The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is a 30-year tradition in the town of Fairbanks, Alaska. Yes, Alaska. As in, you can see Russia from your practice room. Though most of those who live in the Lower 48 may think of the largest state as practically a foreign country, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival shows that there’s more (much, much more) to Alaska than polar bears and glaciers.
It began as a jazz festival in 1980, co-founded by Jo Ryman Scott and Edward J. Madden. Classical musicians asked to be included after the first year’s festival. It has since grown into a two-week music and arts extravaganza where one can take lessons in anything from cabaret singing to ice skating. Originally intended to benefit local residents, its expansion each year was such that nationally and internationally recognized musicians and artists of all kinds teach or attend. The end result is a program that provides instruction accessible to beginners and an intensive learning environment for intermediate and advanced participants.
Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux, known for her compelling performances in both the U.S. and abroad and praised as one of the world’s finest interpreters of Baroque and Bel Canto music, is a native Alaskan and past participant.
“The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is the culmination of a lifetime spent embracing the community through the arts,” Genaux says. “It continued that tradition of giving everyone access to the arts regardless of raw ability, and that is something I still cherish today.”
A Dream Fulfilled
Founder Jo Ryman Scott dreamed of holding a festival throughout most of her career as an educator. After 30 years of successful and continually growing festivals, Scott is retiring from her position as executive director.
“Jo Scott played a fundamental role in my development into the artist I have become today,” Genaux says. “She was constantly coming up with ideas for new programs for young people and amateur artists of all ages. Growing up in Jo’s various programs, the emphasis was always on the discipline and dedication one gave to the activities rather than one’s overt talent.”
This kind of support and community involvement is an important part of the festival’s 30-year history. Voice teacher Jaunelle Celaire, associate professor of voice at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and a teacher at the festival since 2004, describes a “for all ages, come one, come all” atmosphere throughout the entire festival. Though many classes are geared toward beginners, even upper-level students can benefit from the high-level faculty and, as an added bonus, still experience the relaxed community environment.
An important tenet of the festival is that everyone can participate in music. Genaux learned that sense of participation at the festival. “[I am] sorry when people feel they can only be part of an audience and aren’t allowed either by themselves or others to actually participate.” This attitude allows for a freedom of creativity for artists of all levels and permits the participants to experiment without restraint.
Filling the departing Scott’s place is Terese Kaptur, welcomed to the festival after working with the Fort Collins Symphony and National Repertory Orchestra, as well as the Pittsburgh and Winston-Salem Symphonies.
“My biggest vision for this 30th anniversary season is for collaboration between the various genres celebrated at the festival,” says Kaptur.
For singers, this means opportunities with dance, chamber orchestra, full-staged opera scenes, and working with theater classes. Artists in all of these areas can “whet their creative appetite” and explore interesting and new means of expression. Also new this year: undergraduate and graduate credits are available for participants in the opera courses and are transferable on a national level.
Participating in the Festival: ‘Summer Camp for Adults’
The festival, which will take place Sunday July 18 through Sunday August 1, 2010, is held on the University of Alaska’s Fairbanks campus. For singers, there are group classes in opera and musical theatre and the opportunity to take private voice lessons. Additionally, singers can participate in choral groups, including Men’s and Women’s Ensembles, Jewish Folk Chorus, Native American Choir, and Gospel Choir.
Staff member James Smaby describes the festival as a “summer camp for adults” where you can choose to really study your instrument, with many ensembles and lots of private lessons, or you can branch away from your area of expertise and take a new and interesting class for fun. In fact, there are classes in dozens of disciplines, including watercolor painting, glass blowing, clogging, harp and, as mentioned earlier, ice skating. (See the sidebar for a list of courses.)
The $495 festival fee allows you to take as many classes as you can fit into your schedule. It is also possible to register for one, two, or a handful of courses and pay a per-class fee. (Individual class prices are listed on the registration form, available for download at the festival’s website.) New this year, need-based and talent-based scholarships are available, as well as work-study opportunities that can help alleviate the costs of tuition.
Many participants in the opera and musical theatre track opt to concentrate on their discipline, with intense private lessons and coachings for final performances. In addition, the festival offers acting training and other classes to expand singers’ horizons. Celaire feels that taking additional classes worked very well for students of hers who attended. Because the Cabaret Singing class was a small and very personal environment, her students learned to develop in-depth, intimate connections with an audience.
Music is not assigned until the participants arrive, which makes for a very intense two weeks for the singers. Celaire suggests that you “be ready to come and sing, and know that you’ll spend two weeks learning and memorizing.” By learning the music at the festival, students develop healthy music-learning habits. They spend a good deal of their time researching the pieces they learn and coming to understand all aspects of the piece, from notes to rhythm to language to interpretation.
