It was August of 2004 and my long summer of waiting tables was coming to its end. My theater teacher, Clyde Berry, had just returned from his stage managing gig at the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake, N.Y. We were meeting up for lunch to chat and catch up. I told him about my summer and that I would be starting up at a local college in a few weeks, pursuing a degree in voice performance. He knew it wasn’t my first choice to stay home for school, and that despite being accepted to several music programs, I couldn’t afford to pay for an out-of-state education.
“What are you doing next summer?” he asked as the server placed a plate of overly spicy tofu in front of him. “I don’t know. Probably wait tables again to pay for school.” He raised his head and shot me a look that I had become all too familiar with as his student for the last three years. “You should go to the Seagle Colony,” he said, “and really find out if performing is what you want to do.”
I protested at first, explaining that I couldn’t go a whole summer without working, but by the end of the lunch I had agreed to record some tracks and send in the application for the upcoming season. Mr. Berry had—and still does have—a terrible habit of being right. The way he talked about the place made it sound incredible.
A couple of months after I had sent in my materials, in March 2005, I received my acceptance letter. I was so excited! I read the letter probably about a hundred times. I had roles and a scholarship! The only major operatic experience I had had was as a chorus member with the Virginia Opera and a semester of music study in college. But to do actual roles at a summer festival? This was great! Little did I know, I would be entering the summer that would change my life and send me in a direction I never would have imagined.
I arrived at the Seagle Music Colony later that year, in the middle of the night in early June. I had never been to the Adirondacks before and when I stepped out of my cabin the next morning I was absolutely blown away by its beauty. Gradually, I met staff and other artists in residence. I began learning names, roles, where everyone was from, and more.
Later that first day we all gathered into the theater for the first company meeting. I’ll never forget the incredible warmth and welcoming I felt from General Director Darren Keith Woods and the rest of the staff. They were all so happy that we were there and they wanted to make sure we knew it. Woods went on to explain a little about the colony and what lay ahead for us that season. He assured us that, despite how overwhelming things may seem at some points, we would all experience an incredible summer of growth and support. “Just stay on the page, folks,” explained Richard Kagey, our main stage director. “We’ll get you there.”
The Seagle Music Colony’s season typically consists of two mainstage operas, two mainstage musicals, a touring children’s opera, and a touring review or small musical. All of these are pre-cast from your application CD or live audition, but that summer they didn’t cast the musicals until we had all sung for each other in the theater on the first day. I remember sitting in the theater listening to each person get up there on the stage and sing his or her heart out. I had never been around peers who sang like this! It was breathtaking and terrifying.
When it was my turn I got up on stage, introduced myself, and sang the only piece that was most familiar to me at that point, “Close Every Door” from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming, and huge applause followed, despite my very obvious nerves and choice of music.
The cast lists went up the next day and to my surprise I had received a pretty good role in The Most Happy Fella: Pasquale, one of the three Italian chefs who sang some of the coolest music in the piece.
The only catch: we opened in less than two weeks! The idea that I would learn lines and music that fast was completely foreign to me, but I was excited by the challenge.
Now everything was set and we all went to work. The teachers would be arriving right after The Most Happy Fella opened and then the full schedule would be under way for the season.
The rehearsals and staging went fast and before I knew it, we had this incredible show in place in less than two weeks. The opening went very well and I had come to discover just what was in store for me for the rest of that summer. At this point I had learned music and lines, helped build sets and paint, assisted our wig and makeup designer, had dance class, cleaned the theater, worked on costumes, and washed dishes. Some of this may sound puzzling. Why is a singer doing all of these things at his summer program? This is part of how the Seagle Music Colony works and what, in my opinion, is one of the most important and unique qualities of its training.
