Martha Duzett, Author at BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

Cast and Crew Members Share Lessons Learned from BYU’s Cancelled ‘Wendy & Peter Pan’

Martha Duzett — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 19:17:57 +0000

The theatre department is currently working to reschedule the production — which was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns — for the Fall 2020 semester On March 12, life in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts was turned upside down as rehearsals ground to a halt, performances were cancelled and students were instructed to return home due to COVID-19 concerns — all just a week before mainstage production “Wendy & Peter Pan” was set to open. Despite their disappointment after months of preparation, members of the cast and technical crew of playwright Ella Hickson’s retelling of the J.M. Barrie classic look back on the rehearsal process as a formative experience and highlight of their BYU education, audience or no audience. “I was really excited to be one of the ones creating the magic, since Neverland is such a vivid location for so many people,” said student set designer Elisabeth Goulding. “The challenge of bringing a beloved story to stage is always one of managing expectations. You’ve got to find a balance between creating a distinct Neverland that’s unique to the needs of this production but still has a spark of the familiar Neverland that we already know and love. I wanted to help capture the same sense of wonder and excitement that I remember feeling when reading about Wendy and Peter’s adventures.” For theatre education major Skyler Denfeld, who played Slightly, one of the most impactful parts of working on “Wendy & Peter Pan” was watching director Kris Jennings Peterson unite the cast in common goals for what they needed to convey in their performance and develop as actors. “Kris asked us to really think about the play’s exploration of light and dark,” said Denfeld. “We talked a lot about the light in our lives and the shadows that we all have, and how we deal with the contrast that the light and the dark create. We also talked about learning to fight the shadows and accept the light.” Read the full story at the Department of Theatre and Media Arts website.

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Behind the Scenes of BYU’s Historic ‘King Kong Live!’

Martha Duzett — Mon, 04 May 2020 21:13:54 +0000

Music composition major Kalysha Chandler and commercial music major Zach Griffin headed up technical aspects of the project, which culminated in the 2019 live screening The BYU Philharmonic made history when they presented “King Kong Live!” — the School of Music’s first movie in concert — during the Fall 2019 semester, but the performance was just one facet of an extensive ongoing research project centered on the Harold B. Lee Library’s Max Steiner collection and a broader movement to preserve and celebrate movie music. “We want our students to branch out from classical music and be conversant in a lot of musical styles,” said music theory professor Brent Yorgason, who headed up the ambitious project of transcribing Max Steiner’s beloved “King Kong” score and preparing it for the Philharmonic performance. “Film music is a major musical style that has been overlooked by concert musicians until recently, despite great public interest. We want our performance majors to enjoy and understand this kind of music, our commercial music students to develop the skills they might need to work in the movie music industry and our student composers to be inspired from working with these scores.” One such student composer — Max Steiner research assistant and ALMA Lab TA Kalysha Chandler — found herself in the thick of a musical labor of love as she coordinated and managed a team of students in translating Steiner’s handwritten score and transcribing it on digital notation software Finale. “Sometimes trying to interpret the score was a little bit challenging — the handwriting was difficult to decipher,” said Chandler. “It required a bit of musical detective work to figure out exactly what he was going for musically. It was really cool to have taken four years of music theory and to have been able to employ what I had learned to problem-solve. It was a perfect example of a real-world application of a very theoretical knowledge base.” Zach Griffin was tasked with managing the technical aspects of the audio, video and click tracks for a seamless, balanced performance. Griffin attended all rehearsals, working closely with the Philharmonic musicians and director Kory Katseanes to settle on convenient and reliable solutions to prevent the orchestra from losing sync during the film. Griffin created visual cues to accompany Persinger’s audio cues and rented an assisted listening system to ensure that each individual performer could hear the click tracks through an earpiece. “When it comes to the audio world, you’re working with lots of different equipment and different people, so you have to learn how to organize each element to make it all work together,” said Griffin, who plans to work as a producer or a post-sound engineer. “This was a really good experience for me to be able to take a technical challenge and be able to find technical results for it.” Read the full story at the School of Music website.

