Prep Alumni Spotlight: Sahoko Timpone ’90 Prep, ’94, ’96 MM
Watch Sahoko's full video interview here.
An alumna with a distinguished international career, Sahoko Timpone has performed in opera, concert, and recital settings across North America, Europe, and Asia. Her recent engagements include Verdi’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, Der Fliegende Holländer with Opera Maine, and Mahler symphonies with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and Florida State University Symphony. She has also appeared in Belgium with the Terra Nova Collective.
Timpone has appeared with orchestras including the Seattle Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and the Sapporo Symphony, and has sung major works such as Mozart’s Requiem and Verdi’s Requiem with choral and symphonic organizations across the U.S.
An advocate for new music and art song, she has presented recitals in venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Her international honors include First Prize in the Miguel Zanetti International Spanish Song Competition, and she has premiered new works including Eighth Hour of Amduat by David Soldier. Her debut solo album, Songs of Japonisme, was released by Sheva Collection/Naxos.
As an NEC Prep and College alumni, how did the preparatory school prepare you for college?
"I was a student of the joint program of NEC prep and Walnut Hill school and so during the week I’m at the boarding school at Walnut Hill and then Saturday we would hop on the minivan and come to NEC and be surrounded by more talented students and learning from a wonderful teacher, and that was my experience in the beautiful historic building at NEC by interacting, having this environment to interact with all these talented musicians who are very dedicated and disciplined, it really helped me to become that disciplined musician even before I got to the college."
Please share a favorite memory you have from your time in NEC Prep.
"So when I first came to the United States, I was here to study English, but then I quickly became friends with all the music students and they told me that they are playing in this master class so I attended that master class and they played the Mendelssohn Piano Trio and I had never heard them play up to that point. They were so dedicated, they were talented musicians and watching that 20-30 minutes was a defining moment for me and I was so inspired and that’s when I decided that I wanted to be a musician."
Can you share an experience you've had in your career that has felt the most rewarding?
"The one piece that runs through my entire musical journey is Verdi’s Requiem. The first time I learned the piece was in the chorus at NEC under Tamara Brooks. I think it was my sophomore year, and we rehearsed that piece throughout the school year and then in the spring the Boston Symphony Orchestra was doing Verdi’s Requiem as well, and they were looking for extra singers so I auditioned and I got in and I sang with them. So within that same year I got to sing at NEC and with the BSO under Seiji Ozawa. And then many years later I got to sing as a soloist and whenever I sang, I would still use my score that I got at NEC and it brings back memories every single time I open the score."
Share a story about one of your favorite faculty or studio instructors.
"I thought of so many people but one person that I am really grateful for is my voice teacher from my undergraduate years, Carol Haber. I remember she would give me some exercises, very foundational exercises, that I still use for my students to this day, but when I was first introduced to those, I had no idea how to do them and it wasn’t even like singing it was just like moving my tongue and things like that and I would go into a practice room with my pianist friend and she would be playing her Chopin ballade and I’m looking at myself in the mirror trying to do the tongue exercises. So you know, as an undergrad, we have so much homework and doing music theory, music history, it’s a lot and I come into my lesson and I’m very tired and have no energy to sing and she was just always very friendly and so kind and she said we need to get you going so why don’t you just go up and down the stairs and come back and you’ll be ready so I would do that and she had to do that a few times with me. During my undergrad years I also struggled with my confidence, but she was always very very nurturing, very patient, incredibly patient, and I’m really grateful for that and I try to be that teacher when I teach my students now so thank you, Carol Haber!"
What was one key lesson you learned at NEC that you continue to carry with you today?
"One wonderful thing about NEC that I always carry with me is the sense of community. I felt that I had all the support of peers, that we supported each other, we inspired each other and I was part of that community. I learned that you know being a musician is being part of a community and that’s the biggest lesson I learned and I’m grateful for that."
Do you have any advice for young professionals, musicians, and current NEC students?
"Persistence and resilience will carry you through this journey, but also try to remember to be a nice person and be kind whenever you can and at the same time you still need to be able to stand up for what’s right and then also stay true to who you are as a person and as an artist. So when you keep getting better as a person, and as an artist, I think the unique path will show your way so believe in that and you’ll be great."
Learn More About Sahoko:
Current Job: Associate Professor of Voice, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Programs: NEC Preparatory School, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music
Instrument: Voice
Calling all NEC Prep Alumni!