Studying & Singing & Studying

Hi, I’m Justin. I’m a singer and a Masters student at UCLA where I study voice & opera. This blog is a place for me to share my experiences & thoughts—specific thoughts and experiences about the work of being a classical singer and a grad student, and general thoughts and experiences about the role of the artist and the academic.

I hope my thoughts will be interesting or relatable to
(1) people who want to go into a career or academic study of classical singing
(2) people who are wrestling with the role of the artist in the world of 2020
(3) people who are thinking about the value, or drawbacks, of the world of academic scholarship, which can be both rewarding and frustratingly esoteric & disconnected from everyday life

I’ll also draw on my own unusual life history which includes: three years that I lived in a remote wilderness camp, deep in the heart of Alaska’s nature and far from all schools & the performing arts; and four different colleges en route to my undergraduate degree. I also love reading and hope to share some things from my favorite literature & poetry that I hope will be relevant to the three types of readers mentioned above.

Thanks for joining me on this journey and I look forward to sharing with you.