UT Opera Singer Finds Her Fach in Germany

Jillian Smith ’17, a vocal performance major with a minor in dance/theatre, attended Musik Theater Bavaria’s month-long summer opera program in Germany.

She spent July at the base of the Bavarian Alps, starting her day by 7 a.m. and finishing rehearsals by 10 p.m.

“Summer programs are designed to provide extracurricular performance opportunities for emerging young artists, and selected participants receive intense training for scene or full opera/oratorio productions throughout the summer program,” said Hein Jung, associate professor of music and Smith’s voice professor. “So students benefit by the training and stage exposures, which help them to be a better musician and performer. You learn more by doing more.”

Each week consisted of five German classes, three dance classes (ballet, jazz, ball room, musical theater and cardio), two voice lessons, two voice coachings, daily rehearsals, weekly period movement classes, text coachings and more master classes than Smith could count.

“Granted, I had short breaks throughout the day, but much of that time was spent eating, studying for German or warming up for a voice or text coaching,” Smith said. “It was very intensive, but I loved it.”

The experience will help Smith in broadening and finding her fach, or vocal specialization or suitable repertoire of roles in the German music literature, Jung said.

“Also when students participate in a summer program abroad in Germany, Italy or France, this is an excellent opportunity for them to learn essential European languages — German, French, Italian — for singing,” Jung said. “This kind of experience is priceless; you will be obtaining a deeper understanding in the language and the culture. Especially when you portray certain roles in operas or art songs, singing is closely related to the culture of that time when the piece was composed. When the artist has deeper understanding, it is a powerful tool for communication with audiences, and audiences will experience a deeper appreciation.”

Smith applied to five different summer opera programs she had heard about through Jung, all of which accepted her. She chose Germany for the beauty of the countryside, the faculty, scholarship opportunities and because she loves singing in German.

“One day (Jung) gave me a beautiful poster with a castle on it and info about Musik Theater Bavaria,” said Smith, of Bradenton, FL. “From that day on, I hung up that poster in my room and was determined to attend.”

With an increased passion and drive for opera, Smith is eagerly looking forward to returning to UT this fall to apply what she has learned. She said the program has made her more aware of her strengths and weaknesses in a wide range of areas and, more importantly, has been given the tools and information on how to improve in those areas.

“I crave growth and want to surround myself with positive people who will encourage me at all times,” she said. “Working with world-class conductors and musicians was such a gift. They made me aware of what will be expected of me in a variety of audition situations and in the professional world.”

While she still has two more years at UT, Smith’s career goals include graduate school, establishing herself in the professional world through competitions and opera roles, she wants to audition for major opera houses and build a career as a professional opera singer.

Before she came to UT, Smith said she was just a singer, but now she is a musician.

“I understand music theory, history and aural skills at a level that is very competent but still has room for growth,” she said.

Jung said summer experiences like Smith’s often connect students with faculty at graduate programs and potentially ease their transition to graduate school. Jung’s influence on Smith has been an important part of Smith’s UT experience.

“My voice teacher, Dr. Jung, has opened my eyes to the idea of continuing my education beyond my bachelor's degree,” Smith said. “She has been such an amazing influence in my life, because she has helped me improve my technique significantly and has taught me to be more ambitious and always reach for the stars.”

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