German for Singers Student Ambassadors

Svea Hagen

Hometown: Eagan, MN
Program: German for Singers
Current: Vocal Performance major at Concordia College

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

Everyone in the German school was so kind, I feel like I could start a conversation with just about anyone.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose to study at Middlebury because I wanted a combined experience of learning German and music, and this was the perfect opportunity for that.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

My German skills significantly improved after Middlebury. I came in with very little experience, and I left being able to converse with native speakers. I am currently taking a German class at my school, and it is putting into perspective just how much I learned when speaking with my professor and the other students.  

What makes the German School a unique environment to learn the language?

The German School is a unique environment in which to learn because of the Language Pledge®. Speaking only in German this summer helped me learn really quickly, and helped to feel confident in my speaking skills, which is normally the hardest part of learning a language for me. For me personally, being a part of the German for Singers program, I found it really helpful to have rehearsals and coachings in German. Since I want to perform opera in Germany in the future, I found that to be a very applicable experience, one that might be hard to find at another program.

What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the German School?

If you are doing the German for Singers program, I would say try to get involved in one of the clubs, just so that you aren’t always talking to the same people. But don’t get too over involved, or it might be too much to balance. If you aren’t doing the German for Singers program, I would say, try to get involved in as many clubs as possible, and talk to as many people as possible.

If you’ve had other language learning opportunities, how would you compare them to your experience at Middlebury?

I have only ever learned languages in a traditional class setting before coming to Middlebury. I loved how interactive classes were at Middlebury, and the immersive aspect outside of the classroom was super fun, because I got to immediately apply what I learned in the classroom, outside of the classroom. And that is something I haven’t really experienced before.

Describe your typical day at Middlebury.

My typical day at Middlebury would start with breakfast, and then my grammar class, my culture class, and then the German for Singers class. Then we would have lunch, and in the afternoon/evening I would sometimes have a coaching and typically opera rehearsal (sometimes before dinner, sometimes after dinner).

Travis Hall

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Program: German for Singers

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

The biggest surprise about the Middlebury Language Schools was the variety of people present at the program.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I am pursuing a career as an opera singer and I believed that the Middlebury Language Schools German for Singers program would aid me in singing German repertoire.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

When I arrived at Middlebury I knew nothing about German except how to pronounce words. Through speaking in the language daily, hearing native speakers at the program, and having such an accessible faculty my language skills greatly improved. I currently speak German with other people locally, countinously learn German repertoire, and speak to classmates who attended Middlebury to improve my German.

What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the German School?

Take the language pledge seriously but at the same time don’t hesitate about calling back home. I called friends/family pretty frequently, but limited the time to once a day and the space to just my bedroom. Making a physical separation between German and English was very important to me.  

Xinyi Liu

Hometown: Beijing, China/Minnetonka, MN
Program: German for Singers
Current: Northwestern University Dual Degree in Voice/Opera and Psychology

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was surprised by not only how much German language I’ve learned but also how much culture and habit I was immersed in! With faculty originally from Germany or having lived in Germany, I was able to feel the real “German-ness” from everyday interactions. I was in the German for Singers program. Although it took hard work to take care of both schoolwork and the opera rehearsals, I was proud to see how far I got. I learned not only the German language but also music knowledge and opera culture in Germany. The vocal coaches are professional, skillful, and sincerely want to help you grow. Not to mention we put a whole production together in German! Even though the language was a barrier, the students and faculties in the opera program became like a family at the end.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I wanted to learn German for singing opera. I knew that an immersive environment for 7 weeks would be ideal for the language to connect with and stay in me. Also, die Fledermaus is one of my favorite operettas and I was offered to play the role of Adele. It was so much fun!

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

I came to the program with absolutely zero German, not even Duolingo. Hard work and stress are inevitable, but in the end, German became second nature. The German for Singers program went to Germany to perform after the 7-week program, and I found myself making conversations and jokes with the host family. It is super rewarding to see how much I have grown in 7 weeks, even the host family couldn’t believe that we have only been learning German for 7 weeks. To me, it is not only growth in language skills, but also as a person—my persistence to keep up, resilience to fight through stress, and bravery to speak a language I’m not good at without embarrassment. My family and I traveled around Europe after the performances with the program and we are all impressed by how much I can understand and communicate. I will continue to develop my German not only for singing but I’m also planning to travel or potentially work in Germany.

What makes the German School a unique environment to learn the language?

I wanted to say it’s the Language Pledge®, but it’s really the people. Everyone—faculty and students— are careful with protecting the Language Pledge® but open to communication, understanding of people at different levels, and supportive of each other. Everyone worked together to create an environment that you would feel safe to learn and explore and make mistakes and laugh it off. Even though it is in Vermont, it felt like living in a German town with beautiful mountains and occasional heavy storms lol. The clubs and activities made it all the livelier. For example, the baking club, movie night, and dance parties. These can be fun and relaxing, but they are also great opportunities to learn and speak about things that don’t regularly appear in textbooks, but you would love to use in real life.

What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the German School?

Be mentally prepared that what you are getting into is not a “for fun” summer camp, but you will get great things out of it. I was mentally going through a lot while I was in the program, so I used the counseling resources—the TimelyCare app and free on-campus counseling. Having talked to others also made me realize that nobody is in a comfortable position. Everyone is outside of their comfort zone, and that’s how you grow. Participating in different clubs and activities helps, when sports are not your first pick, there are also chill clubs like philosophy and creative writing in nature. I found yoga and meditation very helpful at stressful times. The bilingual office is always there for students if you need to speak English to them about concerns. An occasional call with loved ones sometimes is necessary and allowed as well. Summer in Vermont is gorgeous, sometimes even a walk outside could take the pressure off. There are always resources as long as you seek them out! When you feel stuck or have self- doubts, simply look back to your previous notes and homework, you’ll be proud and motivated to keep going.

