27 March 2013
Photo By: Shelby Clemons
VOICE: Rosemary O’Neill (11) moves up to the national level.
By Kira Roybal, Staff writer
For the majority of us, singing is an accompaniment to chores like washing the dishes or finishing up homework, but for Rosemary O’Neill, singing is her ticket to stardom. This Poly bear, who is most notably known on campus for her participation in the theater department, flew to Dallas, Texas to sing at the 2013 national conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Out of 3,500 young auditionees from all across the country, O’Neill was one of 300 who were accepted into the women’s choir. The choir learned and perfected six songs in three days, showcasing them at the conference’s Saturday concert. Though the experience only lasted from March 13-16, it reinforced her determination to break through into the competitive world of the arts.
Question: Developing a voice for the stage takes years of practice. When did you begin singing?
Answer: I’ve always sang. If you ask my mom, she will tell you that she doesn’t remember when I didn’t sing. I was in my church choir; I was in a choir in elementary school. I did SCVA (Southern California Vocal Association) honor choir both 7th and 8th grade. Then in high school, I was in vocal jazz [at Poly] my freshman year, and I’ve been in chambers ever since.
Question: As an experienced performer, are you one of those people who likes to sing in the shower?
Answer: Of course. I sing in the shower because, actually, it’s one of the best places to warm up. The [shower] steam helps loosen the vocal cords.
Question: What kind of singing voice do you have?
Answer: I am a soprano one. Everyone tells me, “You should go into opera. You have that kind of voice,” but for some reason that’s not what I want to do. I enjoy the music, I can sing the music, but I’d rather do musical theater. Singing, it’s an emotional thing; even if I’m sad, I sing. It’s all about being a character in a song; you can show any emotion.
Question: Musical theater is one of the most recognizable genres in American music. What is your favorite musical?
Answer: Oh gosh, if you asked me a year ago, I would have said Spring Awakening. However, there’s another one called All Shook Up; it’s an Elvis medley musical. I don’t know why I liked it so much, but it just stuck with me. Next to Normal – that’s a good one. Contemporary musicals like Spring Awakening and Next to Normal push the boundaries; they’re a lot freer with everything. They address suicide and gay couples, and they don’t really beat around the bush about it.
Question: How was auditioning for ACDA different from auditions you’ve done for other choirs in the past?
Answer: For choirs like SCVA, the audition was live in front of judges. The ACDA audition was through a tape. I had to sing the first verse of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” and an Italian aria, which is an opera song. On the one hand, it was less pressure, but at the same time more pressure. Through a tape you could get everything perfect, so you knew all these other competitors were working on making their tape perfect as well.
Question: What was your first reaction when you learned that you got accepted?
Answer: Nolan [Sanchez] (12) was with me; he’s a good friend. I had to look up the results on the computer and when I saw my audition number, I screamed and ran and hugged Nolan. I called my mom and I said “Mom,” –I was crying– “I made it.” It was exciting. I tried out for SCVA the year before and I didn’t make it. That bummed me out, so I wondered if I should even try out for nationals. But my mom encouraged me, so I tried out for nationals and it paid off.
Question: What are some of the most memorable moments from the ACDA convention?
Answer: The convention was fun, but it was like work. I think that was the purpose of the convention: to give the participants a chance to realize whether or not they want to sing in the future. I definitely want to do it; I can’t imagine doing anything else. My conductor, she was really inspirational. She was old enough to be my grandma, so in that way I respected her, but she would talk to us like we were her age; she would treat us as equals. It’s kind of hard to find adults that will do that. Everyone just thinks that it’s the kids singing, but the conductor is the one that makes the magic happen. We also listened to an inspirational speaker. He emphasized that people need to start thinking less about the “I” and “me” and more about the “we” and “us.” That’s especially true for choir because it’s necessary that everybody works together.
Question: What is the next step for you and your voice?
Answer: Everyone says try out for American Idol, try out for The Voice, but I say no. American Idol has become more of a joke. I know there are people out there with more talent than the people who get on that show. Plus, you can’t really go through American Idol and then go on Broadway. American Idol is designed for pop, not Broadway songs.
I’m just going to try to get through college and see where that takes me. If I go to NYU, I’m right next to Broadway. If I go to UCLA, I’m right next to the Pantages and Hollywood. My third choice is TCU (Texas Christian University); they have a highly recognized musical theater program, and they’re near the Dallas Arts District.
Question: The arts are highly competitive professions and the job market is narrow. How do you plan on tackling the challenges that come with following your dream?
Answer: Right, just finding a job is a challenge. Funding of the arts is being cut left and right, and my mom always talks about that. She asks, “Do you have a back-up? Do you have a back-up?” My mom says I should minor in math, so I can eventually major in math and become a teacher. Maybe, it’s still a possibility. Location and showing off my talent will be my biggest problems. I’m going to have to put myself out there every single time. That’s a risk, but in the end, I think it makes people.