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Media Arts Students Break Ground With Emerging Media Projects

Martha Duzett — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 22:33:59 +0000

The student directors and producers of “How Can I Help?” and “Radioland” discuss their experiences creating BYU’s first official Emerging Media Projects (EMPs) As new media forms such as podcasts, video games and online content become increasingly enticing to media arts students, critical studies professor Benjamin Thevenin is on a mission to offer more opportunities for students to work on creative projects outside of the program’s more conventional fiction and documentary capstone films. “My goal is to encourage media arts students to experiment with expressing themselves in different forms and telling stories on new platforms,” said Thevenin. “Students are able to participate in capstone films as part of their experience — which is an excellent experience for them — but looking at the shifting landscape of media, I felt the need to provide our students with an opportunity to work with these emerging technologies and hopefully prepare them to enter into new fields in the media industries.” Though students have worked on various special projects in new media that have arisen from time to time, the 2018-19 academic year introduced BYU’s first official Emerging Media Projects (EMPs), establishing a track for student-created, faculty-mentored explorations of new media modes. Ideas for these trailblazing EMPs were developed and pitched in Thevenin’s New Media Conceptualization (TMA 277) course, which is open to all BYU students. At the end of the semester, the class voted on the pitches, selecting two projects — claymation web series “How Can I Help?” and narrative podcast “Radioland” — to be produced through the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. “We were interested in creating content that is a little bit unconventional, at least relative to the films we often study and make in the media arts program,” said Thevenin. “While ‘How Can I Help?’ is a series of stories, the project has a clear educational objective — to encourage children and adults to be more aware of and have conversations about mental health. And while ‘Radioland’ follows a mystery story across the series, the podcast’s more conventional narrative is accompanied by more experimental elements that include prose poetry, original songs and music and some more abstract soundscapes.” Thevenin hopes that these two projects will help pave the way for future students to get involved in EMPs and add their voice to new forms of storytelling. “Students across campus — but especially our friends in the CFAC — are welcome to come and try their hand at telling stories and making art using these exciting new media technologies,” invited Thevenin. Read more about projects “How Can I Help?” and “Radioland” at the Department of Theatre and Media Arts website.

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Media Arts Alum Oscar Jiménez Finds Meaning, Story in Cinematography

Martha Duzett — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 20:22:45 +0000

Jiménez recently received a Student Heritage Award from the American Society of Cinematographers and saw his work screened at Sundance When a young Oscar Jiménez looked ahead to potential education and career paths, none of them placed him behind a camera. He certainly didn’t envision his college years taking him to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, nor in his wildest dreams did he imagine himself accepting an award from the American Society of Cinematographers — he didn’t even initially see himself at BYU. “In high school, I was convinced I was going to go to culinary school,” said Jiménez. “After I was baptized, my bishop told me about BYU — I didn’t know anything about BYU or Utah — and I decided to come to school here for marketing. I hadn’t even considered the arts, but after my mission I took a film class as an elective. I thought it would be easy, but instead it was heavy on theory and analysis. It was cool to see that there was a class dedicated to thinking critically about media.” Though drawn to film — and specifically camerawork — Jiménez didn’t feel that he was ready to jump into the media arts major. He took a year off from school to learn basic technical skills by working on local sets and watching tutorials on YouTube. “I took a lot of really lousy pictures, but eventually I started figuring out how to make the camera work for me rather than the opposite,” said Jiménez. “I was just absorbing information like a sponge. By the time I applied and heard back from the media arts program, I had made up my mind that I wanted to be a cinematographer.” Despite his emphasis on the technical side of filmmaking, Jiménez continued to resonate with the thoughtful and contextual approach to film that he found in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. “In retrospect, the more theoretical stuff was huge for me in becoming a better storyteller,” he said. “Cinematography isn’t just about pretty pictures; it’s about telling a cohesive story through images. Now I’m putting more thought into everything I do — I can tell you why I chose a wide angle or why this lens or that lighting.” Read the full story at the Department of Theatre and Media Arts website.

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Mack Wilberg Urges Students in the School of Music to Stay Curious

Martha Duzett — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 17:34:16 +0000

