A production of South Carolina ETV.

Phillip Boykin> Being back at the Governor's School now that I'm, an artist.

It's very different from when I was a student here.

It's very much like, dreams coming true.

(operatic singing) >> When I was a student at the governor's school, I dreamed of them inviting me in to be this special music for the students here.

And here I am.

It's just like a dream come true.

(applause) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) Phillip Boykin> I'm living in D.C. now, and while I'm there, I am, I'm working, with the Washington Opera companies, public schools program.

I go and I teach, young people about opera.

I had never sang opera.

I had maybe heard it once on television or something like that.

And, I went into my first lesson at the Governor's School, and, and I began to sing the, techniques that, Jane Rulundy was giving me.

She was my voice teacher while at the Governor's School, and, I remember so clearly one lesson she had me doing some vocalizes, and, I was singing, ♪ and then I realized that I was doing.

I was singing opera, and I just looked at her, I said, oh, did that come out of me?

These are real words.

It's English.

Everybody understands it.

But if you just deliver it and it does nothing, it's just it's just like it's in the book.

Just words on a page and little black dots everywhere.

It's a it's like a song.

They should be dancing.

The word is you dance.

Though, your body should look like you're dancing.

Your face should look like you're dancing.

You should be, you should be dancing actually inside.

And your audience should feel the dance.

And I tried to get them to bring the song to life.

(operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) Phillip> I hope that they can see themselves in me.

I remember being a student and looking up on the stage, and I was like, wow, that person can sing.

But I never said, wow.

I, I don't know if I could do that.

And a lot of them may be saying that, but I want them to know, my singing is only a little bit of what they can do.

And they can they can aspire to be even greater, much, much greater than I am.

And I want them to see that in themselves and go after it.

(operatic singing) Martin Cooper> Right now, I'm, a director of design, for men's wear, women's wear and accessories for Burberry's of London.

Say, 150 year old British company.

And, I oversee globally all of our products.

♪ Martin> 85% of my portfolio that I put together, to go to Parsons, was generated here.

♪ The Governor's School was a turning point in my life.

I mean, it was that point when I really realized that my destiny would be perhaps greater than what I had imagined.

And it took me a while Martin> To come back, is just really, wonderful.

I think so many people, they, they are discouraged by pursuing, careers in the arts, for whatever reason.

I think it's important for them to be able to see that there are success stories, and that's what business is.

Business is just like negotiating, Elizabeth Linstrom> Being a design person.

I've considered going into fashion design.

I thought the fact that he was so down to earth and the fact that when I asked him questions that I asked a ton of them, he didn't skirt around the question.

He answered it.

And some of the things or stuff that I was a little disappointed to hear about the fashion industry, but he wasn't afraid to tell that, what's the best advice you could give a young artist here who would like to make a career out of their art?

Martin> Do your homework.

I mean, like, not like your homework.

Your homework, but do your research.

You know, find things that turn you on.

Find things that when you look at, you get a charge, you know, like you, you get a charge.

Discipline in the arts really starts at this level, at the level of, grade school even.

♪ And, all of those principles can be applied not only to your art, but to your life.

♪ Robert Moody> From anyone playing on this side of you... teaching, conducting in five weeks is, a real task and would be sort of akin to saying that you could teach someone to navigate a nuclear submarine, you know, in five weeks.

What I am doing and this is based on what, Marion McGill did for me at the Governor's School is, We try to give the students here the best introduction we can give them, the best overall introduction to conducting in five weeks that we can possibly give them.

Watch.

What do you think is more effective, starting on the third beat, second bar three.

Got it.

One and two.

♪ ♪ Robert> Okay?

Same place, same place, one and two, and..

There are a few basic rules I want them to leave here knowing, and if you ask, hopefully you ask any student here this summer the most important thing about conducting they will say know the score.

Know the music.

Because I've been drilling that in since day one.

>> Bob's a very good teacher.

He doesn't.

He never come up to students and says, listen to me.

I know what I'm doing.

I've done this and this.

He just tells us what to do.

And when someone else is conducting, he'll stand behind them and he'll exaggerate what they're doing over-exaggerate it so that the class sees the mistake.

He makes it apparent to the class what they're doing, and then everyone learns, when someone's conducting.

Robert> It's on three.

♪ You need to be so ready and "la", has to really explode.

Robert> Someone told me once.

And I try and abide by this.

Try and make every concert you are about to perform, ♪ the greatest musical event of your life.

(applause) This is not the first time that Elizabeth Bishop and I have been on the stage together performing.

I was trying to think.

I think the first time was when I was emcee.. she's saying yes, emcee in the first grade play at Duncan Chappell Elementary School, and she was a... she was a...jonquil.

♪ ♪ ♪ Elizabeth Bishop> I have finished in December as an Adler fellow in San Francisco Opera and have begun freelancing, which is what you do as a as a professional singer in the states.

I've worked at Washington Opera and Virginia Opera, and I have, contracts with other opera companies around and about the country.

