“Space to grow as a singer, as a musician, as an artist, and as a person. These were my first impressions of CLA Berkshires.”
Mountains. Trees. Fresh air. And wide open space—space not only in the literal sense, but in the metaphorical sense: space to grow as a singer, as a musician, as an artist, and as a person. These were my first impressions of CLA Berkshires, the first moments of a truly remarkable two weeks spent in the mountains of Massachusetts getting to know my colleagues, Mozart, and myself just a little bit better.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a little bit nervous before I arrived for CLA Berkshires, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. What will it be like? I asked myself. Will I make friends? I don’t know anyone. And, of course, there was that oh-so- common worry—What if I mess up? What if I’m not good enough?
My fears were quickly assuaged. I felt extremely welcomed by everyone from the very beginning of my time at CLA. My colleagues and the faculty were so kind and supportive. CLA fosters an environment where, despite a high artistic standard, singers (and pianists) feel comfortable experimenting with their craft and making mistakes, knowing that it’s all part of the process.
One of my very favorite aspects of CLA was the fact that singers were encouraged to sit in on their colleagues’ coachings. When I had free time, I would often stop by Kellogg Music Center, a beautiful old converted church at the center of campus, to sit in on Glenn Morton’s amazing coachings. I seldom was the only person in the audience. Glenn would always involve those of us gathered to listen in, posing questions and fostering an environment where everyone could learn and benefit from whatever anyone was working through. So many of us are dealing with the same issues, whether it be breath, resonance, vowels, or something else; watching a colleague experiment and problem-solve from the outside is sometimes just as helpful as doing it yourself.
The rest of the faculty was equally expert in their ability to impart musical—and theatrical—wisdom on us. Michael Sheetz, Maestro extraordinaire, knew exactly what he wanted from each scene and aria, and how to make us sound our best. At the same time, he was incredibly kind, patient, and understanding. He also was extremely knowledgeable about all things having to do with the music we were performing; we had some wonderful discussions about Mozart, his genius, and how to get the most out of the music.
Daniel Isengart was our dramatic coach and stage director; he understood how to distill intensity and specificity from our performances and bring these Mozart scenes to life. Our sessions with Daniel were endlessly fun and playful; he created an atmosphere of fearless experimentation, and he was determined in his mission to make our “voices dance and our bodies sing.”
We also had daily Italian classes with Ennio, which were instrumental in getting used to the language we were singing in for most of our scenes. Ennio taught us so much, and our time in class with him was a real highlight of my time at CLA. Ennio also was there during some coachings and staging rehearsals to make sure that our Italian was as perfect as it could be!
It would be remiss of me if I didn’t also mention the wonderful time I spent with John Viscardi, who provided some amazing insights into how to navigate this often-daunting career. All of us had private coachings with John, during which we could either work on technique or ask questions about life as an opera singer.
By the time our first concert came along, I felt completely musically and dramatically prepared and confident with my own unique interpretation; which I had cultivated with Michael, Glenn, Daniel, and my scene partners in glorious collaboration. What a thrill.
We participated in a total of five concerts in the Berkshires, each one better than the last. It was such a joy to explore the music of Mozart. His music is eternal, simple at first glance but then endlessly complex once you start to dissect it. It reveals itself to you as you perform it, over and over again, in different ways...and I suspect it will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
My time in the mountains, surrounded by nature, made me think of one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It’s a nonfiction work chronicling the two years, two months, and two days Thoreau spent living in a cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. In one particular section, my favorite, he writes: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” In some similar way, CLA Berkshires felt to me like a retreat, an escape from the hustle and bustle of life, particularly life as a singer. Truly, CLA came to me at a very specific time in my life, a time when I found myself at a crossroads between the completion of my undergraduate degree and the start of my master’s degree. This career moves fast—changes and new phases often come sneakily and without warning, catching us off guard. CLA Berkshires, however, offered me a chance to pause in the midst of this great shift. It offered me a chance to reflect on the why of it all—not just the what. Why do we sing? We sing because it feeds our soul.
I drove away from campus after CLA feeling refreshed and inspired, ready to face the next phase of my artistic journey with courage and integrity. I felt similarly to Thoreau, and I’ll amend his statement slightly to fit my feelings about my own time spent in the Massachusetts woods: I went to the woods because I wished to sing deliberately, to front only the essential facts of art. I learned what it had to teach. And I lived, for to live is to make art, and to make art is to live.