Tabernacle Choir director Mack Wilberg is a former professor and alum of the BYU School of Music Long before he became a household name as a beloved composer, arranger and conductor and as the music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Mack Wilberg was a teenage musician attending BYU summer camps. “Coming to BYU, I could have easily felt intimidated — I was surrounded by youth who had much more exposure to the things of the world than I did,” recounted Wilberg in his March 12 Oscarson Lecture. “But as soon as we began making music together, any concerns about that vanished. Music is a great equalizer. If you’re willing to work at music, it works on you and everyone around you. It gives you a voice, confidence, a sense of purpose. It creates common ground, and it fosters unity with people who are different from you in a way that almost nothing else can.” Once a student — and later a professor — at BYU, Wilberg returned to the Madsen Recital Hall for a lecture that would prove to be the last in-person gathering for the School of Music before the implementation of campus COVID-19 protocol. As “one who has sat where you are sitting today,” Wilberg shared observations and advice from his career, including an appeal for young musicians and artists to stay curious. “I have observed that curious musicians are generally better equipped to present music in interesting, compelling, engaging and relevant ways,” he said. “This is critically important in our present age of little or no attention span and the lamentable hunger for instant gratification. Those who act on their curiosity throughout their lives gradually, steadily build up a wealth of insight and experience that allows them to help satisfy the world’s hunger for beauty, meaning and even spirituality. It does take effort, but making that effort through the years can lead to genuine satisfaction.” Read more about Wilberg’s lecture at the School of Music website.

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Piano Students at BYU and the University of Oregon Swap Professors for Remote Learning Masterclass

Martha Duzett — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 18:10:09 +0000

Piano performance majors Brooke Ballard and Amberlee Woodhouse discuss their experience with BYU’s new Yamaha Disklavier piano Well before COVID-19 brought remote learning options to the forefront of discussions in the music community, the BYU School of Music was already experimenting with modern developments in long-distance piano technology. “I’m sitting here in Utah listening to music being played in Oregon by a student from Costa Rica,” remarked Scott Holden during a February masterclass exchange in which Holden worked with students at the University of Oregon, and UO professor Alexandre Dossin worked with BYU piano students. Yamaha Disklavier technology — often paired with video conferencing — connects two pianos, allowing teachers, students, collaborators or even audience members to hear the way a piece is performed in another location. The Disklavier transmits the pressure and duration applied to a key or pedal on one piano to the other in real time, allowing for aural accuracy far beyond anything conveyed through video or phone alone. “I came away from the masterclass excited to see how technological advances are affecting musicians,” said BYU piano student Brooke Ballard, who worked with Dossin on Haydn’s Sonata in E Minor, First Movement. “Usually when people think of technological advances, they think of them being applied to science or another field of that sort, but this masterclass proved that the arts can use and benefit from technology just as much as anyone else can. It’s thrilling to see how new technology can and is affecting me in my everyday routine and my career.” Aside from a few technical hiccups, BYU piano performance major Amberlee Woodhouse found the remote masterclass experience to be remarkably close to in-person instruction. “The feeling was very similar, which I was surprised by,” said Woodhouse, who played an arrangement of “Aquarium” from “The Carnival of the Animals.” “Usually when you do a remote lesson, there are some difficulties with them hearing you play clearly through the audio, or with you hearing them when they try to demonstrate technique. Because of the technology on our pianos, he could actually see and hear what I was playing on a live instrument.” Read the full story at the School of Music website.

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Three School of Music Professors Come Together Virtually to Create Music Video

Martha Duzett — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 19:53:54 +0000

Jason Bergman (trumpet), Jared Pierce (piano) and Alex Woods (violin) performed a hymn that they previously recorded together for recently released album “Be Still My Soul: Songs of Hope and Inspiration” As COVID-19 and social distancing keep musicians from gathering as ensembles and collaborators, BYU School of Music faculty members are getting creative in finding alternative means to perform and enjoy music together. “I was really missing performing, and I also missed collaborating with my dear friends and colleagues,” said trumpet professor Jason Bergman. “I reached out to Jared Pierce and Alex Woods to see if they would be interested in doing a video — separately, from our living rooms.” The three previously played together on Bergman’s recently released album of hymns performed on trumpet, with Pierce joining on piano and Woods on violin for Rob Gardner’s “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul.” The arrangement was a natural choice for their virtual collaboration. Bergman, Pierce and Woods performed and filmed their parts individually in their own homes. Bergman then edited their recordings together as a music video in preparation for the April 2020 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Our motives were simple: to work on an uplifting project during challenging times, to share something spiritually impactful during Conference weekend and to fill the void from not being able to perform or collaborate in person,” said Bergman. “It was a great project, and we have more coming in the days and weeks ahead.”