Participants are not just performers. They are part of a community that works together each day in various ways. Each person has a duty that they maintain throughout the summer, ranging from chopping food for lunch and dinner, washing dishes after meals, and pot scrubbing, to sweeping and more. In addition, the colony has an amazing yet small technical staff. Everyone is expected to put in hours assisting with some aspect of the technical process, whether it be costumes, set building, or painting. This provides a unique opportunity to understand each aspect of our art form and appreciate the hard work that our colleagues complete around us throughout our careers. Sure, some people complained, but we couldn’t deny the humility we learned in the process.
After The Most Happy Fella closed we began a daily schedule that included our coachings, lessons, and a morning class. A typical day at the Seagle Music Colony now looked something like this:
8 a.m.- Breakfast
9 a.m.- Class Sessions
10 a.m.-1 p.m. – Voice Lessons and Coachings
1 p.m. – Lunch
2 p.m.-5 p.m.- Mainstage Rehearsals
6 p.m.- Dinner
7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.- Mainstage Rehearsals
Class sessions range from career strategy, financial planning, dance, movement, guest speakers (including performers, agents, and teachers), and most importantly, audition class. Each audition class (9 a.m., by the way), three to four of the young artists would show up in the Shames Rehearsal Studio for a mock audition in front of their fellow artists and a panel made up of the staff and visiting guests. After everyone had finished their auditions, the panel would evaluate each aspect of their presentation including demeanor, head shot, outfit, résumé, repertoire, diction, and performance. At the same time, we all did our best to make each other feel safe and supported during this class. Whenever someone stood up to perform, we wanted to see them absolutely excel.
What sets these audition classes apart from others in the country is the immediate feedback the artists get from “a cross section of the business—a director, a choreographer, a coach, and most importantly, a general director who is out there hiring,” says Woods, who is also the general director of Fort Worth Opera.
The lessons and coachings were wonderful. I had the great pleasure of working with two unbelievably talented and encouraging artists that summer: coach/accompanist Richard Williams, who serves as interim chair of Vocal Studies at University of Missouri-Kansas City, and baritone Stephen Lusmann, associate professor of voice at the University of Michigan. The first day of private coachings, Professor Williams and I talked about repertoire and the pieces I wanted to learn that summer, mapping out the best time strategy and setting some goals. Each coaching was precise and fun with Professor Williams taking time to speak through the languages, discuss phrasing, ornamentation, and all aspects of style and meaning.
The voice lessons with Professor Lusmann were a breakthrough. For the first time in a while, I was working with a teacher whose way of explaining things made complete sense. The exercises felt great and really opened up everything, leading to triumph after triumph in only two months of work. The tone was ringing, the breath free and moving. It all felt right!
Of course, the work of the other teachers and accompanists tells equal success stories. Matt Morgan—a tenor and Seagle alumnus—who has performed with New York City Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Daytona Opera, and others—said the voice lessons and coachings are “unmatched by any program today.” The teachers look to help singers at whatever level of study they stand, careful not to disrupt the work of the artists’ teachers at home or at their universities.
I will never forget my experience that first summer and the incredible lessons I learned. The intense rehearsal process, along with all of the coachings and lessons, shaped me into a far greater artist than I was when I entered in June. I had worked at almost every level of the business possible that summer, as a chorus member, a technician, a principal, a carpenter, and a student. By the end I had met my main goal of the summer, to perform “Avant de quitter ces lieux” at the 9 a.m. audition class. After I had finished, Woods stood up, walked right up to me and gave me a huge hug amidst the applause. I couldn’t believe it. What an incredible place.
One of the final services the program offers is an exit interview with Woods. “I want them to go away from the summer with the tools that they need to put forth a short term strategic plan,” he explains. “I try to analyze, during the audition process, each singer’s strengths and weaknesses and then tailor what I want to work with them on during the summer. A lot of thought goes into what role or roles each artist is given. I also try to ascertain what audition and business strengths each individual needs to acquire.
“I like each singer to leave the colony with a new sense of purpose—that they really have the desire and tools to conquer this business of ours.”
My exit interview was filled with laughter and tears, and ultimately inspired my transfer to the University of Michigan in 2006 to study with Professor Lusmann—and my return to the Seagle Colony for two more seasons.
