At the Boston Music Project, we are proud to have an exceptional team with a diverse background of teaching and performance experiences. When our Teaching Artists are not teaching music lessons, they are pursuing their own professional careers as active performers, composers, music producers, dancers, and the list goes on.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Savannah Bourke joined BMP in October as a Teaching Artist Intern. She is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, and started playing piano and singing when she was five years old, picking up cello at nine.
Savannah speaks about her early musical inspirations, and some recent projects she is excited to share.
“The music room in my house was everything to me; it is where I spent my childhood. My mom would play piano while I danced around, singing and banging on other instruments. We had an old Victrola, and we would play records from Xavier Cugat, Franz Liszt, and Frédéric Chopin. Music has always been a part of my life, and I credit my mom and grandmother for encouraging me to start singing and playing piano at a young age.
I became serious about singing in elementary school through choir and musical theater. When I entered middle school, I continued with musical theater and began singing in select choirs. I started auditioning for district and regional choirs, and participated in those community festivals until my senior year. I performed in my high school theater group called “Patriot Players” my senior year, playing roles in White Christmas, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Anything Goes, and A Christmas Carol. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of performing a wide range of musical styles, and continue to experiment with my voice in new ways within the theater realm.
Attending Berklee College of Music has opened my eyes to new dynamics of singing through many opportunities. I started singing in the Univoz Vocal Ensemble in 2018 and toured with them in Toluca, Mexico in the summer of 2019. The group won the adult division of Boston's “Sing That Thing” Acapella Competition in 2019. Recently, we have produced virtual projects to stay musically connected. I also began singing in a chamber music choir called Crepusculum Choir in 2019. In addition to these choirs, I have an upcoming collaboration with jazz artist Peter Eldridge on his piece 'Duo Concert'.”
Finally, she opens up about her personal connection to her music.
“Singing in a choir is like home for me. I feel like part of the puzzle, especially as an alto. It is an experience that fulfills so many needs for me as an artist and musician. This has made the journey of solo singing for me a challenge, which is why I love Berklee and the community of teachers and singers here that, like me, have struggled with vocal health and insecurity. I am finding my way and loving the process.”
Savannah performing the song "Butterfly" by Norman Connors and The Starship Orchestra.
To learn more about Savannah, we invite you to read her full biography on our Teaching Artists page.
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