Passing by a practice room during lunch or Highlander Time, a few clear, eloquent notes can be heard echoing through the hallway: the voice of junior Mia Mortman. Mortman initially discovered her love for opera singing in her middle school theater class.
“In eighth grade, I got to play Glinda [the Good Witch] in The Wizard of Oz. Glinda has a more classical sound. It felt so much more natural to me,” Mortman said. “I remember asking my voice teacher why couldn’t all musical theatre sound like Glinda, and she told me I was [describing opera].”
Mortman’s initial joy when discovering opera serves as a reminder to pursue her passion despite any obstacles, challenges and criticism she faces.
Mortman, who had been in chorus for multiple years, decided to switch her focus to opera training shortly after her middle school experience.
“Since then, I’ve been in love with opera,” Mortman said.
Mortman practices on a daily basis in order to hone her craft. She regularly commits time to rehearse her diction, vowel alignment and phrasing among other essential topics.
Opera is usually sung in Italian, but can also be sung in German, French and English. Mortman fits consistent linguistic fluency classes into her schedule to understand the pieces she sings. She also has diction classes outside of school to ensure she pronounces words correctly.
“I think it is really impressive at her age to be able to do so much and that she is so dead set on what she wants to do with her life even though it is unconventional,” said junior Annika Singh, Mortman’s close friend.
Mortman’s work ethic and talent have enabled her to perform at different locations, including at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute over the summer. She is beginning to see rewards from her efforts. On Nov. 2, she placed 3rd in the Pennsylvania Regional for the Schmidt Vocal Competition. Her placement will allow her to qualify for the national competition. She sang with a classical voice, an overarching style which includes opera within it.
In addition to her performances, as a passionate member of Model United Nations and a dedicated student, Mortman has to budget her time to allow her to practice and balance other commitments.
Working to balance her time has proved to be beneficial to the music that she creates.
“I have really seen Mia grow as a communicator of her art form,” McLean chorus teacher Linda Martin said. “She is realizing that the beauty and passion she creates is communicated to the audience.”
Mortman often struggles with the self-imposed pressure to sing and perform flawlessly. Over the summer, she had the opportunity to watch a professional opera singer perform. She noticed that the audience members were primarily focused on simply understanding the opera as opposed to analyzing her lyrical skill.
“It taught me a lesson: the hours that I spend in practice rooms drilling … are really for my own benefit,” Mortman said. “I can focus more on making great music rather than stressing about every little nuance.”
Mortman credits much of her success to her family and friends, who serve as a support system, offering her strength and comfort when she needs it.
“I’m really lucky to have family and friends that support my dedication to music, even if they don’t always get it,” Mortman said. “My grandmother called me the other day to say she signed up for a college class on opera just so she could understand what I’m always talking about.”
Mortman plans to pursue music in college, and although she is still determining if she will decide to follow opera as a career, she knows that it will remain in her life in some form.
“It’s really tough for me to [describe] why I sing opera. It feels like asking someone why they breathe,” Mortman said. “If I were to stop, I would lose a key part of myself.”