Jenna Lorusso

Hometown: Acton, Massachusetts
Program: German for Singers
Current: Classical Singer and Voice Teacher

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was surprised at how quickly it felt totally normal to be communicating in a second language, and with other speakers of varying skill levels. For me, it really only took a few days for it to feel routine, and I would find myself having a complex conversation with someone. It would suddenly hit me that I was really able to communicate.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

It’s really the only program of its kind. I’ve always loved learning languages, but making the jump from being able to read and write to being able to have a conversation is a really difficult thing to do without being forced to just dive in within a safe learning environment. I was an invaluable experience to learn how to manage the daily life of an opera singer in German, with all of the specific vocabulary and jargon that’s almost impossible to learn elsewhere.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

I had studied German for two semesters in school, and then largely taught myself after that until I got to my first summer at Middlebury. The ability to practice the language so intensely for 7 weeks made a huge difference in my language abilities, and I really moved from a “survival skills” level of German to actually being able to have complex conversations. I am currently using my German to do career research and applications, and I am planning to spend two months in Germany this winter.

What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the German School?

It’s a bit of a leap of faith, but you’ll be surprised how quickly it will feel normal to do life in a language you’re learning. You really won’t find a more supportive environment anywhere, and all of faculty and other students are constantly going above and beyond to help you learn.

Kenneth Mattice

Hometown: Wautoma, Wisconsin
Program: German for Singers

Where are you now and what is your current (or recent past) employment? 

I currently live in Hagen, Germany (NRW - east of Dusseldorf and northeast of Cologne/Köln). I’ve just started my eleventh season at Theater Hagen as their principal baritone in their soloist ensemble.

How has attending Middlebury’s German for Singers Program helped you advance in your career and find successful employment in Germany or Austria? 

Attending Middlebury’s German School and the German for Singer’s Program was truly a game-changer and crucial to my success as a classical singer here. I had taken beginning German courses twice in college, but never got to the point of finding success or joy in the language. After eight years of free-lancing in the US, and one rather frustrating round of German theater auditions, I realized how vital it was to my future career options to have more than a rudimentary understanding of the German language.

Over my two summers in Middlebury, I gained the verbal skills and the confidence to use German in both everyday interactions and also in my career. I worked closely not only with native speakers, but singers and pianists who guided me in the nuances of German auditions and expectations of working in German-language theaters. I was no longer nervous that I wouldn’t understand the simple questions posed to me during an audition abroad. I not only had more success and comfort singing in German, but also in delivering German dialog, as is necessary for musicals, operettas and some operas.

What makes the German for Singers Program at Middlebury a unique environment?

The Middlebury Germany for Singers Program is extremely rare in the fact that you are completely immersed in a German-speaking world for the summer. You will not have a chance to “cheat” yourself, by having your teachers or classmates switch to English, as you would find in courses in Berlin, Munich or Cologne. Your brain will implode and ache for two weeks. You need this. Your defaults get reset and you learn how to cope. Through your mistakes and the corrections by your teachers and classmates, you learn. And you learn fast. You start to really hear the differences in German vowels and your tongue adapts to making new shapes. You will realize how far you’ve come when, at the end of the summer, you speak English again for the first time and that’s the language that feels a bit strange and foreign, not German.

Noelle McMurtry

Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Program: German for Singers
Current: Opera Singer

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

It surprised me what wonderful, lasting, and substantial friendships that I made with other participants in the program.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose to study at Middlebury Language Schools because they have an excellent reputation for creating a supportive and immersive environment where you can take your language skills to the next level. Also, as a singer, I went to Middlebury to prepare for an upcoming audition tour in Germany.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

My language skills in German significantly improved, particularly my listening skills and the ease with which I could construct sentences in everyday conversation. I use German in my repertoire as a classical singer, and I will also be traveling to Germany to audition.

Emily Newton

Hometown: Lake Jackson, TX
Program: German for Singers
Current: Ensemble member at Staatstheater Nürnberg and Voice Teacher at Leopold Mozart College at University of Augsburg

Where are you now and what is your current employment? 

I am currently a member of the ensemble at Staatstheater Nürnberg. Other recent appearances include National Theater Mannheim, Oper Frankfurt, Theater Hagen, and Theater Koblenz. I am also a member of the voice faculty at the Leopold Mozart College at University of Augsburg, where I teach voice.

How has attending Middlebury’s German for Singers Program helped you advance in your career and find successful employment in Germany or Austria? 

Gaining confidence in the German language removed one stressor from the intense process of organizing an audition tour in Germany and the subsequent auditions at various German-speaking houses. After two summers at Middlebury, I remember feeling really proud during my first contract (2013) to answer “ja” when the stage director asked if I could work in German.

Starting my career with that basic proficiency proved an excellent foundation upon which to build. Obviously by living and working in the language, I have continued to develop my language skills, reaching a level which allowed me to take an academic position and teach in German.

What makes the German for Singers Program at Middlebury a unique environment?

The opportunity to coach and rehearse in German at the Middlebury German for Singers program provides a unique opportunity to practice the specific vocabulary and language skills a for singer or pianist looking to pursue a career in Germany. I learned how to present myself for an audition, how to prepare audition materials, and how to complete audition information forms in German. Of course, deepening our understanding of the language helps singers in performance practice of German repertoire no matter where one is performing.