Rivers Students Stand Out in RSC’s Voice Department

Carroll studies voice privately as well as singing in chorus at Rivers and participating in musical theater both in and out of school. In early April, she was named a finalist in the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition—a prestigious event that draws top young performers, including both singers and instrumentalists, to audition live at Symphony Hall for the opportunity to perform on stage with the Boston Pops. As a finalist, Carroll auditioned for competition judges who are working artists and educators in the industry, and she earned the opportunity to return next year to compete again.

That possibility is a particularly exciting one for Carroll. “I love performing with a big orchestra,” she said, recalling her experience last summer as Christine Daaé in Phantom of the Opera with Weston Drama Workshop. “I had never performed with an orchestra before Phantom. It was a really cool experience—I just love singing.”

Eve Budnick, who is the chair of the Voice Department and serves as a voice coach at RSC and for Rivers performing arts classes, teaches most of the classes and has made great efforts to grow the thriving department. “When I started here about twelve years ago, we had around 10 students,” Budnick recalls. That number has since doubled. 

That growth has translated into competitive success and wider opportunities across the board. This year, three Rivers students, including Carroll, earned spots in the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Senior District Festival for chorus. Two students—Caroline Sorel ’27 and Gaiyatri Mathew ’27— also received recommendations to the All-State Festival. Carroll comments that she really appreciated the opportunity to sing with a larger chorus than is typically possible at Rivers. 

Rivers voice students have also recently made a strong showing in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition. The annual National Student Auditions are described as an exciting experience where student singers perform and receive written feedback. This year, Carroll and Sarah DuBard ’25 both reached the finals in the regional competition. Deahna Spada, a Grade 7 student at Weston Middle School who studies with Budnick at RSC, advanced all the way to Nationals.

Beyond competitions, the Voice Department places a strong emphasis on musical diversity and collaboration. Budnick and new faculty member Allyn McCourt, director of music at St. Ignatius Parish in Chestnut Hill, teach a range of offerings, from one-on-one lessons to ensemble-based classes. A popular vocal performance course brings students together to explore small ensemble pieces, from madrigals to musical theater or operetta selections. “Small ensemble singing is a new and valuable challenge” for the students in the class, says Budnick.

The department hosts two major recitals each year. In January, there is a themed recital, with past themes including a tribute to Steven Sodenheim and a program of female-only composers. This year’s theme was “names”: The title of each piece was a proper name. Voice students also perform in a spring recital in late May, for which students select their own pieces to perform, allowing students to take ownership of what they have learned. The program emphasizes both classical and musical theater training, says Budnick, ensuring that students graduate with a broad and versatile foundation for multiple styles of singing.

“Even if a student is focused on musical theater, they also need to learn classical technique—and how to read music,” Budnick explains, emphasizing her teaching philosophy grounded in classical technique as a foundation for young singers. 

In private voice study, students enjoy a good mix of choosing their own repertoire and singing pieces suggested by their teachers. “[Budnick] is really good at finding songs that fit my voice,” says Carroll.

Another offering is the Vocal Diction class, where students learn to use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to master pronunciation in multiple languages. “Diction is an important and fun way to study music,” says Budnick. The standard at music conservatories, "all voice majors learn IPA as part of their musical education," she says.

The sense of community and collaboration is also growing. Students work together in classes, perform in chamber concerts through the Conservatory Program and other avenues, and even premiere new works by living composers. At this year’s Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young, vocalist Katherine Shaw ’26 premiered a contemporary piece by a Boston University student that incorporated a sonnet from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. For Shaw, who was a finalist in last year’s National Shakespeare Competition, the piece tied into her personal interest in Shakespeare.

Students also receive support in preparing pieces for auditions for popular summer programs, such as Weston Drama Workshop, where Carroll and Shaw both performed in shows last summer.

Carroll, who has seen the number of singers grow since her freshman year, is optimistic about the future growth of the department and hopes to have more opportunities to perform with other instrumentalists and in a chamber setting. 

“I really enjoyed performing in the Contemporary Seminar,” she said, adding that she and Shaw are “already talking about working on a duet for next year.” 

The solo and collective successes of the RSC Voice Department are a testament to the commitment and dedication of students and faculty alike. The program continues to expand, focused not just on cultivating confident solo performers, but on building a cohesive, supportive environment.