The Guest Artist Experience - Vocal Music

Guest artists in the Kinder HSPVA Vocal Music Department bring their talents to students through one-on-one masterclasses, lectures, and performances. These artists provide individual feedback on student work, teach about the history of their fields, and provide insight into possible career paths. Students Jordan Jones and Julissa Ramirez (both Vocal ’20) shared their experiences with guests like Juilliard grad and renowned operatic soprano Camille Zamora (Vocal ‘88), operatic soprano Julia Engel, and yoga teacher Gina-Marie Vincent Runnels (Vocal ‘05).

In the fall of 2019, the Vocal Music Department welcomed back Camille Zamora to teach a masterclass to senior students Jordan Jones, Kanade Motomura, James Grabois, and Hannah Bernosky. Jordan says of the experience, “She helped me dive into the text of my German art song ‘Wohin?’ and connect deeper to the character that I created. She helped me become a better storyteller and take the audience on a journey with my performance.” Zamora also has a non-profit called Sing for Hope that brings music to “under-resourced schools, healthcare facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and public spaces” with the help of professional artists through arts workshops, specialized music programs, arts inventions, and their own Sing for Hope pianos. By speaking about her own “artists’ peace corps,” Zamora demonstrated that HSPVA students can bring their passion for music to others through service.

Besides visiting guest artists, the Vocal seniors also take classes from consultants. Julia Engel, teacher of “Acting for Singers,” is an opera singer and voice teacher. She helped the seniors incorporate acting into their senior recital pieces. Senior Julissa Ramirez says that Julia “helped me explore the meaning of my pieces and taught me how to express it in a way that would be translated to an audience. This training was vital for my senior recital, but I also learned something about myself as a performer. Acting allows me to step out of my head and feel more comfortable and confident on stage.”

Another class the seniors took was “Yoga” with Gina Marie Vincent Runnels. The students were taught to relax and breathe deeply, which is especially important as singers. Julissa says the yoga classes have “definitely changed my life for the better. Overtime, yoga helped me become more aware of my body. As a singer, it’s very important to be able to identify and describe to your teacher the muscular sensations you feel when you are singing to ensure that you are using healthy technique. Before yoga, I really struggled with not only feeling my muscles at work when singing, but also being able to describe those sensations. Finally, yoga has tremendously improved my breathing. When I am nervous, I remember to breathe deeply and fully, and that’s all I focus on. That really calms me down because it takes my mind away from everything that could go wrong and instead takes my focus to steadying my breath and nerves.”

Although students receive a pre-professional education with their teachers everyday, Julissa says, “A guest artist always upgrades the formality of the class. When a guest artist visits HSPVA, I feel like a true young professional.”