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Media Arts Major Allyse Clegg Finds Voice, Personal Transformation Through Documentary

Martha Duzett — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:08:22 +0000

Clegg — from Fruit Heights, Utah — will graduate with a BA in media arts studies on April 24, 2020 As a junior in college still struggling to choose a major, Allyse Clegg was struck by inspiration from an unexpected — and previously unconsidered — source. “I was assigned to watch a documentary about the first Palestinian rap group for one of my Arabic classes for my minor,” recounted Clegg. “I had been floundering, trying to figure out what I really wanted to study, and I sat there shaking my head as the film ended. I had been transported, not only into Palestine, but into the hearts of these people who, like me, wanted to communicate something bigger than themselves. They found a voice through rap; I realized what a voice film could be.” Clegg applied and was accepted to the media arts major. As she started along the program’s non-fiction track, she soon got a taste of the challenges and complexities of finding and sharing a voice through documentary — and what happens when your voice is in conflict with someone else’s. “My third semester in the program, I found myself editing a documentary capstone about Instagram influencers,” Clegg said. “After four weeks of sitting in an editing room — aptly named the Bunker — the director and I decided to share a rough cut with our subjects. We had been struggling with how to represent them for several reasons. We wanted their input because we had built a relationship with them and wanted them to be involved in the outcome. We knew their image as influencers was important for their business, but we also had hoped they would be willing to explore some of the difficult aspects of Instagram with us.” But their subjects didn’t see it the same way. At the end of the screening, the influencers were nervous and emotional — even angry — about the way they had been portrayed. “In mitigating the situation, the director and I learned a lot about the power and responsibility filmmakers have in representing people, their struggles and their complexities,” said Clegg. “We did not want to make a fluff-piece, but we also recognized the huge responsibility that came along with a subject’s trust.” While this experience deeply affected the way in which Clegg approached subsequent projects and subjects, it did not dissuade her from her desire to tell stories through film. “What continues to draw me in is that the media arts offer a broad avenue for exploring whole ideas,” she said. “You can cross sectors, bring together people and ask the unasked questions. And then you can share the result in a digestible — for the most part — format.” Even as an undergraduate, film has already taken Clegg down a variety of paths and has allowed her to meet people and explore places she may never have encountered otherwise. At the same time, she has also experienced some of the unpredictability and frustration of documentary filmmaking, including a situation in which Clegg and the rest of her five-person crew were stranded in Las Cruces, New Mexico as the launch of an unmanned rocket to space — which Clegg had planned to film — was delayed. Twice. “By the time they were ready to launch a week later, everyone in my five-person crew had spent several consecutive days with no sleep as we filmed our subjects working through the night,” said Clegg. “Simultaneously, we were navigating a misunderstanding about filming permissions and finishing final papers for classes. But I got through without failing any classes, thanks to the flexibility and support of my teachers. And somehow, we still managed to have a good time.” Clegg’s experience in New Mexico had a positive outcome largely because she was working with a group of peers who were committed and prepared to creatively adapt and collaborate as a team — traits Clegg encouraged students just starting out in the media arts program to consciously prioritize and nurture. “Don’t commit unless you are going to follow through; carefully decide what projects you want to get involved in and then use your creativity to figure out how to be most effective,” she said. “Commitment and hard work are essential if you really want to learn the most from each opportunity.” While COVID-19 has cast uncertainty on Clegg’s immediate future, she plans to apply to master’s programs and continue to develop her own projects, even if that means working a day job outside of her chosen field of study. Wherever she lands, she hopes she can be a positive influence on those around her. “The long-term goal for me is to end up rooted in a community somewhere, using my skills to contribute to constructive conversations,” she said. “I have learned that I would rather ‘be’ something good than communicate something good. As much as I love film for its ability to communicate, I love it more for its ability to transform me through the process of making it. And, as much as it would be great to tell a great story, moral or theme, I would much rather live that great story, moral or theme.” Q&A WITH ALLYSE CLEGG, BA ‘20 THEATRE AND MEDIA ARTS | MEDIA ARTS STUDIES What did you want to be when you grew up? “I wanted to be liked by everybody when I grew up, but that isn’t realistic, nor healthy. Now I just want to be good.” What was your favorite class that you took at BYU? “My favorite class at BYU was TMA 102, the first film class for the film program. There are many reasons I loved it, but the greatest reason of all is because it promised what all of the other film classes delivered — sincere and wise mentors, new perspectives, respect-filled discussions and of course great films.” Is there a specific work or practitioner in your field that has had a particular influence on you? “After watching ‘The Gleaners and I’ (2000) by Agnes Varda, I was captivated by that woman. One day I will get a bowl cut. And I hope I can find her sense of lightheartedness while still grappling with meaningful ideas.” Do you have a hidden talent or a hobby outside of what you do for your major? “I sing. In [...]

