Hi! My name is Brittany Weinstock, and I am a first-year MM student in Voice here at the IU Jacobs School of Music. I am originally from Los Angeles, California, and earned my BA in Music (Voice) from Pepperdine University. During my graduate school search, I looked long and hard for a school that would fit my needs. Believe me, it was a tough search. Trial lessons, school visits, hours poring over the Internet, DMs sent to current students asking about their experience—it was a tough decision.
But then I met Carol Vaness.
If you don’t know, Carol is one of the leading sopranos of the last century, having sung some of opera’s finest heroines all over the world. She was the darling of the Metropolitan Opera, Pavarotti’s chosen Tosca, and is known for her rich, beautiful voice and commanding stage presence. I was delighted to find out that she taught voice here at IU. On a whim, I sent her some of my recent singing recordings—and she called me that very afternoon, telling me she loved my voice and would love to have a trial lesson with me. Imagine my shock! We worked together that weekend over Zoom, and instantly clicked. I loved working with her, and she was able to teach me nuances of my voice type and repertoire that I hadn’t thought of before.
Over the next few months, I worked with many other teachers and considered many other schools as I narrowed down my search. But Carol stuck out in my mind. We had a few more trial lessons over the course of the year, and every time I worked with her I loved the new insights she had and the freshness she brought to my repertoire.
In the final weeks of my search, I had narrowed it down to two schools—IU and another big name East Coast conservatory. I had heard rumors of how cutthroat the IU voice department was, and how there were “too many singers” and how I would get “lost” in the mix. However, I realized that this is how the industry is—a lot of sopranos with a lot of competition. I would have to work to get myself seen. And I thought what better way to practice for the real world than this near-simulation?
With that in mind, I chose IU, and I chose Carol Vaness. And I am so glad I did! When I got here, I realized that although yes, it is competitive and there are a lot of singers, it is nowhere near as “ruthless” and “cutthroat” as I had heard. Everyone supports one another, everyone celebrates when someone gets a role, everyone smiles at you in the hallway and asks how you are doing. The Jacobs community is warm, loving, and fiercely supportive of one another’s success. I think it’s because we all realize we all want the same thing—and we are happy when someone gets it! A win for one is a win for us all. Carol has been wonderful at shaping and developing my voice, and I have learned so much from her already. She is tough but kind, and truly wants to see me succeed.
I came here determined to find opportunities to sing, and I have found many! I traveled to Atlanta with the NOTUS contemporary choir, performed a scene in Opera Workshop, danced in three different styles and sang in Russian as part of the Eugene Onegin opera chorus, covered a role in a new opera, learned two songs in Ukrainian for a Ukrainian art song recital, sang in a masterclass with famed soprano Karen Slack, and am preparing songs in four languages and three time periods for my Master’s recital in the spring. I have met wonderful coaches, teachers, professors, colleagues, and friends, and I know I will meet many more. I cannot wait to continue singing and developing my voice here, because Jacobs has so many opportunities—you just have to put yourself out there and find them!
I love it here, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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