Indian Hill graduate who toured with ‘Phantom of the Opera’ offers lessons to Braves
We could SING we are so excited about our graduate who recently returned home to help current Braves hone performance skills before the BIG show … Pow Wow 2020! Sarah Mossman toured with Phantom of the Opera professionally, and returned to Indian Hill High School (IHHS) to coach student-performers before they take the stage in February in an IHHS debut! Mossman took time for a quick Q&A with us – check it out!
Indian Hill School District (IHSD): First, tell us about your experience as a student within Indian Hill – what did you learn in school that helped you achieve all that you have accomplished professionally?
Sarah Mossman (SM): I had a great experience as a student at Indian Hill. I am so grateful to Deborah Centers and Phil Clary who laid a solid foundation in learning to sight-sing well and music theory and were very supportive teachers. These skills became critical when I went to conservatory, where sight-singing and music theory were highly emphasized. Now, when I am hired for gigs, I usually read music faster and more accurately than many other singers.
IHSD: What are some career highlights for you?
SM: Touring with Phantom of the Opera is perhaps the biggest highlight of my career. It is such a piece of theatre history, and I loved being on tour with that show so much. But I am also very proud of the one-woman show I wrote and performed in New York City and London. It was the opposite of Phantom - tiny in scale, self-produced, self-directed - but it was something else I didn't think I could accomplish, but, ultimately, proved myself wrong.
IHSD: What did it mean to you personally to return to IHHS to help coach students who are working on Phantom of the Opera, which for IHHS is a debut production?
SM: It is a bit surreal to come back to high school, especially to work on this material that I have been singing since high school! But if I am able to help a student with his/her singing or say something helpful in someone's artistic journey, that would mean world to me.
IHSD: What would be your advice to current Braves?
SM: Two things: Be kind and decent to one another. Be the best version of yourself, and don't just copy others. Only you can be the best you.
IHSD: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
SM: In the arts (and in other fields I am sure), it is easy to get fixated on what you think your path should be. I would encourage students to try to let go of that. Set goals, work hard, truly hard, but don't get fixated on the path you think SHOULD happen. Sometimes the roads less traveled and less conventional can be more rewarding and create more personal success.
Don’t miss the Brave presentation of Phantom of the Opera at the Indian Hill High School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. February 20, February 21, and February 22, and at 2 p.m. February 22.
Photo caption: Indian Hill High School graduate Sarah Mossman returned to class to help teach current students “Phantom of the Opera”; Mossman toured with the show professionally.
Posted: Monday, December 2, 2019