Voiceovers, Ensemble Singing, Indie Rockers, OH MY!- An Exploration of Diverse Career Paths in Professional Singing: Part I

Ithaca ACDA had the amazing opportunity to present a two day work shop with the help of our wonderful voice faculty member Scott Mello. As some may or may not be aware of, Professor Mello is in charge of Dr. Brad Hougham's duties during his time on sabbatical. This provided an amazing opportunity for a young professor like Professor Scott Mello to present knowledge and connections collected of his time in the field. 

The concept of this two-day workshop was to allow all music students to get a clear view into what the working world is like for those with a music degree. So often we may feel that our career paths are set in stone from the moment we declare a major. This workshop allowed us the opportunity to get a window into other possibilities that come with a degree in music. We reached out to not only music educators, but hopeful performers, instrumentalists, and essentially anyone who desired a career involving sound. 

Tuesday night, we had the pleasure of talking to Scott Mello himself, Cat Skorupsky, and Alyson Cambridge. Professor Mello gave us a complete backstory on how he came to be where he is now. He told amazing stories of traveling Europe and even starting successful vocal group from scratch. In doing so, the biggest theme of Professor Mello's presentation was to never be afraid to reach out. "Casting your net" was a universal theme and method to Professor Mello's success stories.

We then had the opportunity to speak to Cat Skorupsky (pictured above) who works as a voiceover artist for Hallmark. It was so interesting being able to hear just how she came to be where she was. Ms. Skorupsky's story just proved that there are many pathways to take when pursuing music other than education and performance. Ms. Skorupsky also shared her love of rock music outside of her classical training and how she kept that passion alive during her education. I loved that she was able to balance everything and fall into a career path that she is surprised she loves so much!

Finally, we end the night skyping with Alyson Cambridge who is currently a working performing with an astounding resume. She has done performances everywhere and began her performance career by winning the opportunity to sing at the Met. Ms. Cambridge talked about how this opportunity was both a blessing and a curse. She began her career with amazing success and almost did it all in reverse. Now, as a working performer, she is balancing success and failure just like any other working opera singer. Ms. Cambridge stressed the importance of patience and how we always have continuous goals to create and achieve. 

Night one turned out to be a huge success full of deep critical thinking, self-reflection, and overall inspiration from some amazing success stories. 

-Matthew Morrison 15'

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