I was a student at the Governor's School between my junior and senior year in high school, so I guess I would that have been 1984.

It was the first time that I had to work that hard, that consistently.

I didn't really realize what a benefit that had been for me to have that, that brief exposure, to the eating, breathing and sleeping... music... until I got out.

♪ I'm magic...the way the ♪ midnight breezes caress us ♪ ♪ and the stars above ♪ seem to bless us, ♪ ♪ that kind of magic.

♪ ♪ I'm magic... ♪ If anybody is considering a career in the arts, I would say learn to do other things too.

Learn everything.

Read books.

If you don't become a well-rounded person, you won't be a well-rounded artist.

And people who are not well-rounded artists are dull.

And then you won't be an artist for a long.

♪ >> It just boggles my mind to think that, that the Governor's School is where I decided to become a musician.

That was a very, you know, staggering...thought that that I could, start to plan my career based on something that I really loved doing.

But Governor's School with the with the music history classes, with the conducting, with the orchestra, with the chamber music, with the private lessons, all of that, sort of, solidified the fact that I wanted to become a musician.

♪ Kenneth> Okay, having said that, now let's start with the very beginning of it.

Dawn> Master classes are, a very unique part of Governor's School.

This morning, it was interesting because the Maya String Quartet was helping us with our quartet coaching.

(Kenneth hums) Dawn Biega> It was nerve wracking at first, but, we eventually settled down and began to play our best and really focus on what they were saying to us.

And in the long run, it helps.

Everything helps.

♪ Kenneth> Yeah, maybe even spend some time on this top note.

(Kenneth vocalizes) ♪ Yeah, yeah, I think the thing that I would like to impart the most is that music is fun.

It's not a chore Elizabeth Oakes> You're telling a story.

What's happening right here in these first four bars, eight bars, whatever?

Student #1> Someone's strolling to meet their lover.

Elizabeth> Someone's strolling.

Okay.

Is that what everybody thinks?

Student #2> Mmmm....strolling.

No, I don't really see strolling.

It seems a little more, passionate than that.

But... Student #1> Okay, uh... an eager stroll?

(laughing) ♪ Kenneth> It's more than just notes on a page.

There is an entire world in that, in that page of, of, of notes and, and the fun, and the challenge is to find out what that world is and bring it to the audience ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Kenneth> I love the, the expression that can come through in, in music.

And I think that in a lot of ways, music can serve as an emotional, outlet for a lot of people.

I know that, if, if I didn't have music as a mode of expression, that, I know that a lot of things would stay bottled up inside.

♪ ♪ Robert> The first time I was on a podium, conducting something inside said, ♪ this is it.

This is.

This is what you should be doing.

And, well, the first time was at the Governor's School.

I was on the honors conducting concert at the end of that summer, conducted the opening movement of a Mozart Symphony, and was really hooked from that millisecond on, I was on faculty at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina for about four summers, and after my first concert there, I was videotaping from offstage, just so I could look at my conducting and see.

And they caught me walking off the stage just going, wow, I can't believe it.

Oh, man!

Just, you know, all this exclamatory, wonderful stuff walking off the after, off the podium after the concert because, that's sort of how you feel.

It's great.

Elizabeth Bishop> I've made the choices I've made because I felt I really felt drawn into this, and I, I came into it kicking and screaming, actually, because from the time I entered college, people were saying, get a performance major, get a performance major, and no, you know, I can't I don't want a performance degree.

I, you know, what am I going to do for a living?

Because nobody gets nobody actually works.

But I couldn't I couldn't avoid it.

So finally I said, "Well, I don't want to be 45 years old and look back and say, I was that close and didn't try.

And so I kept trying, and I figured I would try until I couldn't.

And I actually haven't run up to the point yet where I couldn't.

And then I discovered that that when I'm the very happiest, I'm singing.

♪ ♪ Each day is Valentine's Day ♪ I used to say that singing is not.

It's not who I am, it's what I do.

And it's who I am.

>> Even though Betsy has made her Metropolitan Opera debut in San Francisco now, I still think even though lots of time has passed, we still have a good teacher student relationship.

But I never feel like I have to be careful about what I say.

If I can be honest, I think she expects it.

And...And I expect it from her, you know, we also are colleagues now, so it's a little bit different (operatic singing) Micahel> Philip Boykin always... had this phenomenal natural instrument.

I don't think anybody could have created that instrument out of scratch.

He certainly made tremendous strides, in his basic musicianship.

(operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (applause) Kenneth Law Jr.> It has been such a thrill to play with my former teacher.

It has also been extremely intimidating.

I must say, too, because this is the.

This is the man that I would go to every Tuesday at 4:30 and, and just play these horrible notes for, when I was a student of Dr. Jesselson I learned the technique of cello playing.

♪ Kenneth> Playing with him now, I'm learning the art of cello playing.

♪ >> It's a beautiful thing.

