The following “A Day in the Life” post was written by Eastman student Rose Hegele, Class of 2016. She is a double major in vocal performance and Musical Arts. Thanks for sharing your experiences Rose!
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I begin this blog post at 10:48 pm after a thirteen-hour day of meetings with Eastman faculty, voice repertoire class, performing in vocal accompanying class, opera workshop, studio class, a Sigma Alpha Iota meeting, and two rehearsals, the latter finishing at 10:10 pm. Days like today are not uncommon for me, but instead of feeling exhausted, I feel incredibly fulfilled and excited for my upcoming musical projects. Here’s a glimpse into how I spent my day:
7:45 am – A Zen Moment
I attribute this feeling of fulfillment to how I started my day: going over to a friend’s apartment at 7:45 am to practice mindfulness meditation with her. We try to meditate together daily, which helps to center us and allow us to more fully experience every moment. After practicing mindfulness meditation, I typically feel less stressed, and ready to take on whatever comes my way!
12:30 pm – Icelandic Inspiration
While it would take me hours to describe all the details of my day, one important highlight I do want to mention is my meeting with my Musical Arts degree advisor, Dr. Koskoff, who is an ethnomusicology professor at Eastman. We met to discuss my research plan for my upcoming Icelandic travels in November. My Musical Arts degree focus is Icelandic music in relation to Icelandic national identity, specifically examining the socio-economic and cultural impacts of the Iceland Airwaves music festival. Dr. Koskoff and I met at Java’s where we talked about musical commodification, potential primary and secondary sources for my Musical Arts project, and how to plan my research accordingly. It was, overall, a productive meeting, and I feel relieved to have a plan in place before I travel to Iceland in two months.
1:30pm-A Foray into Fauré
Another highlight was performing Gabriel Fauré’s mélodie, “Le Secret” in Berri Garver’s accompanying class. I performed the work four times with four different pianists, and we discussed issues such as tempo, articulation, breathing, how to work with a singer, the acts of leading and following, and how to interpret songs. Collaborating with pianists is one of my passions, and I enjoyed how every pianist had a different interpretation of the same piece. I adjusted how I sang according to how they played, and by the end of the afternoon, I felt better able to communicate my artistic ideas with these pianists.
2:30 pm – Saariaho with Sho
After vocal accompanying class came one of my favourite moments of today, rehearsing Kaija Sariaaho’s soprano and flute duet, “Changing Light,” with my friend, Sho Kato. It was the first time we had rehearsed together, and the piece came together easily. After finding a suitable tempo, we discussed colour and timbral choices, and how we would go about bringing out Sariaaho’s expressive markings. While my voice had felt tired before this rehearsal, I was able to sing freely and healthily, and obtain a good balance between the vocal and flute lines. I cannot wait to work on this piece more with Sho; he is a wonderful collaborator and filled with many original ideas!
8:30 pm – Sisterly Time with SAI
After opera workshop and studio class, I met with my Sigma Alpha Iota sisters to discuss upcoming events for this semester. Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) is an international honors music fraternity for women, and this year is the 90th anniversary of the founding of our Eastman chapter, Sigma Theta. We are celebrating during Eastman’s Meliora weekend with current SAI members and alumnae. We are particularly looking forward to the ceremony we will be holding to induct the amazing Kristen Chenowith into SAI as an honourary member (!!), a special musicale in Hatch recital hall featuring performances by SAI Eastman students, and an SAI Song and Ritual event. In addition to these events, we are also planning community outreach days, and on a less formal note, a birthday brunch for my friend, Michele, and me on Saturday! Spending time with my SAI sisters is always lovely; they are supportive, dedicated, and kind women, and I feel lucky to have enriched my Eastman experience through SAI.
Sigma Alpha Iota sisters Michele Currenti, Daniela Camillieri, and Anne Kunkle discuss plans for Meliora Weekend
9:30 pm – Histories of the Universe
Finally, from 9:30 to 10:10 pm was my final rehearsal of the day: Histories, a collaboration of chamber music, physics, and contemporary dance, conceived by my aural skills professor, Matt Curlee. We rehearsed the prologue and fourth movement in preparation for our upcoming performance at the Rochester Fringe Festival on September 26th. Histories is a beautiful work, scored for violins, violas, cello, clarinet and bass clarinet, marimba, and chamber choir. In addition to its musical beauty, it fuses together the arts of quantum physics and dance. On a particularly exciting note, I get to sing mathematical equations and text by Erwin Schrödinger!
It was during the rehearsal for our premiere, however, that I thought about how amazing it is that I get to perform contemporary chamber music with some of the best musicians in the world, collaborate with an incredible composer, and live in the realm of new music. To have this opportunity is such a gift; as I said to Matt after the rehearsal, “It is experiences such as these that make me realize that ‘Wow! I’m at the Eastman School of Music and I feel so lucky to be here.’”