World-renowned opera singers conduct master classes for Vocal Conservatory

Breathe deep. Stand straight. Lift your head. Loosen your shoulders. Support your core. Wiggle your fingers. Project outward!
When world-renowned countertenor Jeffrey Kim conducted a master class for Mayfield’s Vocal Conservatory, it looked a lot like a PE class—but with exercises that included hitting high-reaching notes and singing soaring scales.
In a series of enriching and inspirational classes, Mr. Kim—whose extraordinary voice has graced opera stages around the world—imparted his considerable vocal wisdom to members of the Mayfield choir. In addition, Vocal Conservatory members also experienced a special private master class taught by internationally acclaimed Metropolitan Opera singer Victoria Livengood.

The classes have impressed students and offered a rare opportunity for them to experience up-close attention from leading stars of classical music.  

“He’s really amazing,” Eliana Minsky ’18 said of Mr. Kim. “The sound that comes from his voice resonates and bounces off every single surface in the room. It’s a massive sound and it’s really mind-blowing to hear.”

The attention from such masters speaks to the advanced training Mayfield’s signature Conservatory for the Arts program provides to our student artists. The lessons have been a high point for the members of the nationally acclaimed Mayfield Women’s Ensemble, which earns consistent praise from expert adjudicators at festivals and competitions locally and throughout the country.

Later this month the ensemble will perform at an invitation-only choir festival at USC, where they will receive valuable feedback from top choir experts. In April, they will travel to San Francisco to compete in the prestigious Heritage Festival with some of the best high school choirs in the nation.

“I understand now why technique is so vital to what we are doing,” said Eliana, who has been with the choir throughout her Mayfield years. “I instantly felt something different in my voice after his class—a more directed sound, more resonant.”

The classical training is part of Choir Director Andrew Alvarez’s goal to give students opportunities to continually reach for excellence as he presents them with challenging college-level music and high-level performance opportunities.

“This has been such a fantastic chance for the girls to be exposed to such professional and incredible talent,” said Mr. Alvarez.  “Even after one master class I could hear marked improvement in their breathing and how they are applying their sound.”

Mr. Kim has agreed to teach a series of guest classes at Mayfield in between his international tours with leading opera companies.

His powerful countertenor voice—the highest of male voices—has been praised by critics as “an extraordinary beautiful voice and gifted ability.” He is the only countertenor to have been accepted into the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he received undergraduate and graduate degrees.

At a recent class he told students that “you can’t sing by sound, you sing by science,” as he directed them through vocal exercises that emphasized posture, breathing and even placing their thumb behind their front teeth and then wiggling their fingers to direct and visualize their sound.

“All the exercises and analogies he uses really focus you on the keeping the sound in the right place,” Eliana said. She said she better understands how sound is made and how physical movement affects it.

For Mr. Kim it comes down to imparting a deep appreciation for music. He said no sound will ever be perfect, but he wants to teach the girls respect for technique and give them guidelines to practice it.

“The science in music is how it’s supposed to feel in your body, what you do with your mouth and how you breathe,” he said. “As vocalists grasp this, they grow in confidence.”

More than anything, he said, he hopes the Mayfield Vocal Conservatory students take in “the actual joy of singing...my hope is that they relish their voices and understand how good they are, then hopefully I have helped them grow.”
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    • Master Class with opera countertenor Jeffrey Kim

Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 28 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.