Monday, Aug 30, 2010
Just because it's summer doesn't mean that Westminster Choir College students stop making music.
by Anne Sears
The music never stops for Westminster Choir College students – and this summer was no exception. The day after Commencement in May the Westminster Choir departed for its annual residency at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C. At the same time arts administration and voice students flew to Florence, Italy to participate in Westminster’s Voice and Arts Administration Seminars.
At the Spoleto Festival USA, members of the Westminster Choir performed in the chorus of the Festival’s operas – Flora and Prosperpina. The Choir also presented concerts under the direction of Maestro Joe Miller and Conductor Laureate Joseph Flummerfelt.
In Florence, voice students spent three weeks studying and polishing their vocal technique. They also performed several recitals, which were produced and marketed by the arts administration students. And, of course, all participants studied Italian. All lived in apartments, shopped in local markets and toured Florence and the surrounding countryside.
Back in Princeton, current students joined students from around the country for Westminster’s CoOPERAtive program, which helps young singers prepare for acceptance into an advanced young artist or summer apprentice program. The three-week intensive program includes private coaching focusing on operatic style, performance techniques, dramatic presentation, language and diction, body awareness, and resume and application advice.