family emigrated to the US when I was young, so I attended American schools my whole life--until I returned to Italy to study medicine (where I got lots of practice speaking Italian because ALL the exams are given orally!).
I’ve always loved to sing! I think I got that love from my mom, who although untrained as a musician, has a lovely & strong soprano voice that she regularly uses during church services, even now at age 86! I joined choirs every year of grammar school to college, but somehow, I never really learned much theory or how to count beats to stay in rhythm--I primarily enjoyed the “feeling” of the music in my body & how I could stretch my voice in so many directions and hear it grow stronger as a unit with my fellow choristers.
My fondest memories of singing & acting were my yearly participation in our high school musicals, in addition to several choral groups. I went to a Catholic HS (Bishop Kearney) “renowned” in Rochester as having “the best high school musicals” of the 70’s & 80’s! Yes, if you can do math, I said 70’s—most of you were probably not born yet---so that makes me probably the “eldest” in our women’s chorus (at least for this year!)! I had a very shy, timid personality until singing on stage, and those musicals brought out my “performer side.” Some of my most enjoyable roles included playing Bloody Mary in South Pacific— talking to those “stingy bastards” with words I was not usually allowed to say in a Catholic HS—and enticing soldiers to come with me to Bali Hai; Fiddler on the Roof as Tevye’s daughter Chava, and singing pieces from The Sound of Music as “Maria” for younger audiences. Beyond the musicals, we sang & danced to lots of great soft & hard rock tunes in the 70’s—like QUEEN’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Three Dog Night & the Eagles.
Alas, my musical stage life went on hold when I chose to become a physician: that meant long hours as a pre-med student studying lots of sciences, etc. Then I went back “to my old country” to study medicine & my musical moments were primarily singing in our church folk group and dancing to the sounds of DISCO in the evenings when we all went out to relax & enjoy time away from the heavy medical books!
Fast-forward to Rochester in the mid-90’s: After finishing my medical specialties (in family medicine & family therapy), I met my husband, who then introduced me to a completely new venue of music--- the classical side. He is also a family physician, but studied all types of music growing up. So now I live with an amazing bass-baritone who can sing German lieder, Bach, a capella Renaissance, etc. I find I enjoy Mozart or baroque music the most, but I still need a fix of QUEEN now & then!
Back to our Women’s Chorus: I enjoy sharing & learning from the talented students around me, observing their early-years-worries, and then watching them blossom as graduates, on to their own adventures in life! And...getting a free music class once a week from our fabulous conductor-teacher-creative guy, Dr. Philip Silvey & Co! I’m finally learning some theory & how to count those rhythms!
My thanks to Dr. Silvey & all for making URWC such a great group to be a part of!
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| Jackie Powell |
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| Yinghui Qiu |
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| Nikki Rowlands |
One of the first songs that brought me here today is “Witness”, a traditional African-American Spiritual. It was one of the first songs I ever sang on stage with my high school choir, and the energy behind it has stuck with me through the years since. Because of “Witness”, I love singing spirituals and I am really looking forward to the piece we’re singing this year!
Another song that is significant to me is the song “The Only Exception” by Paramore. It was the first song that I was able to both play and sing at the same time. It is the first song that comes to mind when I’m asked to sing anything, and it puts a smile on my face no matter what’s happening in my life at the time.
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| Qi Ruan |
My grandparents loved singing, and they also taught me to sing. Funny but treasurable memories are that every time when there was a guest visiting, I would sing in front of everyone loudly and proudly. I began to record songs by myself later in 5th grade. The first song is called Journey by Angela Zhang - yes, it’s a song in English even at that time I couldn’t really handle the language. Before college, I recorded over a hundred songs, each filled with my passion about music; fortunately after entering college, I got a chance to record songs in a professional music studio in Shanghai. And it was truly excited to look into musicians’ daily life.
