Met Education and Artist Training Go Virtual

By Tori Testa

From small rehearsal spaces to even smaller screens, the pandemic has drastically changed the landscape of opera education for artists, students, teachers, and audiences alike. Although the pivot to remote programming presented many unexpected challenges for the Met’s Education department and the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, the experiences have ultimately been rewarding and inspiring.

For the Education department, spearheaded by Marsha Drummond, Dan Marshall, and Kamala Schelling, the initial transition to a remote environment for programs such as HD Live in Schools was relatively seamless. However, it quickly became clear that the need for social distancing would continue for longer than anticipated. With an eye on the virtual future of education, the Global Summer Camp was born. In a group email earlier this month, the education team shared some of their stories and experiences. “Marsha wanted to provide families and kids with some fun programs during the summer. We launched the Global Summer Camp with the now-infamous expectation, ‘If 100 kids sign up, it will be a success.’ Amazingly, we had 500 participants sign up by the end of the first day!”

Over the course of eight weeks, campers from around the world took part in a plethora of virtual events. Whether they were participating in Artist Chats with Met stars or practicing their Shakespearean insults while learning about Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, campers were thrilled with the many wonderful and inspiring operatic experiences. For the education team, “Global Opera Summer Camp was eight weeks of all-consuming work. Thankfully, we were supported by our beautiful colleagues throughout the company. It was a joyful, zany eight weeks.”

Additionally, the education team has been thrilled to provide curriculum support and guidance to teachers across the country, who are struggling to keep up with the “whiplash” of remote educational requirements. “The Met’s HD Live in Schools curriculum has been a lifeline to many. It affords them a way to teach music and the arts when leading an ensemble is impossible.” While Marsha, Dan, and Kamala agreed that listening to and helping teachers during this difficult time has been incredibly rewarding, one of the most inspiring and surprising impacts of the pandemic has been a deeper connection with the students.  “The single biggest joy of this pandemic has been our direct contact with young opera lovers around the globe,” they wrote. “It has been a delight to bring these young people further into the world of opera.”

With the onset of the pandemic last spring, the staff and singers of the Lindemann Young Artist Development program also had to adeptly transition coaching and voice lessons into the digital space. Thanks to the amazing effort and commitment of the Lindemann staff and coaches, the program was able to continue into the 2020–21 season, and the cohort has shown great resilience, transitioning between working fully remote for some periods, and with hybrid onsite programming during others. Working together from around the globe due to travel restrictions, the young artists have found many unique opportunities and benefits both in the digital space (as in the Zoom meeting pictured above) and the more intimate in-person sessions.

Initially, the program’s transition to virtual education prioritized language and diction classes while the singers became more familiar with performing for the Zoom screen. Soprano Sylvia D’Eramo noted that “the extra emphasis on language and diction study has really increased my confidence.” Pianist Yuri Aoki agreed: “Having the time and opportunity to work on technique and diction without a deadline has been really freeing this year.” Sessions for movement, website development, and nutrition, in addition to their regular voice lessons, have given the young artists the opportunity to truly explore the industry of opera. “I have really had the time to fully learn and practice complete roles this year, which has been so rewarding,” says soprano Erika Baikoff.

While the young artists look forward to singing together in person, they are proud of the hard work and passion their peers, teachers, and administrators have put into re-imagining this experience. Chorus master Donald Palumbo has worked extensively with the young artists during this period through coaching sessions and master classes, one of which included a virtual audience of 300 viewers. Recently, the artists were also invited to perform pop-up concerts (pictured above) at the Guggenheim as a part of their Works & Process programming. The artists have expressed gratitude for these focused lessons, along with the commitment and time given by all the esteemed coaches. Many of the young artists commented on how grateful they are to be a part of the Lindemann family, with such strong leaders ensuring their safety while also guiding them on their artistic path. “We’ve all pushed ourselves and maintained our character and dedication, with the support of our amazing coaches who encourage us to reach our goals,” said mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd. “It’s really inspiring and reminds us of what we love about this art form.”