Did that really just happen?

Looking back on this trip I feel like it happened in the blink of an eye, but on the other hand navigating through the city for the first time feels like ages ago! I have learned an immense amount of knowledge that could not be learned anywhere else and I am so grateful that I got to be a part of this experience. On Sunday we had vocal coachings with David Sytkowski, he brought in his friend Michael Fabiano to talk to us. If you don’t know this HE PLAYED THE ROLE OF ALFRED IN DIE FLEDERMAUS AT THE MET. He is a phenomenal tenor and talking to him was so awesome! The one main lesson I learned from him was things aren’t going to happen to you unless you go out and try. He told us to “jump in the fire and learn how nit to get burned.” If you never go out and pursue what you want to do it won’t happen you have to work HARD for your dreams and that’s okay, that’s what makes it worth it.

            Then as a group we had a two-hour class called “The Hustle.” We learned how as a performer you need to sell yourself and market yourself so that people will hire you. We learned about how the Internet can assist and hinder our careers which was a good lesson because I think students our age need to start cleaning up their Facebook pages and other social medias so that they look appealing to the employers. She looked at our resumes and gave me some really good tips and our headshots too. I found this extremely valuable because there’s no class at UWEC on how to write a resume, or how to get great headshots. After her lecture, I feel ready to take on the professional world when I graduate.

            The highlight of the trip for me was our last full day in the city.  Late in the afternoon I had an interview with Ana DeArchuleta. She is the president and founder of ADA Artist Management and manages 63 opera singers. She talked to me about being a manager and what it takes. You need to be caring, but you also need to make money and I think it’s very important to find that balance in artist managing. She emphasized how important it is to know what you’re managing. She knows all the repertoire of many, many operas and what kind of singers should go in each role. She travels once a month to watch her clients perform. After talking to her, I feel more solidified in my career path. I want to do something along these lines. I also talked about internship opportunities, which I am going to follow up on. Ana was just so amazing and wasn’t afraid of sharing anything about how she runs her business and her tricks of the trade. There’s a chance that she will be coming to Eau Claire to teach students how to sell themselves as performers.  

            Then that night we saw the Broadway show Pippin. It was spectacular! The showmanship of the actors and all their talent astounded me. Of course everyone could sing, but on top of that, they could flip, balance on tin cans. Perform aerobatics, and many other stunts that kept the audience on their toes. The music was so fun. This trip has changed my career path and inspired me to work hard until I am successful. I fell in love with the city all over again and I cannot wait until I can return again.

Until then, NYC

-Leah