This is my fourth year being a member of this wonderful Women’s Chorus. I really appreciate Dr. Silvey for giving prominent and enjoyable classes, during which I always feel time flies quickly, and inspiring with words and conducting.
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”
Ava Sauer
Shyness. Stage fright. They plagued my childhood. I was often quite, too afraid to make conversation and most certainly too afraid to sing in front of others. Despite this, I loved singing from an early age. I would go out to a hill in my backyard which I thought was out of hearing range and sing as much and as gustily as I could. It was not until I was much older that my parents told me that they were aware of this and secretly listening. As I got older, I started to turn to improvisation theatre classes and musicals to break out of my shell; strangely enough, because I feared performance so much, it was the most exhilarating experience in my life. Theatre, and subsequently vocal performance in particular, became one of the most significant parts of my identity.
One song that greatly impacted this realm of my life is Schubert’s “An Die Musik;” my performance of this song was an utter failure. It was one of my only stage experiences that I was truly upset over. I was not properly prepared and I was tired, so the performance did not turn out the way I had hoped. I was incredibly emotionally distraught, even moved to tears. This, ironically, turned out to have the most important – and positive – effect on my study of voice. After a week of contemplating quitting singing all together, I realized how much it really meant to me. I threw myself back into the world of music with more drive and passion than ever before. The initial experience was bad, but I am incredibly thankful for where I am now because of it.
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| Rebecca Silver |
In middle and high school I got involved with musicals and had the opportunity to play “Rizzo” in the musical, Grease freshman year and “Mrs. Walker” in The Who’s musical, Tommy junior year. Performing music on the stage added a new dynamic to my love for music and my passion for performance. Also, having the opportunity to explore renaissance music in my high school’s madrigal singers and Victorian carols in our Victorian singers expanded my appreciation for music from all ages of time.
So while one or two songs do not sick out in my mind as “songs that got me here”, songs and music are what helped shape me into the person I am today and are the reason I am a member of Women Chorus.
From a young age I was immersed in music and found inspiration from friends and family, most notably my grandfather. He showed me the life long relationship that can be formed with music and how it can open so many doors.
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| Yiran Shan |
So I continued studying some other instruments. I learned guitar, voice singing, harmonica and a Chinese instrument called Hulusi. Learning and playing are both so much fun for me. I realized that, nothing else than music can give me this much happiness in my life.
Two years ago, I went to an international school in South Wales, UK. I studied IB there. When I was choosing my subjects, I chose Higher Level music without any hesitation. I thought I would be easy for me, who studied music for this long. However, it turned out to be a big challenge for me. I had never done composition before and I had to do it for the IB. I really put a lot of effort into it and, in the end, I finished my composition portfolio as well as other performance and essay writing portfolio. From then, I decided to learn music and continue it through my whole life. I want to use music to help people, cure people’s heart. I want to be a music therapist as well as a good musician.
Teresa Shyr
My name is Teresa Shyr. I am currently a Music Education major at Eastman School of Music, and I play the piano. Music has been a big part of my life from ever since I can remember. I remember being in my first choir when I was in 6th grade, and from then on, I have always been in choir. One song that I still remember is called Ain’t No Grave arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory. This piece was my first encounter with spiritual music, and the first “fun” music I have ever sung. It was definitely an experience as we clapped and stomped in perfect unison. This piece was also one of our competition pieces that year, and our performance of Ain’t No Grave during the competition was so impressive that this piece has stuck with me.
Another piece that I think about from time to time is a piece written by my high school choir director, Dr. Patrick D. Finley. The piece takes its lyrics from the poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. I was playing the accompaniment for that piece (which is beautiful), but had never pondered the meaning of the words. It was only until my director explained the meaning of the words that I grasped the true beauty of this piece. In short, the poem is telling the story of how a boy does not want his father to die. Set to music, I really felt the meaning of the words and their true depth.
