4 minute read
Center Stage
BY REBECCA SORLEY, FOURTH VICE PRESIDENT/MUSIC ADVISOR, KAPPA, INDIANAPOLIS ALUMNI MUSICADVISOR@MUPHIEPSILON.ORG
International Convention guest artist Matthew Hoch on his earliest musical inspirations and latest passion
Mu Phi Epsilon’s first all-virtual international convention will feature guest artist Matthew Hoch, professor of voice at Auburn University and minister of music at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Auburn, Alabama. Hoch earned his Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College, his Master of Music from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the New England Conservatory. He has appeared as a soloist with numerous organizations worldwide. The Triangle recently caught up with him to learn more about the man behind the voice.
Matthew Hoch with his children, following a performance of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro."
What are some of your major musical influences?
We are all a product of our experiences, and there are numerous things that have helped to shape me as a musician and person. One of my most formative experiences occurred during the summer before my senior year of high school. I was selected to attend the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, a summer academy for talented high school students across five major arts areas: creative writing, dance, music, theater and visual arts. This might sound like an exaggeration, but that was the first time in my life I realized that there were other people out there like me, with the same passion for music — and lots of them! The faculty were so encouraging, and I might not have pursued a career in music were it not for that experience.
Another major influence on my musical career was the fact that I started out as an instrumentalist. I played piano, alto saxophone and bass clarinet in high school and didn’t begin voice study until college. Because of that instrumental background, I was a very good sight reader and was enlisted for the top choral groups beginning in my freshman year of college even though I was a saxophone major. Those choral experiences informed my decision to become a voice major and choral director. As a graduate student in Hartford and Boston, I literally paid my rent through church jobs and other professional choral singing, and those opportunities led to summer professional choral singing opportunities in Santa Fe and Spoleto, Italy. I am grateful that my vocal training was holistic in this way, going beyond opera and art song and including these other experiences.
What was your first public performance? Do you remember what you sang?
It was the children’s duet (“The Perfect Nanny”) from Mary Poppins which I sang for a school assembly in first grade. At least I think it was the first public performance I gave. My parents had a VHS videotape of it, and I had to endure watching it throughout my childhood (and early adulthood). My unchanged voice was kind of pretty, but boy did I look awkward on stage! I even remember the name of the girl I sang the duet with (Rachel Reinhardt) but I have no idea where she is or what she is doing now.
Matthew Hoch with his children, Hannah, Sofie and Zachary.
What was one of your most memorable performances?
I sang in the professional choir at the Oregon Bach Festival for eight summers during the final decade of Helmuth Rilling’s long tenure as artistic director. The festival was at its zenith during that time; the orchestra was first-rate and they brought in top-flight soloists for all of the main concerts. I particularly remember the 2008 festival. We sang all of Bach’s major choral works that summer, beginning the festival with the B Minor Mass and ending with the St. Matthew Passion. Music is an art form, so what we do is rarely flawless, but I swear that the final performance of the festival was just that. I remember the long silence in the hall before the applause after the chorale at the end of the St. Matthew Passion and thinking to myself, “This is the best music that I will make in my entire life.”
Matthew Hoch riding camels in the desert during a trip he chaperoned to the United Arab Emirates with eight voice students to sing at a music festival hosted by the American University of Sharjah.
What’s a highlight from your teaching career?
Perhaps the most life-changing moment of my teaching career occurred in early 2018 when I chaperoned a trip to the United Arab Emirates with eight of my voice students to sing at a music festival hosted by the American University of Sharjah. In addition to singing at the festival, we also had the opportunity to explore Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Climbing the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) and touring the incredible Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque were breathtaking experiences. The students had the opportunity to experience Middle Eastern culture for a week and we even rode camels on a desert safari! Perhaps most important, however, was watching the friendships that blossomed between the American and Arab students at the festival, relationships that they are still maintaining through social media.
What has sustained you through the pandemic?
With all travel and singing engagements canceled, I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands for the first time in my entire career. So, I decided to teach myself how to play the organ. I disciplined myself to practice for at least an hour each day using standard method books and eventually my feet started moving in the right way. This spring I passed my service playing certificate exam for the American Guild of Organists and intend to continue practicing until I am ready to take the next level exam. You’re never too old to learn something new, especially in an art form as rich as music is.
Not too late to register!
Don’t miss our first-ever virtual International Convention. Visit www.muphiepsilon.org to register today.