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Pianist Spencer Hodgson Prayerfully Navigates Shifting Career Path

Martha Duzett — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 18:20:10 +0000

Hodgson — from Sandy, Utah — will graduate with a BM in music performance with an emphasis in piano on April 24, 2020 For piano performance student Spencer Hodgson, music has always been more than a career path — it’s a fundamental part of the way he experiences and expresses his spirituality. “What draws me to music is the amazing spiritual and emotional experiences that it creates,” said Hodgson. “There are countless pieces that have made me feel the Spirit and increased my testimony.” From a young age, Hodgson knew he wanted to work toward becoming a concert pianist, and he came to BYU already aware of and eager to study with School of Music faculty members such as Scott Holden — but Hodgson’s long-time goals unexpectedly shifted after his mission. “After careful reflection, I decided a performance career wasn’t the best option for me or what I really wanted in my life,” said Hodgson. “As of right now, I plan on teaching part-time and working in other areas like insurance or business.” Despite this change of course, the School of Music remained an ideal home for Hodgson as he continued to hone his craft and develop skills applicable both in and outside of the music world. “One of the best learning experiences I had at BYU was being able to participate in the piano symposium that BYU did my freshman semester in 2013,” said Hodgson. “I was able to meet other piano performance majors across the country and learn an incredible amount from them. This experience taught me the value of meeting other colleagues in your field and how to make great contacts.” Early on in his major, Hodgson performed as a featured student soloist in the BYU Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Night. He was selected after winning the annual concerto competition, auditioning alongside his fellow first and second-year students across the School of Music. “That was one of my best achievements at BYU,” he said. “It was the first and only time I got to play as a solo pianist with a great orchestra, and it was an amazing experience.” Throughout every opportunity that came his way and in every decision he had to make during his undergraduate experience, Hodgson felt the power and peace that comes through prayer. “One thing I have learned at BYU and in pursuing a degree — or any kind of career choice — is that it’s crucial to seek inspiration and guidance from the Lord,” said Hodgson. “It’s very hard to have a clear perspective all the time, especially when making big life choices, so prayer and seeking the Spirit is huge.” Hodgson offered advice to students who are just beginning their journey in the piano performance major. “To anyone starting out in this major, I would say how important it is to try to make good friends with everyone else in the piano major, as well as branch out elsewhere,” he said. “BYU’s School of Music has a great non-competitive vibe, and it helps so much to have those friends later in life. And also, take advantage of all the great performances there, and practice a lot!” Q&A WITH SPENCER HODGSON, BM ‘20 MUSIC | MUSIC PERFORMANCE: PIANO What did you want to be when you grew up? “When I was 11, I remember going to see a concert at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, and seeing a Russian pianist play Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with the Orchestra at Temple Square. I had already been taking piano for a couple of years by then, but after that night I decided I wanted to be able to do what I had seen and be a great performer like that — I decided I wanted to be a concert pianist.” What was your favorite class that you took at BYU? “My favorite class I took at BYU was Foundations of the Restoration. This is a fascinating class that looks into Joseph Smith’s life and the restoration of the Church.” Is there a specific work or practitioner in your field that has had a particular influence on you? “I’ve always loved reading about the great composers and the incredible lives many of them had. One that I’ve always admired is J.S. Bach. Almost all of Bach’s music is dedicated to God, and even though he lived 250 years ago, his music is still as relevant as ever. Even in the worst circumstances — such as the death of one of his children — he would still create the most inspired, divine pieces.” Do you have a hidden talent or a hobby outside of what you do for your major? “I don’t have a lot of talents or hobbies outside of music, but I love playing basketball.” What is your favorite snack for between classes? “White cheddar Cheez-Its.”

