SUNY Purchase ....It's not Juilliard

opera-mom
Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:36:13 +0000

DD had vocal audition at Juilliard on Thursday…although DD and DH had been a couple of times for a lesson this was my first time to visit…WOW you walk in through the glass entry way up the fabulous staircase to the security counter…It’s everything you would think it would be…come on it’s Juilliard!

DD had audition at SUNY Purchase today…there was no grand entrance or security. However, what we did find were classrooms that were adequate, nice practice rooms, friendly-helpful admission personel and smiling students that were happy to answer any question we could think to ask…

Yes the campus at SUNY is a bit isolated…daughter thinks that if she attends she will require a Vespa! However…hate to break it to her but there are hourly shuttles to Whiteplains (10 minutes away) which we hear has 2 nice malls and easy train access into Manhattan…what more could she want.

As far as the faculty…She took a lesson last week with a teacher who she loved…Her audition did not go smoothly today…She has been fighting a virus all week which has left her fatigued and then to boot we found she had spent the night sleeping on the hotel floor because she had become hot during the night (those darn hotels are sometimes so hard to get cooled off–fine the night before…hothouse last night). She found the audition committe to be very kind after she forgot the words to her second song. They even let her go on and sing part of her third song.

The performance facilities are very nice…They have many important groups come through almost on a weekly basis that the students can attend the performance for a mere $5…They have fine recording facilities…Just last week Renee Fleming was there doing some recording.

So although we have read many so-so things on this board about Purchase from people who have visited… we have come out with a favorable impression and if offered the chance (doubtful after the audition) we would have to give it serious consideration.