The Beauty of Perfect Harmonies

Kathryn Claus

Kathryn Claus came to the Youth Choral Academy for the first time in 2005. She attends Shorewood High School in Seattle and wrote this for a college admission essay.

One day in early April, I came home from school and there was a large envelope on the table surrounded by a bouquet of balloons and my mom seemed quite excited! I had received an acceptance letter to the Youth Choral Academy, which is held in Eugene, Oregon every summer in conjunction with the Oregon Bach Festival. I really didn’t know much about the program except that it was well-known as an outstanding and very intensive summer vocal program for high school students from all over the country. I had auditioned several months earlier and was being asked to sing second soprano in an 84 person choir. I was impressed to hear that the choir director from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Dr. Anton Armstrong, was the conductor for YCA.

When I opened the letter, I was pleased, but had some doubts. I was a little nervous about not knowing anyone, a bit unhappy about leaving on the very first day of my summer vacation, and worried about not having enough time, with such a busy junior year schedule, to prepare ten difficult songs including one in German and the whole Faur� Requiem! Despite my reservations, I decided to commit to going and not pass up this opportunity so I flew down to Eugene on the last day of school. The rehearsals were definitely intense; between six and eight hours each day. Initially, I was insecure about my voice and felt intimidated singing with so many confident singers. Many of them had previously attended this academy so, as the saying goes, I felt like, “a little fish in a big pond.”

At YCA, I made friends instantly and found myself having fun right away. I became really close with my roommate who was from Bellingham, Washington. I discovered that every choir member at the Academy shared a passion for music and was striving for excellence in performing each piece. As a result, our rehearsals were incredible. I had never heard such beautiful music sung with so much emotion. We were all so focused on the music that we would sway and move to the rhythms as we poured our hearts out in response to Dr. Armstrong’s inspiring conducting. The whole choir worked together beautifully and I felt a strong connection every time we began singing. Our special unity and hard work showed in our final performance. I literally had chills from the beauty of the perfect harmonies, the powerful emotion that was poured into each piece and the audience’s enthusiastic response. I loved striving for perfection in the music and knowing that every choir member shared that feeling.

I feel like the musical challenges that I experienced during the Youth Choral Academy were there to help me grow into a stronger, more confident singer and become excited for college. I rose to a higher level of rehearsing and performing than I had previously known or could imagine. I found myself loving every moment of the schedule. The expectations at the Academy were extremely high, along with the caliber of every participant. Although I’ve always had encouragement from family, teachers, and friends, I found support in new friends and our shared passion for music. From the YCA experience, I realize how much I need to continue to push myself to be bold and exceed my own expectations and the expectations of others. Continuing to face challenging situations in my music is the most important thing for growth, maturity and success in the future.