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| Philip Silvey |
Because I took piano lessons, I ended up accompanying choirs in junior high and high school, my first big challenge in eighth grade being the junior high choral version of Captain & Tenille’s 70s hit Love Will Keep Us Together. The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I was accepted into the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts to study visual art. There I minored in music, shared some of my original compositions for the first time, and solidified my desire to pursue music in earnest. I sang in district, regional, state, and all-eastern choruses, and won the solo in William Dawson’s arrangement of Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit at the Founders Hall auditorium at the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania.
I started college studying music theory and composition, but added a music education major my sophomore year. There I kept writing music and singing with choirs, and even got to reprise my solo in the Dawson spiritual. I finished my degree in December of my fifth year and decided to start graduate school at Penn State in music composition. I sang in the choir there and wrote an extended choral work about my family as my final project. I took some short-term teaching jobs in PA while I finished my degree, and then began a full time job in west Michigan. I stayed there for seven years conducting high school and middle school choirs, putting on musicals and madrigal dinners, and really working out most of what I know about teaching choral music. One highlight of that time was having a women’s ensemble chosen to sing at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival where they premiered one of my own compositions. Four years later that piece was accepted for publication and now I have a number of works published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing and Carl Fischer. Another highlight was playing the role of Tony in the Kalamazoo Civic Theater’s 1995 production of West Side Story and singing a portion of my all time favorite song, Somewhere (just before dying on stage).
After seven years of teaching in Michigan, I enrolled in graduate school to pursue a doctorate of music education at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and sang in the graduate chorale and a small seven-member early music ensemble that performed in Paris on September 11, 2001 (as you can imagine, there is a long story that goes with this). After three years of grad school, I graduated and took a job in the music education division of the University of Maryland where I stayed for six years. I followed that with a couple years of teaching at the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory. In 2010
I arrived in Rochester and now I am thrilled to be conducting this amazing ensemble made up of brilliant musicians (who all happen to be women).
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| Kristi Thomas |
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| Stephanie Taylor |
However, I am blessed to say that it was not the last time I experienced this type of emotion. The feeling returned when I went back to the cathedral the following year singing the song “Esto Les Digo” by Kinley Lange, and again with Eric Whitacre’s “A Boy and A Girl.” I feel incredibly lucky to be here at the University of Rochester so I may further develop my passion for singing with Women’s Chorus!
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| Elizabeth Walker |
I have always loved music and singing. Growing up there was always music playing in my house and I would often sing along. I can't imagine living my life without the appreciation I have for music and its continued presence in my life. Throughout my choral career I have sang a wide variety of songs, from classical music and spirituals to broadway and pop hits.
One song that I remember singing in when I was in 6th grade was "Carolina in the Morning." Given that I was living in South Carolina at the time, it was fairly easy to connect to the song and its meaning. Though I had some choral experience in 5th grade, I think that this song was the first that I really had to work on and learn vocally, not just for a fun performance.
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| Emily Wiencek |
I grew up in a household full of music. Whether it was singing, theater, playing piano, or just listening and enjoying, music was always an important part of my family's life. I started singing in the Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus in third grade and sang with them through my senior year of high school. With that chorus and performing with multiple school choirs, I have sung quite a bit and have performed many songs. I do have some that have definitely stuck with me though. I remember learning the Hebrew round "Sim Shalom" and just absolutely falling in love with it. Another of my favorites is "Adiemus" by Karl Jenkins. But one of the most important pieces to me is the Quaker hymn "How Can I Keep from Singing?". The song, as implied by its name, expresses the joy and love of music and song. It definitely allows me to show my love for music too!
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| Sarah Yaden |
I started piano lessons, and I had every intention to become the next Beethoven or Mozart. How things have changed! Through piano, I found my own voice and started exploring all different kinds of music. Thanks to my movie addiction, I came across the next song that made me realize that the voice wasn’t simply another instrument, but a gateway to the very soul of human emotion. I heard a recording of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” during a concert when Freddy Mercury was close to the height of his tragically fatal disease. I was determined to keep music in my life and hopefully achieve a similar passion in my performance.
