Meet Amanda Koopman and Ryan Townsend Strand
What are you listening to right now?
Amanda Koopman: Bach’s Mass in F Major, the piece we are performing at our next concert with Music of the Baroque.
Ryan Townsend Strand: Currently, I'm really into Brendan Maclean's Free To Love. But literally I'm listening to Regina Spektor's Samson as I respond to this email.
Do you ever get nervous performing in front of an audience?
AK: Almost always. Performing is a process of learning to deal with nerves and use them to your advantage. I used to get much more nervous, but now, as long as I'm prepared, I just get a few pre-performance jitters.
RTS: Of course. I think I would be more nervous if I weren't nervous. The adrenaline that comes along with a performance is how I personally believe we achieve the extra 10% that just can't be found in the practice room. But it is part of the performance; I'm not debilitated by it, nor scared of it. I think most artists who enjoy performing crave nerves on some level.
How long have you been singing? Do you play another instrument?
AK: The first instrument I studied was piano. I took piano through college and still teach. My mom says I've been singing since I could talk. I started taking formal voice lessons in high school.
RTS: I've been singing professionally for seven years. However, I started my singing life in the Metropolitan Boys Choir in Minneapolis when I was five years old.
What would your occupation be if you weren’t singing professionally?
AK: When I was in high school, I also considered going into marine biology. I am a certified scuba diver; I really enjoyed that when I was a teenager, and I also love biology. In the end, I decided I would miss singing and music too much.
RTS: Well, if I was involved in music, I would be a producer for new music events. But if I changed careers entirely, I would be a lawyer.
Who is your favorite Baroque composer?
AK: This is a hard question! Probably either Bach or Handel. Bach's music is so complex and intricate, and he was so smart. Sometimes, I feel like dancing to the beat of his fugues. Handel's music is just fun. Plus he wrote some awesome roles
for mezzos.
RTS: J.S. Bach. Just can't get enough of his music and his ability to capture emotion in counterpoint. And luckily, I am still finding new music from his cantatas to learn and perform.
What do you like about working with Bill Gray?
AK: He is very kind and never gets angry in rehearsal. He has a huge breadth of knowledge, and he knows exactly how to share that knowledge with us. He's very thorough and detail oriented, as well as creative when it comes to new ways to think about music. I'm always surprised by new ideas he brings.
RTS: His passion for his singers and the text being heard by the audience. And his jokes.
What’s singing with the Music of the Baroque Chorus like?
AK: It's fun. There is not a lot of turnover among the singers, so we all know each other pretty well. It's also a small group, so we get a chance to really sing with each other and feel like our voices matter. But, that also means you really have to know your music, and there's not a lot of room for error. One thing I really appreciate about MOB is that the first rehearsal is really low pressure. Bill knows we are all sight reading and doesn't worry too much about wrong notes. Instead he tries to get us to understand the shape of the music and the background, and to get used to singing together again. Everything else seems just to fall into place after that.
RTS: It's like finally getting behind the wheel of a Maserati after driving a junker around for a while. Because we don't have regular rehearsals outside of each program during the season, it is always a treat to make beautiful music with these talented people. Plus, it's a wonderful group of friends and we love the music we're performing. I am so privileged to be one of the members of the MOB chorus.
What other ensembles do you sing with?
AK: St. John Cantius Church choirs, Bella Voce, and Grant Park Chorus.
RTS: I'm the Executive Director and tenor with Constellation Men's Ensemble here in Chicago, a member of the Grant Park Chorus with Christopher Bell, on the roster of Opera on Tap, a tenor at Church of the Atonement in Edgewater, the tenor for the Renaissance vocal quartet The Strangers, and in the Philadelphia-based new music choir The Crossing directed by Donald Nally. Plus, numerous other gigs that come and go every year.
What books, if any, are you reading?
AK: I like to read multiple books at a time. Cookbook: Homemade by Yvette Van Boven, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child by Patty Cogen, and the Bible.
Amanda, that's right--you have a new addition to your family! Congrats! Care to share any details?
AK: In January, my husband and I traveled to Thailand to pick up our two-year-old son. We have been in the process of adoption since August 2015. Our process actually went remarkably fast even though it seems long! He is adjusting very well and we are so excited to be parents. He is our first.