It's like, you know, when the baseball player like, swings and hits, you know, hits the ball.

And he knows that when that bat meets the ball, he has a home run.

It's the same thing in designing.

You just know at times when you've been creatively successful.

♪ At the end of every portfolio and at the end of every collection, you normally do a bridal.

♪ Student> When you got there, it's like Kenneth> I had an interesting wedding.

We went down to City Hall.

I was wearing khaki pants and a, cashmere sweater.

She was wearing...something.

(laughing) One of the things that actually makes a group is if you take one detail, and then you repeat it in many different ways.

Same thing in design.

You take one element, and if you repeat it, it creates what?

Rhythm.

♪ Kenneth> The middle piece on the concert is a contemporary work that was written by a friend of ours named Pierre Jalbert.

The piece is based on rock and jazz rhythms and, has elements of, Bartok and Ravel.

♪ dance, dance like rhythms.

♪ It's a really, really lively piece.

And it, it employs, a very special effect near the end.

The first violin and the viola, put their bows down and they pick up glass rods and they slightly, very gently, tap the string.

And so the audience has to be dead quiet in order to hear it.

♪ Robert> At the heart of it all, I think I'm a choral conductor.

And actually, I think at the heart of it all, every conductor should be a choral conductor, should have a sense of how the music sings.

♪ Market woman, Market woman ♪ ♪ taking all the goods ♪ to Kingston Market ♪ ♪ Market woman, Market woman ♪ ♪ Market woman, Market woman ♪ ♪ On the way to the market.

♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ Elizabeth> There are those performances where I'm sure, like some days working at the bank where you just want to get through the day and, but there are other times when you really you feel the music really deeply, and there's something in it that touches you and it brings something about you out, and you want to be able to convey that.

And it's, it's, a it's a difficult thing to find a way to do Phillip> Before I get on the stage, I may be nervous, I may be nervous, or I may be confusing that with anxiousness.

But once I hit the stage, I've rehearsed.

I know the music.

I've sang these things over and over, and now I'm ready to deliver them.

And I'm ready to share with the people and take them to a different plane.

And the nerves just disappear for me.

(operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) Phillip> While I, I was at the Governor's School as a counselor one year, It was 92'.

My mother passed and I'm doing the three songs by Strauss to her memory.

Martin> I have my boss.

He's Calvin Klein.

He said, you know, everyone that I hire personally, I'm really hiring you to solve my problems.

And certainly the fashion industry has its fair share of competition.

But... as I say, as the cliche goes, the cream always rises to the top.

I think competition is healthy.

And I think it's in man's nature to compete, especially competing in, in areas that he's good at.

>> There are probably 100 to 500 applicants for every potential job that opens in music.

There is the world of the solo performing artists, and I would say that probably is taken up by less than 1% of all people who have full time careers in music.

Make sure you know a lot about the world besides music, and this is important.

What you bring to your performance, what you bring to it is yourself, not just the person who understands music theory, but also the person who had a flat tire, the person who used to love going to the high school football games, the person who is an avid hiker, the person who is very active in their church, the person who is that, who is interested in politics.

All of those things come into play.

Martin> I was always, working in a vacuum.

No one around me was creative.

No one around me was artistic.

And, you know, it kind of worked out, methods of sketching and sketchbooks and things like that.

And to come to Governor's School and to be around, you know, other kids who are doing exactly the same thing I was doing.

It was a wonderful, affirmation process, for me.

Michael> I think the Governor's School students feel a certain sense of relief when they hear Bob Moody and Betsy Bishop and Phillip Boykin talk about problems they had when they were at this level.

I think people musicians, maybe singers more than a lot of people are in a hurry.

I think people believe you're born with a voice.

Consequently, it ought to be ready to go at any minute.

And so they have a certain lack of patience.

And to hear these, these young people talk about how long it has taken to get to this point means a great deal to them.

(operatic singing) ♪ (operatic singing) Harrison Wilder> We look at them and say, 'Wow!

', you know, this is what we could be.

It gives us something to work towards as kind of this is, you know, what a musician is and this is what you're striving for.

♪ Kelly Gallamore> Several, several people say that the Governor's School is a turning point where students make their decision.

You know, is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?

It gives you a real life situation as a student, so you can, so you can kind of guess how it's actually going to be out there in the real world, that it's not just some flip thing that you do.

Oh, I play the cello, or I play an instrument or I sing.

This is real life, and this is your career, and this is how you're going to support yourself.

Here you are, and you have the chance to do what you love for the rest of your life.

It's it's a wonderful opportunity.

♪ Ain't that a witness ♪ for my Lord?

♪ ♪ Ain't that a witness ♪ for my Lord?

♪ ♪ Soul is a witness for our ♪ Lord That's another witness.

♪ ♪ Now that's another witness ♪ That's another witness.

♪ ♪ My soul is a witness ♪ for my Lord.

♪ ♪ My soul is a witness.

♪ ♪ for my Lord.

♪ (applause)