—Interview conducted by Anastasia Maritsas ’25E, Eastman Communications ALP Intern
From “surviving” Eastman’s rigorous Doctor of Musical Arts program to assuming the position of Assistant Professor of Vocal Coaching just two years later, Brock Tjosvold ’21E (DMA) offers a unique, full-circle perspective of Eastman. Tjosvold will be performing a Faculty Artist Series Recital on Thursday, October 10th at 7:30 p.m. in Hatch Recital Hall alongside his former undergraduate professor, guest pianist Theresa Bogard ’85E (MM). We recently had the opportunity to ask him about his career, his transition from student to professor, and the repertoire on his upcoming recital.
Q: How did you get your start in collaborative piano?
A: I grew up in the very small town of Kimball, NE, which has about 2,200 people. One of the things I loved about growing up there was that everyone did a bit of everything: we were all in band, sports, etc. There weren’t many pianists around, so it gave me the opportunity to accompany many young singers and choirs. I could also play piano in the jazz band or in the pit ensemble for our high school musicals. Even from that young age, I absolutely loved the variety of music this allowed me to play. My undergraduate degree was in solo piano performance, but I was playing with other people even more and receiving real training in the art of collaboration. While I always loved solo piano music and still do, I found that I was continually more stimulated and excited by collaborating. I took all of the diction and language courses as electives, and when the time came to decide on programs for my master’s degree, it became clear to me that I wanted to pursue collaborative piano. I’m so grateful for this decision because it is the gift that keeps on giving. Everyone’s repertoire is my repertoire, so I feel like I literally have an entire musical world at my fingertips.
Q: Why did you choose to return to Rochester?
A: Eastman holds a very special place in my heart. I came in as a DMA student with a lot of performance experience, but I didn’t love my playing at the time, to be honest. One of the challenges for all collaborative pianists is balancing the needs of all our collaborative partners while still protecting and developing our own musical voices. I was incredibly fortunate to study with Jean Barr (Professor Emerita of Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music) and Andrew Harley (Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano), as well as some secondary solo lessons with Professor of Piano Douglas Humpherys. All of them were life-changing musicians to work with. They trusted that I had the skills to collaborate, learn music quickly, etc., so they had the patience to really dig deep and help me connect to my own inner musician again. Being a part of that culture here showed me just how special of a place Eastman is. While there are always things in my playing that I’m working to improve, finishing my DMA at Eastman was the first time I truly felt like I could step out on stage with the conviction to stand by every single thing I do, whether it’s an amazing performance or not. When the opportunity came to be at Eastman as a faculty member, I knew that this was the kind of musical community that I wanted to be a part of. That kind of conviction is really what I strive to help my students find, as well.
Q: You are a pianist but also an assistant professor of vocal coaching. Tell us a little bit about the work you do at Eastman with vocalists.
A: I think the concept of a vocal coach can be somewhat foreign to people who don’t inhabit that world. Yes, I am a pianist by training. Through the course of my degrees though, I studied languages just as singers do. There are so many complexities to language that have massive effects on the music. The text and the music are completely linked in vocal music. Therefore, to really serve the poet and composer, the pianist must have an intimate understanding of language, inflection of text, phrasing, etc. Additionally, it takes a lot of work for a singer to master all of the necessary skills, so having a voice teacher to help build their chops, and a vocal coach to keep reinforcing diction of the languages all works together for the student.
Q: How does it feel to be performing with your undergraduate professor?
A: I’m so honored and elated to be performing with my undergraduate professor, Theresa Bogard. This whole project started because she has been inviting former students to come perform with her at the University of Wyoming. She is also an Eastman alum, so it seemed fitting that we perform the program at both of our schools. I owe so much of my musical development to her teaching. She saw the potential in me when I still needed a lot of technical help at a young age. At first, I was so nervous to rehearse with her, like I needed to prove that I had grown some sort of measurable amount to impress her. However, that was totally silly because once we started rehearsing, it just felt like old friends making music. She is a very special person to me and an incredible pianist, as you will all hear.
Q: What repertoire are you playing? Tell us about the works on the program.
A: We are doing a cross-cultural recital of Brazilian and French music. Theresa and I share a special love of the French repertoire. She also has many connections to Brazil. Many of my studio-mates at UW were Brazilian, so Brazilian music was all around and it is some of the best repertoire out there. We decided that we wanted to program Scaramouche by Darius Milhaud, a French composer. He had visited Brazil, and one of the movements is called Brazileira, full of syncopations and styles native to Brazil. This inspired the entire program. We will also perform a piece that reflects that relationship in the opposite direction. Brazilian composer and pianist, Henrique Rabelo, wrote a fabulous set of variations on Maurice Ravel’s Bolero. Henrique was a master’s student of Theresa’s and he is now pursuing a DMA in piano at the University of Iowa.
Faculty Artist Series: Brock Tjosvold, piano and Theresa Bogard, guest piano
Thursday, October 10
Hatch Recital Hall | 7:30 p.m.
$10 for the general public and free to URID holders
Tjosvold and Bogard will reprise this program at the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall in Laramie, Wyoming on October 6th at 3:00 p.m.