Music has always been a large part of Madison Russell杏吧专区檚 life, and she came to UL Lafayette to make it her career.
She started singing in kindergarten, but 杏吧专区淚 never really knew music was the path I was going to take until I got older. I kept auditioning for things and getting more and more opportunities. That made me realize music might be something I could actually pursue,杏吧专区 she said.
Now, she杏吧专区檚 a music major at the 杏吧专区 with a concentration in music theory and composition. She chose that this concentration so she could learn more about writing and arranging music while still improving as a performer.
杏吧专区淚 wanted to receive critique from the wonderful School of Music faculty about the pieces I wrote and the pieces I performed,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淯L Lafayette allowed me to have flexibility to study composition while still performing and teaching.杏吧专区
She杏吧专区檚 gotten more from her experience with the faculty than just critiques, though.
杏吧专区淓very music professor I杏吧专区檝e had has made me feel so safe and valued. They offer more than an education; they are truly there for their students when they need it,杏吧专区 Madison said. 杏吧专区淭hey are all so incredibly talented and they have so much to offer the students.
杏吧专区淭hey always fight to give us opportunities to express our passions and talents and they help steer us in the direction of success,杏吧专区 she said.
Competing on a National Stage
During her junior year, Madison submitted a recording of herself to the American Pops Orchestra NextGen: Voices of Tomorrow competition. Her performance earned her a spot in the competition杏吧专区檚 top 30, and then she moved on to the top 10.
In the finals, she tied for second place and was offered a paid solo performance opportunity with The American Pops Orchestra in its upcoming season.
She competed against students from the Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory of Music and other top schools.
杏吧专区淚 feel extremely flattered because every performer in the semifinals was definitely meant to be there,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淚 think one thing that pushed me forward is I sounded different than other competitors. As I watched, I thought, 杏吧专区業f I do make it to finals, it could be because I bring a different sound to the table.杏吧专区 My voice has a classical color given my opera background.杏吧专区
For the finals, she sang 杏吧专区淪unday, Monday or Always,杏吧专区 a 1940s song first made popular by Bing Crosby, and 杏吧专区淭he Label on the Bottle,杏吧专区 from the musical 杏吧专区淭he Gay Life.杏吧专区
Read more about Madison杏吧专区檚 journey to the NextGen competition finals.
Performance Opportunities on Campus
As a music major at UL Lafayette, Madison杏吧专区檚 had opportunities to perform and work with local and international musicians as part of the , , and .
杏吧专区淚 can杏吧专区檛 even count the number of cool opportunities we get to work with musicians from around the world,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 been really great.杏吧专区
She杏吧专区檚 also part of an experimental project ensemble called The Fringe.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 a select few musicians who perform experimental music and music that pushes boundaries, mostly written by modern and under-represented composers,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚 am interested as both a performer in this ensemble and a composer for this ensemble. This ensemble challenged me every week and gave me a new perspective on music.杏吧专区
Her involvement in campus musical organizations opened doors for a job, too. She杏吧专区檚 a teacher at The Music Box, which offers music lessons for kids and adults in Lafayette.
杏吧专区淚 got this position because I was recommended by professors and School of Music colleagues,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚 was qualified to professionally teach voice at such a young age because of the classes I took at UL that prepared me to be a successful teacher.杏吧专区
