Earlier this month, a crowd of music lovers and friends gathered to watch Sophie Wohltjen give her Distinguished Major voice recital, in which she excellently performed an hour’s worth of music by Mozart, Hugo Wolf and Irving Fine, among others. After her recital, she sat down to answer a few questions about the Distinguished Major in Music and her decision to pursue one.
Arts & Entertainment: To begin, can you clarify what the Music Distinguished Major Project is exactly? And what does it mean to you?
Sophie Wohltjen: The Music Major DMP can be any one of three things: A thesis on a music-related topic, a composition, or a performance. Music majors interested in pursuing a DMP must submit a proposal around mid-March of their third year. Then, if their proposal is accepted, they have from that point until their set completion date to prepare their DMP to be graded.
Based on the quality of their project, they will be awarded either distinction, high distinction, or highest distinction, and this will appear on their diploma when they graduate in May. To me, pursuing a DMP meant a final opportunity to do something I love. But, more than that, it meant an opportunity to learn about very specific music at a depth that would most likely not be covered in a class offered in the department. Learning this way, more out of interest than out of obligation to get a good grade, was a wonderful way to spend my fourth-year.
A&E: Why did you decide to pursue a DMP in Music?
SW: I’m a music major, but I won’t be pursuing a career in vocal music. I love singing, but I initially declared a music major in tandem with my cognitive science major so that I could pursue research opportunities in music cognition. Since I will be working at the National Institute of Health next year in a post-baccalaureate research position, I don’t think I’ll have many chances to put on a full length vocal recital after college. So, of course, I decided to grab one last opportunity to sing some really amazing songs in a really amazing performance hall!
A&E: What was the process of preparing for this concert like?
SW: It was a lot more work than I anticipated. I knew that preparing the full hour of music would take some time. Learning music in preparation for performance is more than just learning notes and rhythms and memorizing words. It takes a lot of time living with a piece to better understand the character you’re playing so that you can accurately portray her emotions and motivations to the audience. So of course this took time, but what I didn’t factor in was the amount of time I would spend researching the composers and pieces and writing program notes. Other things I failed to consider were publicity for the show and taking care of the smaller details of hosting an event in Old Cabell Hall. It was definitely worth the time, but also definitely more time than I was anticipating.
A&E: How did you and your vocal teacher go about choosing the selected pieces?
SW: Since Mrs. Beasley has been working with me for several years now, she knows my voice very well, and knows what composers and pieces will sound good with my timbre and vocal capabilities. When we were deciding on what pieces would go in the concert, she would give me four or five pieces, then have me look over and listen to them and choose two or three. This way, we would be performing music that I both sounded good singing and really enjoyed performing.
A&E: Any advice for those pursuing a Music DMP? Or for singers in general?
SW: To those thinking of doing a performance DMP, the most important thing is to love the music you’re singing or playing. Don’t treat the process as a chore, treat it as a chance to show other people how completely awesome your music is, and work toward conveying that in your performance to the best of your ability. If you’re onstage not enjoying the music, it shows, and the audience will enjoy it less as a result, even if every note, every rhythm, and every word is sung perfectly. You are the vehicle that brings a composer and poet’s hard work to listeners. It matters how you convey it.
Read More
Drop-in for advice from Dropout
By Alice Oakey | April 1, 2025Three members of Dropout share their experience in Dropout and other student bands
“Novocaine” is oversaturated with bloody gimmicks
By Julia Laszakovits | March 26, 2025Nate — played by Jack Quaid — is an average man with a not-so-average genetic condition that does not allow him to feel physical sensation.
Indie Short Film Festival showcased the art and artists of an oft-ignored medium
By Zachary Geller | March 25, 2025In only its second year, the Indie Short Film Festival has already become a truly singular program, distinguishing itself from other festivals by highlighting projects with genuine passion and a desire to tell stories that deserve to be told.