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Vocalist Brigitta Teuscher Turns Setbacks into Skills as Commercial Music Major

Martha Duzett — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 18:54:48 +0000

Teuscher — from Vancouver, Washington — will graduate with a BM in commercial music on April 24, 2020 A young Brigitta Teuscher fell in love with music long before music started loving her back. “I’ve always been drawn to music and making up songs, but when I was younger, I was a terrible singer,” she explained. “It turns out I just have long vocal cords for a girl, so I developed later in life.” By the time Teuscher arrived at BYU, though, her voice had matured to the point where she was consistently competing in music. Her unique sound quickly landed her the position of jazz vocalist for BYU’s premier big band Synthesis, and from there she decided to dedicate her undergraduate studies to music, ultimately landing in commercial music. “I decided that I wanted to go all in on music,” Teuscher said. “I chose commercial music because it allowed me to study contemporary voice outside of just musical theatre while also teaching me different skills like composition, audio engineering, production and vocal performance technique. I was able to learn a lot of things in one major.” Eager for a variety of experiences, Teuscher was able to travel throughout her time at BYU as part of performance tours and experiential learning opportunities. She toured twice with Synthesis — first to Scandinavia and the Baltics and more recently to the Caribbean and Cuba — and joined the Department of Theatre and Media Arts on a London study abroad. Teuscher also received an experiential learning grant to go to a competition in Sacramento, where she won first place as a jazz vocalist. “It’s been a really fun opportunity to travel and sing, but the highlight for me has been meeting different groups of people I would have never been exposed to otherwise,” she said. While commercial music has proven to be the right path for Teuscher, she wasn’t as confident when she began her first classes in the School of Music. “Starting out in the major, I knew nothing about audio engineering; it was really daunting for me because I was in these music technology and recording studio classes with peers who seemed like they had been doing this their whole life,” said Teuscher. “I felt inadequate every day, and I was just way behind everybody.” But — just as with singing earlier in her life — Teuscher was determined to stick with these new concepts and technologies until they became skills and tools for her. “It’s been three years since those first classes, and now I’m a recording studio TA,” she said. “The things that were so challenging then are things I do every day now, and they’re relatively easy for me. When I look back at where I started and how far I’ve come, that’s probably one of the most rewarding accomplishments for me here at BYU.” Teuscher will take the lessons she has learned about hard work, dedication and patience — particularly patience with herself — into future performance and educational opportunities. “I’ve learned that growth is a very gradual process and that it’s vital to enjoy the moment and the process, little by little and day by day,” said Teuscher. “Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not immediately an expert at something, because years go by faster than you think, and you’ll be able to look back and see your progress. I struggled with everything when I started my major, except maybe singing. I mean, I couldn’t even read a bass clef, but now I’m composing music.” Though many of Teuscher’s immediate plans are conditional upon COVID-19 considerations and protocol, she is currently slated for a leading role in the Hale Center Theatre’s summer production of “Million Dollar Quartet” before moving to Spain to pursue a master’s in contemporary performance at Berklee College of Music. As Teuscher prepares for her BYU graduation this month, she offers advice for students who are just starting out in the School of Music. “Don’t be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things you need to learn, and don’t be daunted by the people around you,” she said. “It’s important to let people succeed and to cheer other people on. When you first start school, it can feel like a big competition, but once you really meet the people sitting alongside you in your classes, you find the similarities between you and them. You realize that this isn’t one person versus another — you’ll only succeed by being a kind person and focusing on your own progress instead of comparing.” Q&A WITH BRIGITTA TEUSCHER, BM ‘20 MUSIC | COMMERCIAL MUSIC What did you want to be when you grew up? “I wanted to be one of those zoo trainers that do the bird shows where they summon owls and falcons. I really like taking care of animals and exotic birds — I’ve had over 50 birds in my life. Right now I have a rose breasted cockatoo.” What was your favorite class that you took at BYU? “I really enjoyed Dr. Harker’s History of Jazz (MUSIC 308). It was the perfect combination of fascinating historical stories and good music. It was fun, but taken seriously at the same time. Dr. Harker is one of my favorite professors at BYU.” Is there a specific work or practitioner in your field that has had a particular influence on you? “This is kind of a clichéd answer for a jazz vocalist, but I’ve always been inspired by the virtuosity of Ella Fitzgerald and her skill in effortlessly improvising. She was a positive light for others, and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to emulate in myself, to use jazz music to make people happy. On the other side of the coin, I look up to Billie Holiday, whose emotional introspection combined with an unusual voice has shown me the importance of telling a story through music and using your past experiences to reflect emotion through your voice.” Do you have a hidden talent or a hobby outside of what you do for your major? “I like to do a lot of different things — and some of them are a little weird. I was a ski instructor for a while, I train exotic birds, I ride a unicycle, I really love yoga and I like to bake.” What is your [...]

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