Lindemann Young Artists at a Glance
Writer Mary Claire Curran asked some of the 2019–20 Lindemann Young Artists about their backgrounds, training, and career highlights to help you learn what kind of steps you can take to make it to the Met.
Amy Justman: The Leading Lady of Crossover
Since graduating with her masters in voice from the Manhattan School of Music, Amy Justman has navigated considerable crossover success singing musical theatre and opera. She has performed on Broadway in six shows in addition to six opera productions and many regional, touring, concert, and oratorio performances. Justman most recently understudied and went on for both Renée Fleming and Jessie Mueller in the roles of Nettie Fowler and Julie Jordan in the 2018 revival of Carousel and performed as an ensemble member of the cast. In this interview with Justman, we learn that even Broadway performers start at square one—or square 1.3—and that you are ever-evolving in show business.
The Brand of Brancy
John Brancy’s intense musicality and communicative power place him in the front ranks of baritones of his generation. Hailed by the New York Times as “a vibrant, resonant presence,” Brancy won first prize in the Art Song Division of the 2018 Concours musical international de Montréal, a win that recognizes him as a premier interpreter of art song repertoire in our time. The New Jersey native also won first prize in the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition in New York, second prize at the 2017 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition in London, and prior to that won the media prize in the 2017 Belvedere International Singing Competition in Moscow and first prize in the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition in 2015. He is also a past winner of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition and the Sullivan Foundation grand prize.
In between his final performances of Opera Frankfurt’s new adaptation of Lost Highway, Brancy found time to write to me about his career since winning the 2007 Classical Singer Vocal Competition in the Classical High School Division.
Gearing Up For Your Next Competition
The catchphrase “do as I say, not as I do” applies, in many ways, to how I feel about my past experiences as a competitor in regional, national, and international operatic competitions. As a competitor, I’ve had significant pitfalls alongside some serious wins.
Whether you are a seasoned pro on the competition circuit or prepping for your very first one, there is something here for everyone as I address competition preparedness, routine, mental preparation, confidence, and a not-so-secret “secret.”
Why Opera Singers Should Take Musical Theatre Classes
Have you ever felt that something is lacking in your performance but cannot figure out what it is? Have you received positive feedback on your voice but still have not been chosen to advance in a competition or selected for a Young Artist Program? There can be many factors at play, but consider one often overlooked possibility as a primary obstacle: your acting.