Victoria Pitre Assistant Professor, Choral Conducting |
Education
Teaching Interests
I love teaching singers of all levels how to sing better, and how to sing in lots of different styles.
Anyone can sing, but not everyone knows how to use the instrument of their voice in the most efficient and effective way, and I am passionate about showing singers of all ages how to do that.
I focus on an understanding of vocal anatomy and healthy vocal technique. This includes an understanding of body mapping and healthy alignment, as well as how to shape the sound created by the voice in an intentional way using the lips, tongue, and space inside the mouth- just like we do when we speak.
By training singers to know what their voice is doing and how to shape their instrument intentionally to create different sounds in a healthy way, this enables them to then sing lots of different styles. This creates "stylistic fluency", through which choral singers can promote respectful and honoring representation of many different singing styles, genres, and cultures.
One of my favorite things is exploring music in languages that are not native to me or the majority of my students, as it requires research and great attention to detail.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
My research focuses primarily on helping singers explore producing stylistically accurate sounds while singing the music of many different genres, time periods and cultures.
Specifically, I develop vocal exercises to train singers in the production of sounds in types of music they may not have encountered before. As a part of this process, I devote great attention to the diverse cultural and ethnic context and identities of the composers of this music, seeking to represent it with the utmost respect and accuracy.
When programming concerts as a conductor, I seek to uplift contemporary composers while celebrating the work of historical composers, often juxtaposing newer music with older music carrying a similar theme or idea. It is meaningful to discover that most human concerns have been experienced and expressed across time. My primary goal is for all audiences to feel represented and included in our singing about the human experience.
I am also an avid singer and performer, having appeared in many different operatic roles including "Adina" in Donizetti's "L'elisir D'amore", "Despina" in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte", and "Susanna" in Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro". As a recitalist, I love performing the music of modern American composers, as well as German Lied.