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1. From Delray Beach, FL

2. Apparently I am quite the “mysterious” character. The sweetest smiles hold the darkest secrets…

3. I am a triplet (2 sisters)

1. I am a classical vocalist at New England Conservatory

2. I enjoy hiking, camping and pretty much all other things outdoor related

3. I play mad video games! (Also pokemon is the bomb!)

 1. 1st Year Graduate Student, major in Piano performance
2. First became involved in singing while being a repetiteur for a university opera production when the production ran out of men to sing.
3. Been playing ‘Magic: The Gathering’ since 13, and looking for other players from NEC to spellsling.

 My name is Darrel Whidden, and I am a second year graduate student in choral conducting.  I have a unique place in the Chamber Singers, and in the New England Conservatory community in general.  Over the past year and a half, I have found myself in the very awkward position of standing on the podium in front of many musicians for many hours every week. These are also the people that I sing with as an ensemble member.  For many, these are the same students that I consider friends and colleagues.  One of the biggest challenges for me at NEC is learning to have peers in this community, while at the same time instilling a confidence in the life and teaching experience that I can offer these very peers while in a rehearsal setting.  It is a very delicate balance to stand in front of so many talented singers, and from a position of authority, lead a long (sometimes, tedious!) rehearsal, and then sit down and eat lunch with them as friends.  It has been difficult journey of self-exploration, but the progress that these students, my peers and I have made together as musicians has been nothing short of outstanding. I am honored to be a part of the Chamber Singers, and to share in this tour experience with them!

1. I am a Freshman at New England Conservatory studying Vocal Performance.
2. I like to pretend I’m French.
3. I also like to pretend I’m similar to Zooey Deschanel’s character Jessica Day on Fox’s New Girl.

1. I am a sophomore student of voice at NEC
2. I used to sing the National Anthem in football pads and play in the game
3. I cry every time I watch Fox and the Hound

-I started driving race cars when I turned ten, and my cars were based on the popular Broadway musical, “Wicked;” I had a green and black Elphaba car, along with a pink and sparkly Galinda car.
-I have a pet cockatiel named Prince.
-Rehearsal for Chamber Singers is easily my favorite part of the week.  :)
Thanks for visiting our blog, and I hope to see you on our tour!

Do you have a bucket list? I know I certainly do! One of the things on my extensive and adventurous list, other than climbing to Base Camp on Mount Everest, scuba diving, skydiving or finding time to watch the movie “The Bucket List”, is to join a classical choir.



During Orientation Week of Fall semester 2012, Erica Washburn put out an invite to join the NEC Chamber Singers. At that very moment, the bright light from heaven shone down on my head as the angels sang “Gloria.” This was the moment!! This was the time!! The red inky pen was getting ready to cross off item number #46 on the list.



Having come from an exclusively jazz background and having focused on my solo career for the past decade, the thought of singing in a new style with a team of operatic choristers was alluring.



Since that angelic intervention, so many wonderful things have come about. I never quite realized how empowering it is to make music with 27 other like-minded (and much louder) singers. We sing in a variety of languages - which poses a challenge for this little scat girl. Oh, but I love it anyway! My Hungarian singing had a full work out today, whilst last semester a little German and Russian made it into the mix.



Wednesday morning rehearsals are a great time to for me to refocus my week. Zoning into a state of Zen poses a problem with 28 divas excitedly pouring over Britten and Chesnokov, but the peacefulness and clarity is certainly there. There are those magical moments when we finish a song and you can sense a transaction between kindred spirits that has just taken place. Gee, this sounds so serious! I forgot to mention the great food that Ms. Washburn brings!!



Lastly, the best thing that the NEC Chamber Singers has to offer is the beautiful and genuine friendships of each member. We have a mixed bag of comedians, divas and a few off-centered weirdos, but I love them all in any case. I can certainly say that joining Chamber Singers is one of the classiest things I’ve done at NEC. Definitely worthy of a bucket list tick!



