Voice Student Katherine Skayhan '15 Recounts Her Kennedy Center Experience

On April 25, 11 Oberlin Conservatory students performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Oberlin’s annual appearance on the Conservatory Project series is an honor for participating students. Those performing on this year’s concert were selected from competitive auditions that took place during the fall semester. Nearly 60 individuals and ensembles competed for the opportunity to perform; from those auditions, a panel of conservatory faculty selected six of the most outstanding performances from across the conservatory’s divisions.

Vocalist Katherine Skayhan ’15 performed music by Dvorák with pianist Marika Yasuda ’15. She chronicled the weekend trip with photos and this reflection:

I was so very honored to have had the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center as one of the Oberlin representatives for the Conservatory Project. Dvorák’s love songs have been a part of Marika’s and my life for almost two years now, and we have loved every minute of the preparation process. I will always be grateful to Dr. Timothy Cheek '80 for his repertoire suggestion during my sophomore-year Winter Term at Oberlin. I never tire of performing these pieces as I am in a constant state of finding new, impassioned narrative material.

Collaborating and performing with really incredible musicians from a variety of conservatory disciplines and on such a historical stage, was an absolute blessing. I can safely say we all enjoyed the time traveling and preparing for a wonderful celebration of Oberlin’s musicianship. As my graduation approaches and the nostalgia takes over, I know that this weekend will be one of my favorite memories of my time at Oberlin.