I attended an arts program while I was living in England, then I was accepted into the Governor’s School for the Arts during my high school years in Virginia. There I studied classical voice, and I discovered the glory of Beverly Sills. Her fire and fearlessness during “Coppia iniqua” from Donezzeti’s Anna Bolena still give me chills to this day. In that first moment, I knew that that was what I wanted to do with my life, and that decision brought me to Eastman to study the beautiful world of music.
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| Helen Yang |
I have been in love with choir since that. I love to sing in a group. Every time the harmony of a choir reverberates in the air, I am totally moved by the spirit of togetherness and camaraderie. Music has magic. Its beauty calms me down and cheers me up when I am upset. I like making music. We sang many beautiful and classic songs during junior and high school (my school is a private school combined with both junior and high school) such as Stabat Mater, Cantate Domino, Can you hear me, and Part of your world.
Years later, I came to the Boston, US. I missed home and missed singing with others. As a result, I joined the MIT- Cambridge Chinese Choral Society (CCCS), a Taiwanese social group. After the audition, I was accepted by the choir and I was excited to be a soprano again. This choir is very interesting and very different from the school choir I had in Taiwan. It is a mixed choir. There is great diversity in this group. It consists of students, researchers, professors, and even businessmen; young and old people from 16 years old to 80 years old alike. Unlike a school choir, members have more freedom to decide whether they want to come to practice. After some time, I found that some people were committed to practice, while some disappeared after several meetings. When I was in the school choir in Taiwan, we had a common goal of preparing for the annual national choral competition and we had the privilege to use the resources the school provided. In the CCCS choir, people got together solely because of passion or interest and hence needed to deal with raising funds.
This mixed choir gave me a new experience in singing. At first, it was weird for me to sing with not only girls, but also men. However, after I got used to it, it became amazing. The range of the music is much broader than only girls’ choir. We sang lots of old Taiwanese songs at that time which was very different from what I sang in school as well. I loved the relaxing time singing with CCCS.
Before getting into the college, I knew I would like to join a choir again. I was not sure whether I wanted to join a girls’ choir or a mixed choir until I heard the first ensemble of women’s choir. It brought me back to my school time. It reminded me how beautiful the harmony was, so I came here.
Songs got me here. They got me here to meet you.
Weiting Zhong
I have never been in a chorus before I came into college. Also, as I study the piano, I usually listen to keyboard and orchestra but not vocal pieces. Therefore Women’s Chorus is one of my first impressions on vocal music. But even if I have never gotten in touch with classical vocal music, I love listening to pop songs very much. And among the many songs I listened, two songs indeed change my life and my view towards music.
The first one is Michael Jackson’s Heal the World. I first listened to this song when I was in the sixth grade in an English class. That was the first time I heard a piece of music with drums and beats. Even if I didn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics at the time, I felt this new type of music very attractive and impression. It is different from classical music as it is not so grand and organized, but it is more emotional and expressive that it has the power to make listeners burst out crying. Three years after I first heard this song, I listened to it carefully again. This time I can totally understand the lyrics and I finally got the deep meaning of this song. Heal the World is the song that opens a new door to me in the field of music. After that, I began to fall in love with pop music.
The second song is a song from a movie. It is My Heart Will Go On from the blockbuster Titanic. When I first heard this song at the end of the movie, my mind was filled with all the scenes in the film and tears flowed everywhere on my face. During the following week, as long as I closed my eyes, I felt like I can hear the melody and see the scenes in the movie. That is the first song that really touched my heart and it let me understand the real power that music can influence people. In many lonely nights, when I felt tired and wanted to give up all the hard works, I would listen to this song by the window. Every time the familiar melodies began and I looked at all the lights in the city from different windows, I felt that it is so good to be alive and I am lucky compared to those who lose their lives in disasters. Thus I can get the power to keep studying.
I look forward to the experience in Women’s Chorus and I hope I can meet more good songs in the future.
