I left CLA having evolved as a pianist, as a musician, and as a person.

I had a good feeling about CLA before I played a single note. I’ve participated in several summer music programs as a singer but never before as a pianist. In fact, my audition for CLA was the first live piano audition of my life. Running through Puccini beforehand with the singer (whom I’d just met), I felt a great vibe. But, what struck me most was that she expressed concerns about her singing even though it was for my audition. This was, in fact, my first clue that as a collaborative pianist, my primary role would be to support the singer in terms of not only sound, timing, and breath, but also interpersonally. Given the substantial age difference between myself and most singers at young artist programs (not to mention a frequent gender difference), this would be a challenge I’d approach delicately.

When I walked into the audition room, Glenn immediately struck up a conversation with me about my unconventional résumé. This was definitely a good sign: a vocal program that valued diversity of experience rather than seeing it as a diversion from the narrowest path possible to the Met. More broadly, here was a program that recognized that everyone’s path as a musician is different, and that meeting the musician where they are rather than simply comparing their progress to some fictional ideal (or worse, to someone else’s actual path) is the most positive way to support musical growth – and in the long run, the most effective.

Once I got to the Berkshires, my hunch about CLA was more than confirmed. Thanks to positive leadership from the direction and participants alike, the program maintained an atmosphere free from competitiveness and artificial hierarchy, and the faculty and participants consistently put music ahead of ego. Even the food was substantially more appealing than at many other music programs I’ve attended.

My own progress as a collaborative pianist, both in terms of ability and comfort level, came more gradually, but I would leave CLA with my confidence substantially boosted in terms of my knowledge, technique, and judgment. Even as a vocal coach, I came in with limited experience, but the singers almost always seemed to feel more comfortable at the end of a coaching than at the beginning (not to mention sounding even better).

As often happens, the concerts were the icing on the cake. My parents live an hour away from Great Barrington, so they came to every show; several other guests accepted my invitation and joined us for the final concert. Whether this summer ends up being my only experience with CLA or the first of many, it was formative for me in a way that no other music program has been. I left CLA having evolved as a pianist, as a musician, and as a person.