Pre-professional training, virtual lessons & the young voices of the Santa Fe Opera with Kathleen Clawson & John Daugherty

Destination Santa Fe Opera

A great voice isn’t the only requirement for admission into the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera program. Nor is vocal technique the program’s sole focus.

Host Jane Trembly chats with program director Kathleen Clawson and John Daugherty, a graduate of the program’s inaugural class, and now Assistant Director of Voice and Opera Program Director at the University of North Florida. They discuss the program’s early days, why such training matters, and how a pivot to virtual learning has expanded the program’s reach. Jane’s guests also share their favorite performance memories, sprinkled with a staged beheading and an Elvis impersonation!

Pre-professional arts programs like the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera shape the singing stars and music lovers of tomorrow. “And, it is the very best job,” Kathleen confirms of her most cherished role in an impressive career.

As you’d expect, the program provides its participants with access to the highest caliber voice lessons, musical coaching, masterclasses, and community performance opportunities.

What may come as a surprise is the level of support offered beyond the rehearsal room: college audition preparations, guidance on school choice, lovingly crafted letters of recommendation , even help with self-recording and video editing at home, necessitated by pandemic restrictions. The Young Voices program prepares students for success whether they choose to pursue a career in opera or venture beyond. Shares Kathleen, “It's our belief that the skills needed to study music at a high level carry over to anything that you want to do.”

A passion for classical singing and a chance to immerse himself in the craft attracted John Daugherty to the Young Voices’ inaugural class back in 2008. “It was really fulfilling, and it was demanding. And I loved it!”

Looking back on those two years, he says, ”It was all about Fallout Boy and Green Day at the time. And suddenly I was with a group of kids my own age, who thought that opera was also awesome.”

He credits the program for providing him with a skillset that has taken him all across the country. “Any success that I have encountered... has been a trickle-down from that overarching lesson that I learned in a program such as the Santa Fe Opera Young Voices.”

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Destination Santa Fe Opera is a Santa Fe Opera podcast, produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios.

Mixed by: Edwin R. Ruiz

Hosted by: Jane Trembley

Featuring:

Kathleen Clawson, Program Director, Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera

John Daugherty, Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera Program Director, University of North Florida

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