My next two seasons with the colony were filled with even greater moments and opportunities. In 2006 I sang my first big role on the main stage (Curly in Oklahoma!); worked directly with librettist William Hoffman and composer Ricky Ian Gordon in creating the role of Harry in the premiere of their opera, Morning Star; and met composers Stephen Schwartz, John Corigliano and Mark Adamo. Meeting and working with a living composer (especially someone as sweet and talented as Gordon) is one of the most unique and rewarding experiences a singer can have. That summer wouldn’t be the last time the colony gave me and others the chance to work with some of the most amazing people in the business, however.
In the 2007 season, the colony performed Mark Adamo’s second opera, Lysistrata, and held a semi-staged workshop of Act I of Stephen Schwartz’s first opera, Séance on a Wet Afternoon. I was fortunate enough to be involved in both productions. Nationally renowned stage director David Gately directed Lysistrata and Mark Adamo (who also held one-on-one coachings of his arias during his visit) was there for the performances. Additionally, “Séance” singers received direct coaching from Stephen Schwartz himself, and his son, Broadway director Scott Schwartz, directed.
Words cannot describe the look of wonder and excitement on Adamo’s face as he watched his work come alive for only the third time, nor has anything rivaled the experience of working with Stephen Schwartz (who also held a masterclass that Woods said was one of the absolute best he has ever seen). The kind of people the colony has been attracting these last few years is truly outstanding, and every season it just gets better and better.
I cannot stress enough how much this program has changed my life and the lives of others. The training I have received is invaluable and the opportunities keep arriving. Thanks to the Seagle Music Colony, I live in a city I love, with a teacher I love and a program that is perfect for me. Thanks to their training I have been able to reach levels I never would have dreamed of, including two mainstage roles with Michigan Opera Theatre and two lead roles at the University of Michigan, all in the same season.
Soprano Ava Pine, a young artist with the Dallas Opera, will make her debut with Fort Worth Opera in spring 2008 and will return to Dallas as a principal artist for the 2008-09 season.
“I came to opera late in my late twenties,” says Pine. “I knew next to nothing and had so much catching up to do. Seagle set me on my way with a wonderfully solid foundation. Working so closely with Darren [Woods] has been an unbelievable help to my career. He’s seen me at my very best and also at 9 a.m. audition class. He knows what I can do and he’s seen me grow. Over the last two years, he has given me opportunities, and has recommended me for many others. He was instrumental in helping me find a manager. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t attended the Seagle Music Colony.”
“Seagle is the ideal place for young singers looking to receive excellent vocal and stage instruction,” says Morgan. “It is also perfect for more advanced singers looking to get some major roles on their résumé while preparing them with terrific directors and music staff.”
The tuition stands at little over $3,000, and just about everyone receives some kind of scholarship, thanks to the generous donations of patrons and staff. A goal of Woods’ is to one day have a tuition-free program, and things seem to be going in that direction. The beauty of the Adirondacks is breathtaking and Schroon Lake is an extremely charming town.
Singers with allergies should be aware: being in the mountains means cold nights and, in the summer, lots of plants. In addition, the women’s dorms are historic and a little crowded, but regularly maintained and cleaned, with comfy beds.
Attending the Seagle Music Colony will give you the crucial tools and experiences that an insanely competitive business demands from singer-actors. More importantly, you’ll leave with memories that will keep you smiling for life.
“One of my favorite stories is from back in 1980 when I was a young artist at Seagle,” says Woods. “Richard Kagey was painting the set for a show that was being tried out for Broadway called The Fortune Seekers. I had just arrived and went to the theater to ask if there was anything I could do. Richard said, ‘Yes. Go make a picnic table.’ I asked, ‘How do I do that?’ and he said, ‘You take that pile of wood, that saw, and those nails, and you put it together until it looks like a picnic table.’
“You know what? I built a table! Seagle made me feel like I could do anything that I set my mind to.”
