We have caught up with M4Arts voice student Kelsey on her rediscovered passion for singing and her experience at the M Institute both as a student and a newly appointed teaching assistant.
Hi Kelsey, thank you for your time. When did you discover your passion for singing?
I first started to sing in the children’s choir at my church. There were a lot of opportunities to perform in holiday pageants plus other shows we put on for special occasions.
I got the opportunities to sing my first solos and that was when I realized that I really enjoyed singing. Even though I was very young, I could also see the way that music emotionally moved people in the audience as well.
From there I wanted to sing as much as possible and began to seek out other opportunities to sing and perform.
When did you decide to take voice lessons?
I started taking formal private lessons when I was thirteen and continued with my teacher until I left for college. I had a lot of opportunities to perform in studio recitals and school events. I also participate in summer programs with the Washington National Opera and Westminster College of the Arts.
I started college at James Madison University as a vocal performance major, and while I ultimately decided to change my major to sociology, I continued private lessons with a graduate instructor before taking a break. When I moved to DC, I restarted private lessons with the M Institute for the Arts before leaving again for graduate school, where I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take lessons at Peabody while completing my masters in public policy.
I moved back to DC after finishing graduate school in 2019 and have been training full time at M institute since then.
Kelsey performs "Till There Was You" by Meredith Willson with M4Arts artist Thomas Pandolfi
How is music helping you during the pandemic?
In a lot of ways, life feels like it is on hold during the pandemic, and we have no external control over what happens next.
Music provides the opportunity to independently work toward personal goals regardless of what is going on in the world.
Having those internal goals and being able to make progress on my own has given me a reason to stay engaged in things I enjoy rather than letting quarantine and isolation get the best of me.
And though in-person performances have largely been suspended, there has been ample opportunity to connect with other artists going through the same thing. That sense of community is hugely important during such a wild and frankly pretty terrible year.
How was your experience as a student at the M Institute for the Arts?
When I decided not to pursue music as a full-time career, I had no idea how music would fit into my life. I initially restarted voice lessons sort of out of obligation thinking that it would be a bummer never to sing again but didn’t really have a clear goal of what I was going to do.
Through Susanna’s training, not only have I surpassed where I was even as a music major, but I have had multiple performance opportunities because of her.
Lessons at the M Institute have far exceeded my expectations, both in terms of my own progress but also the opportunities to perform.
Do you have any favourite repertoire pieces to perform?
I love singing the crowd pleasers. I love Irish music for it’s simplicity and beauty so those classic Irish song such as Danny boy, Irish Lullaby and Tis the Last Rose of Summer are definitely songs that I go out of my way to sing. The Bel Canto (beautiful singing) Italian genre is also one of my favorites.
And I love the Italian composer Paolo Tosti, who is known for standalone art songs such as Sogno (the dream) and Addio (goodbye).
Favorite singers?
Angel Blue, Kiri Te Kanawa, Renee Fleming, and Daniela Dessi are just a few that come to mind.
What would you say about your current voice teacher?
I’m so lucky to have found Susanna and as I said before, my time at M Institute for the arts has wildly exceeded my expectations both in training and opportunities.
Thank you Kelsey and congratulations for your appointment as teaching assistant. We look forward to seeing you singing soon.
Thank you.
More About Kelsey
Kelsey is a singer and public policy professional based in Washington DC. She has been taking voice lessons for 14 years.
Currently, she studies with Susanna Barasch at the M Institute for the Arts and she has recently become a teaching assistant for beginner voice students.
For her full-time job, Kelsey works in state health policy, with a focus on the health care workforce and telehealth expansion.
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For more information about our voice classes please email schedule@m4arts.org or book online as a new voice student here.