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Drawing meaning from the voice
Music professor seeks to teach students that the true value in the art of performing lies in its power to communicate.
Gifts to the endowment help attract, recruit, and retain professors who bring real-world experience to the classroom.
Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Christian Elser is a classical musician whose background includes being a part of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
At PC Elser teaches voice, diction, and music history. When he teaches opera, he tells students that the art of performing is not simply “singing pretty” -- the real value lies in its power to speak to others.
“Opera is a stage medium, so singing and being a musician is half – that’s it,” Elser said. “The other half is acting, stagecraft. Ideally, I’m not just teaching people to stand and sing, but to act and communicate.”
Elser emphasizes that singing, like all great art, is meant to communicate. He says that his experience on stage, which has included performances as varied as “Sweeney Todd,” “Hamlet,” “Pagliacci,” “Albert Herring,” and “The Sorcerer” helps to pass on the love for the art form.
“The thing that I’ve always loved about opera and musical theater is that (communicating) is what you’re doing,” Elser said. “You’re not just standing; you’re performing something in a very outward way.” And PC offers an exceptional music program where students can grow in their love for the art of music while developing their talents. Taylor Randall ’10, who played the lead role in “Albert Herring,” which Elser produced, said that Elser has become her mentor.
“He is passionate about the success of his students and the art of making good, performable music,” Randall said. “He cares so much, and that's the good thing about him. He really does care, and he wants success for his students.”
Dr. Christian Elser represents the talented PC faculty members who teach our students every day. Six PC professors have been named SC professors of the year in recent years, more than any other college or university in the state. Raise the torch for PC teachers by endowing a professorship or other fund for their use today.