We’re highlighting summer programs throughout this month and next. If you would like your program to be highlighted, email alex@classicalsinger.com.
My Experience, by Laurel Semerdjian, mezzo-soprano, Resident Artist, Pittsburgh Opera
I had always wondered what it would be like to meet and work with the great Marilyn Horne. We fantasize about these kinds of things and build them up in our heads. I never thought that this last summer could completely blow any and all expectations I had away. Not only did I get to work with Ms. Horne herself but also some of the best and most talented professionals from around the world. They didn’t just come in for fleeting masterclasses, but donated most of their summer to spend multiple coachings with us and really got to know us and our voices.
Laurel Semerdjian, center, as Mercédès in Bizet’s Carmen. Credit: David Bazemore
In one particular coaching with Ms. Horne, we were working on my repertoire for the Marilyn Horne Song Competition. I was singing “Als die alte Mutter” from Dvořák’s Gypsy Songs. Ms. Horne wanted something specific from a certain phrase and really wanted me to let go and free up my voice. She demonstrated from her chair and as she got to the climax of the phrase, threw her arms open and tilted her head back to sing. I got a glimpse of this phenomenal woman at the Met in her heyday, completely drawing in everyone around her and taking ownership of the stage. I almost burst into tears right there. Very few have had the opportunity to witness this one-on-one and I count myself among the lucky.
Every year the Music Academy presents an end of the summer Cabaret to raise funds and the singers get to step out of opera and throw themselves into lighter rep. I was fortunate enough to have coachings with the incomparable Carol Burnett on a duet that Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman sang on the Carol Burnett Show. I even got a copy of the original music that Madeline and Harvey used and the moment in rehearsal where I made Ms. Burnett laugh for the first time was one of the greatest of my life! She was warm, kind, and her Burnett-isms are truly what made the duet a success. It is so wonderful when the people whom you idolize end up being just as amazing in person.
Every summer program is different. You never know what types you will run into or how the group will mesh. This group of singers was the most supportive group I have ever encountered. The feeling of competitiveness was non-existent and rather I was constantly being supported and cheered on by those around me. Even during the Marilyn Horne Song Competition I was greeted by encouraging words, smiles, and hugs before and after my performance. I don’t know if our particular group was just special but my colleagues quickly became some of my closest friends.
Another thing that made the Music Academy unique was the Compeer Program where each fellow is paired with a member of the community for the summer. I was matched up with an amazing woman who loves the students and does everything she can to make our summer unforgettable. From barbecues at her house to movie nights and paddle boarding, she only enhanced what was already an amazing summer. I know that if and when I return to Santa Barbara, there is always a place to stay and a familiar face to see.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about my summer at Music Academy. Especially as a mezzo-soprano, I’ll never forget the feeling of singing in Carmen with Ms. Horne in the balcony looking down and cheering me on. MAW gave me memories that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
