Alumni News
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Tessa DeVaul (class '09) and Mattie Keith ('12) at the 2009 Song and Dance Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, just about to step on stage to sing for an audience of 150,000 people! (Yes, that is the correct number -- 150 thousand!) |
Alumni Spotlight: Class of 2011
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"It is nearly impossible for me to process the fact that my time with Cantabile is ending after eleven years. I know endings are inevitable, but that does not stop me from wishing I could keep singing with Cantabile forever. It has been such an important part of my life, teaching me the meaning of community and the power of music. I will never forget the amazing experiences I have had as part of this organization. I have sung with 37 thousand people in Estonia, destroyed the language barrier in St. Petersburg, and performed in Carnegie Hall twice. As I move onto college at Tufts University, I will hold these memories close and attempt to find something comparable there. It will be difficult, but I know that I shall keep singing." -- Elizabeth Bell |
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“Words cannot express what I'd like to say about my time in Cantabile, let alone one short paragraph. Nevertheless, I shall try my best. It's been a prominent staple of my life, enriching my youth in many ways. It started with a camp, apt that it was something simple. We did arts and crafts, made ice sculptures, and shockingly, we also sang! It was a nourishing environment, perfect for kids. So subsequently, since it caught my interest, I joined the choir. My very first non-camp songs were "Jubilate Deo" and "Ferry Me Across the Water." I remember them eidetically only because it was the start of one of the greatest accomplishments of my life, an uncountable myriad of years spent in Cantabile. So I went from one session in Preparatory,to one session in Intermediate, and in my 3rd year, I was in Ensemble. I was taught by Peggy Spool and Signe Boyer respectively. Many have come and gone in those years, those years when we sang songs in Japanese, Czech, and learned of an unimaginable amount of Music Theory and world cultures. But then Elena came. Elena had, and will continue to have after I’m in the real and un-spoon-fed world, a choral conducting acumen that is unrivaled. It can be summed up into a single word, a word that her choirs associate with her so well, that it pierces out amongst her so-called catchphrases. Passion. In my years, I’ve “gaily tripped” and “lightly skipped” to the HMS Pinafore, endured through monkey chants, bragged about living in oak trees, and helped to make the world a better place. Quite an endeavor to say the least, and I say without a shred of doubt that I regret nothing. I do not regret giving up my Theatre on Ice; I do not regret any choices I’ve made concerning the choir. The only thing I might even consider regretting is living in a universe where I am bound by the fact that I must grow up, past the glorious epoch of youth, for in that land, I could be with Cantabile forever. So I suppose this is my farewell, I hope that my dogged personality has contributed to the choir, as for myself, I hope to continue changing the world, one note at a time.” -- Julian Bliss |
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"The past three years I've been with Cantabile have been incredible. I love all the wonderful friends I have made here and the passion for music and talent for conducting Elena brings to rehearsal. I have learned that music has an intangible power that can inspire and bring people together like nothing else. One of my favorite memories of Cantabile was our trip to Estonia, where we sang in the Laulupidu Song Festival. Feeling our voices join with those of 30,000 other singers and looking out at the audience of 80,000 was incredible. Though I will be across the country studying international affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., my memories of Cantabile and love of singing will stay with me. I always want to be a singer, a member of a choir, and a voice for change in the world." -- Anna Boadwee |
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"To leave behind Cantabile is to leave behind years of incredible music and amazing friends. Only at Cantabile do singers perform zany skits and memorize Russian, all with a smile. Cantabile has brightened many days, provided the basis for many a college essay, and supported me in an irreplaceable way. Cantabile has encouraged me to be informed and active in my community and the world. Because of Cantabile, I really believe that music makes a difference. So goodbye to close friends, to hot chocolate at Camp Jones Gulch, to making a party out of practicing, to crazy African dances, and to Cantabile. Goodbye, and thank you for ten great years." -- Laurel Howard |
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"Finishing out my final year in Cantabile, it seems strange to be leaving. I auditioned for Cantabile as an impossibly shy 11-year-old who'd never sung in a choir before. Six years later, I've stood on the stage of Carnegie Hall twice, toured the Baltics, sung in operas, and performed Carmina Burana more times than I can count. But more importantly: I have performed a tango, a Balinese monkey chant, an a capella jazz arrangement, and a liturgical Russian piece... all in one concert. I've hosted fellow singers from Germany and England. I've learned the difference between classical and vernacular Latin, and I've spent countless hours perfecting my Estonian. Cantabile has done so much more for me than train my ear or even improve upon my knowledge of musical theory. Cantabile has instilled in me an appreciation for multiculturalism, a sense of empathy for the oppressed and forgotten, and a thirst to try new things. I know that I'll take Elena's three Cs (courage, compassion, and curiosity) with me to Wellesley College next year and beyond." -- Brianna Krong |
