Page 47 - Classical Singer Magazine November/December 2019

“Every step I took to get closer to a normal life of performing and singing was the step I had to take—no matter the pain, no matter the suffering.”
smaller portions at a time. I am able now to learn and memorize faster than before my surgery.
How did your adversities affect other aspects of your life?
Recovering from my burns was a challenge both physically and emotionally. Aside from the physical pain of healing, the burns changed my outer appearance, and I had to grow comfortable with my new body. I had to accept my scars and to not feel insecure. As a teenager, this was very challenging. I tried to be confident, but I was always self-conscious.
There were many times I cried in my mother’s arms.
I eventually learned that if I didn’t pay attention to my scars and didn’t try to hide them, no one else would care. Today, people hardly even notice until I bring up my story. Now I am proud of them and I wear them with dignity.
The brain surgery was more emotional and personal. I was a different person before the surgery. The closer the time came to my grand mal seizure and its actual discovery, the more abrasive I was. Now I know that the golf ball-sized mass in my brain was physically pressing on the portion of my brain that monitored behavior and impulse. That was not truly me.
After surgery, I had to get to know myself again. Others did too. I am told I am quieter, nicer, and funnier than before. It took years to recognize the “real me” for myself. It’s definitely been an adventure!
How did you overcome it?
This is always a difficult question to answer because for me, it seemed obvious. I overcame both obstacles because I wanted to survive. I wanted to live. I wanted to sing. I wanted to perform. That was it.
Every step I took to get closer to a normal life of performing and singing was the step I had to take—no matter the pain, no matter the suffering. I owed it to myself, to my mother who was with me every single step, to my friends who stuck by my side throughout every ordeal, to my teachers who never gave up on me, and to my doctors who took the extra time to preserve my voice. I was thankful for them. I couldn’t give up
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Columbus State University
Schwob School of Music Voice Studies
Alumni
Maureen McKay, soprano
Metropolitan Opera, Komische Oper Berlin
Michael Sumuel, baritone
Finalist, 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; San Francisco Opera; Houston Grand Opera; Glyndebourne Festival (England)
Paula Sides, soprano
English Opera Company
Gwendolyn Reid, mezzo soprano
Universität der Künste, Berlin, Germany
Kimberli Render, soprano
First Place Winner, Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition
Faculty
Earl Coleman
William and Isabelle Curry Eminent Scholar Chair in Voice
Michelle Murphy DeBruyn Ianthe Marini
The Paul S. and Jean R. Amos Distinguished Chair for Choral Activities
Joshua May Debbie Anderson
choral | studio | opera
Degrees
BA in Music | BM in Music Performance | MM in Music Performance BM in Music Education | Artist Diploma
Awards
Over $800,000 in music scholarships annually
Woodruff Award: For entering undergraduate students. Winners receive full tuition, room and board, plus a $5,000 stipend. Video applications due March 1
Assistantships: Tuition plus stipend for qualifying graduates
For audition and scholarship information, please visit our website.
ColumbusState.edu/music