Last year’s festival had eight instructors in opera and musical theatre, each from a different part of the country. The faculty ranged from opera directors and conductors to nationally recognized voice teachers—all who were or are active performers as well as instructors. Detailed information about this year’s faculty will be posted on the festival website in the spring. New to this year’s festival, graduate students will have the opportunity to perform with faculty in a concert during the first week of the festival.
Shawn Marie Jeffery of ADA Artist Management also notes the intensity of the two weeks. A typical festival day includes “private lessons and coachings from the wonderful staff, as well as rehearsals for your scene assignments. The daily masterclass covers opera, art song, and musical theatre. On the final day, they have mock auditions to help you prepare for your own auditions.”
Performing Opportunities
Performing experiences are widely available for all who are eager to participate. Those attending who wish to be considered for solo opportunities and lead roles audition at the beginning of the festival. Singers also have the opportunity to sing with the orchestra at symphony concerts. Jeffery remembers other opportunities as well, like the daily lunchtime concerts and the amazing chance to sing operatic excerpts with full symphony at the festival prior to any professional experience in the industry.
The key for participants is to take advantage of the ample opportunities to perform. “I think the most career-enhancing experience was definitely seeing the results of working consistently each day,” Genaux recalls. “The festival itself was only two weeks long, but I was involved in so many performances and concerts. It was amazing how much could be achieved in such a short time when you and your fellow participants really focused on what was at hand.”
The cabaret concerts allow for an intimate performing experience. Students in these courses learn interpretation, phrasing, presence, patter, and how to use a microphone. Singers can learn a wide range of music appropriate for cabaret concerts, from Broadway songs to jazz, folk, and country. Developing a personal approach to each of these song styles is the central goal of the cabaret courses. The cabaret program is geared toward singers of all levels, so even those classically trained who have no experience with using microphones or singing in a jazzier style can participate.
The more classically traditional opera scenes portion of the festival is also expanding in 2010. A chamber orchestra will accompany scenes from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, which will be fully costumed. The performances will be professionally recorded, both audio and video, and will be available to those who participate.
With so many talented musicians of all instruments involved, opportunities to perform chamber music often arise. In years past, small groups have formed and sought out performing opportunities within the community outside of the festival.
Career Building
The festival offers wonderful opportunities to network and really begin to build your career. Representatives from local opera and musical theatre companies attend concerts, taking note of performers who really shine. Upper-level students are chosen, through audition, to sing with faculty and chamber orchestra and receive a recording of their performance.
Jeffery recalls faculty at the festival helping her to obtain auditions with professional opera companies when they felt she was ready. This helped her find her place as a singer in a world much bigger than Alaska. “I learned what a strong work ethic you must have to make it in this business,” she says. “Growing up [in Alaska] you’re something of a big fish in a small pond. They help you get ready for the ocean!”
Genaux echoes this sentiment. “I loved watching how other people blossomed in this atmosphere of positivity as well as nurturing. There were a lot of challenges, and seeing yourself and others muster up the courage to actually try something new, really dive in and splash around in whatever it was you were studying—that was super.”
Experience of a Lifetime: Travel to Alaska
Exploring the beautiful environment and ample summer flowers and wildlife that Alaska has to offer can be as unforgettable in your development as an artist as participating in voice and opera classes. At the time of year when the festival takes place, there are approximately 18 hours of sunlight, so it is possible to go canoeing at midnight. The cool, beautiful summers (the high is 75 degrees) make for a perfect time to visit. The festival website has a section dedicated to traveling to Fairbanks, and it advises taking some “vacation time” as part of travel to the festival. By taking the “long way” in—such as the Alaska Ferry System, Alaska Railroad, or driving the Alaska Highway—festival-goers can really drink in the natural beauty of the state.
There are also daily flights into the Fairbanks Airport from various Alaska locations, if direct travel is preferred, as well as direct flights from other major U.S. cities. One thing to consider is that for many people, the ticket to get to the festival will cost more than registration itself. Once there, however, living expenses such as food and housing are minimal. Festival participants from out of town can opt to stay in the university’s campus housing, which is reasonably priced, or in local bed and breakfasts. Those in campus housing have access to kitchens and can cook for themselves if desired. There are also a variety of restaurants nearby with a range of prices for every budget.
An Experience of ‘Pure Magic’
The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival has a unique and exciting program where you can grow in your area of singing and expand your artistic horizons through classes of all kinds. Perhaps Genaux sums it all up best.
“The opportunities were endless and the teaching staff of the absolute highest level—as a kid, growing up watching the Boston Pops concerts on PBS and then seeing Fred Buda (the Pops’ set drummer) year after year teaching at the festival, and seeing Cab Calloway in concert twice and working with his daughter Chris—I can’t begin to express what that meant to me growing up. It was pure magic.”
