Musically Gifted Senior is Juilliard-Bound
NEIRAD enilno edition
As seniors scramble to get everything ready to apply to college, one of our own is already there.
Collin Shay sang his way to being accepted into the Juilliard School of Music. Collin is enrolled in the weekend pre-college program. Collin began taking courses on the Lincoln Center campus this semester.
“I’m really fortunate to work with my amazing teachers,” Collin said. After applying in March upon the suggestion of a former piano teacher, Collin was picked from a group of 130 talented kids from across the country. From audition after audition, Collin’s impressive love for music and talent for playing several instruments is what caught the eye of one of the nation's most famous music schools.
“A person is musically gifted when the instrument he/she chooses to play is irrelevant. The musicianship comes through and is expressed and recognized by others who recognize and appreciate it. Collin has shown talent in several media - piano, voice, violin, and cello. In each, he has shown competence beyond the norm. This is because of his fundamental musicianship transcending the medium,” DHS orchestra director Jane Minnis said.
The goal of the Juilliard program is to prepare high school music students for conservatories. A conservatory is a school solely devoted to the arts and music. In addition to voice, Collin also plays the bassoon, cello, violin, viola, guitar and piano and occasionally dabbles in ukulele and saxophone.
“Collin is an extremely talented musician who has finally been recognized for his greatness,” senior Elizabeth Leimkuhler said. Collin’s favorite music to perform is Baroque. He has also learned and preformed dozens of pieces in languages from Italian to German. When learning these challenging works, he needs to translate every word, learn the part on the piano and on top of that sing it.
Collin’s weekends are consumed with the program. But the time commitment is something he doesn’t mind after working so hard to make it to Juilliard. He applied more than once before he was accepted. He had submitted an application two times before getting an official call back this year.
When Collin received his first call back he was ecstatic. But knew the audition wasn’t going to be easy. He still had to prepare three songs and meet with a voice coach/accompanist. The first audition, “was so scary and my legs were trembling,” Collin said. Collin had to sing in front of six people. Seconds after he opened his mouth -- when the first strains of a German piece eked out of his nervous throat -- the judges began to furiously scribble down notes. Collin didn’t know what he should expect and didn’t feel positive after walking out of the audition.
On his second call back he was one of 26 applicants that had been weeded out from 130 high school hopefuls. At the second audition Collin did not feel his work stood out among the rest of the esteemed pack. Wrong again. Collin was called back a third time. Instead of the previous formal singing auditions, this one was in a ballet studio. He was asked to sight read piano music followed by a sit-down interview. Collin felt even if he didn’t get in he had learned a lot from the rigorous experience.
Weeks went by before Collin received an email notification he was accepted. Collin was one of about five kids to make it into the singing program. “I kept on going back to the email to see if it was real - I couldn’t believe it.” Collin said.
Collin is now taking six college-level music classes, along with lessons from world renowned teachers. He is studying diction, music theory, opera studies and ear training. He will also have a senior recital and will perform opera scenes with the other pre-college students in May. “I expect to learn a lot, gain experience and I’m looking forward to meeting people like me,” Collin said. It is really hard to deny that going to a college that is world renowned as a high school student is a pretty big deal on his rapid journey to musical success.