Liz Tobias

Jazz Vocalist and fellow diva

1) I am a sophomore vocal performance major.
2) In Boston I have two turtles named Finn and Jake, a fish named Julio, and in Virginia a dog named Rocky.
3) I was born in Russia.

1. Classical Voice Performance Major, senior undergrad
2. I really like to eat (and also have a huge love for cooking)
3. I laugh really hard at the corniest jokes. I’m usually on the floor losing air because I’m laughing so hard.

1. I am a freshman vocal performance major.
2. I have been a vegetarian for two years.
3. i am the oldest of three sisters, but as of quite recently, no longer the tallest!

1.) I am a Sophomore Vocal Performance student at NEC
2.) Originally from Ohio, I now live in a town called Horseheads in NY
3.) I am an avid juggler. I can juggle 3 clubs and rings, and 4 balls.

Fact 1:
I’m a 29 year old, Jazz Voice, 1st year, Grad student from Australia, living the dream! I’m totally loving life in Boston and find Americans to be quite entertaining!

Fact 2:
When I was 10 years old, i got stung on the tongue by a bee after it landed on my lollipop!

Fact 3:
I love driving with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face and the sweet smell of Australian beaches in the air as Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged album is blaring out of the car!


Life Philosophy:Never say no to prayer or chocolate.

The Atlanta Music Project was founded by Dantes Rameau, Sistema Fellow '10. A program of the Atlanta Music Project, AMPlify was co-founded by Aisha Bowden, Sistema Fellow '12. Sistema Fellows Program

With the belief that effective music teachers must themselves be active performers, the intensive 12-month MAT curriculum integrates advanced studies in musical performance and education with the daily demands of the classroom. Designed for musicians with a desire to respond to today’s educational needs, and who aspire to participate in... Sistema Fellows Program

El Sistema@Rainey was founded by Isabel Trautwein, Sistema Fellow '11. Sistema Fellows Program

The Corona Youth Music Project was founded by Alvaro Rodas, Sistema Fellow '10. Sistema Fellows Program

José Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema, has often said that “El Sistema is not a system but a process.” He encourages all of us not to copy the work of El Sistema but to create solutions that fit the needs of our own communities throughout the United States and... Sistema Fellows Program

Hello, everyone! My name is Amanda, and I am a Soprano in Chamber Singers this year. Being a freshman in a music conservatory with talent spewing from every possible angle of our little community of NEC can be quite overwhelming at times. Not only are we trying to adjust to a new environment, but we’re trying to manage homework from all areas of our education, whether it be practicing for Solfege class or making sure we’re supporting our voices the right way after hours of lessons and choral rehearsals. We are surrounded by a tremendously talented student body day after day, and we aspire to eventually gain the level of musicality that these students have.

Chamber Singers has made this transition from “high school level” to “conservatory style” musicianship so much easier in several ways. First of all, Erica, our conductor, makes the environment so welcoming and easy to work in every Wednesday. I feel that we have a very balanced amount of fun and hard work (and we get rewarded with baked goods…not saying this is the best part! haha.) She is extremely picky when it comes to making the group in sync and perfect, so when she compliments us, we know that we’ve finally been able to achieve the ultimate sound for whatever piece we may be doing.

Second of all, the older students in the group are extremely talented and seasoned chamber singers, and raise the bar for the group’s overall musical aura. As a freshman, I appreciate this so much because every time I come out of a rehearsal, I feel inspired to better myself in terms of vocal preparation and technique.

And lastly, this choir has helped me in all of my other classes; my solfege skills have vastly improved because we had used them to help us learn notes whenever we began a new piece, and I now know so much more about diction in various languages such as English, Russian, Hungarian and German.

Wednesdays are always a treat because I get to start them with CS rehearsals!

The tour is nearing for us, and we cannot wait to express our passion for music with all of you! Stay tuned for more updates on our group, and I hope you enjoy reading about our journey (and hopefully see the end results!) :)

1. I am a senior vocal performance major
2. I am from Connecticut
3. I am a Libra.