Student Apprentice Singer Program

Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble is proud to have started the first Student Apprentice Singer Program in the Wilmington area. Local high school and college students are eligible for the Student Apprentice Singer Program. Students in this program have the opportunity to fully participate with a professional choral ensemble performing with an orchestra and world-class soloists. Students are mentored as musicians and as members of a community organization. Some of our apprentices go on to college to become professional musicians; others have pursued a variety of careers, while continuing to enjoy music in other ways in their lives.

There may be opportunities for choral-related Senior Projects. While the student develops her or his own project, possibilities could be topics like choral conducting; website analysis and development; business management of a non-profit choral organization; grant-writing and funding for a non-profit organization; or linkages between individual, sectional and full ensemble work in the concert preparation. What other ideas might you have?

If you or someone you know might be interested in singing with Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble, please contact our conductor, Stephen Field. You may contact us by calling or sending an email including your name, voice type, the name of your school, grade level, musical experience and a phone number where you can be reached.

Student Apprentices with Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble

Corbin Penland

CVAE Student Apprentice 2010 – present

Corbin sang with Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble during his senior year at Hoggard high school, and will continue as an apprentice for his freshman year at Cape Fear Community College. At the beginning of his senior year, Corbin decided to pursue music as a career. Hoping to broaden his musical experience, he auditioned for CVAE. He says that singing with this group has given him a greater appreciation for choral music. The Handel concert challenged Corbin in important ways as he sings tenor with CVAE while singing bass with the Hoggard Voyagers. In addition to singing with these two choral groups, he is the lead singer and guitarist in a reggae band called Elation (www.soundcloud.com/elation-music). Corbin continues to study voice with Liz Field and studies piano with Steve Field, while planning to major in vocal performance in college.

Dallas Caulkins

CVAE Student Apprentice 2008 and 2009

Dallas Caulkins is a sophomore voice performance major working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree at Shorter University in Rome, GA. Miss Caulkins currently lives in Rome, but originally lived in Wilmington, NC where she was a chorister in the John T. Hoggard High School Voyagers Ensemble. At Shorter, Miss Caulkins is a chorister in the Shorter Chorale and has performed as a choir member in The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore and First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Miss Caulkins studies under Dr. Sherri Weiler and currently is working as a section leader with First Presbyterian Church of Rome. After graduation, Dallas plans to attend graduate school and receive her master’s in voice performance.

During 2008 and 2009, Dallas was an apprentice with Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble. As a junior in high school, music was really evolving from a hobby into a passion for Dallas. As stated by Dallas, “CVAE not only matured me as a musician, but also taught me valuable musical skills. Being in a professional group made me a well-rounded musician because it taught me to become a professional myself. As a music major, I continuously use the knowledge and skills that I obtained from being in this group, and I would strongly encourage anyone who is considering music as a career to consider an apprenticeship with CVAE. Even as a college student, I see the importance of a community choir and wish that I had one accessible to me now. CVAE helped form my love and passion for music, and my time with the group was invaluable. I am a better person, musician, and singer because of this group and I would encourage anyone to give it a try.”

Kevin Lagasse

CVAE Student Apprentice 2008

Kevin moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 2007 and since then has become heavily involved in the arts. He recently graduated from Hoggard high school and plans to attend Marymount Manhattan College for a focus in musical theatre performance. Kevin began to discover his love of the stage through high school opportunities and in performances at Thalian hall with different theatre companies. He found CVAE to be a wonderful place to grow in choral arts.  As stated by Kevin, "Singing with adults who come from all different backgrounds of music was a great experience as a young student apprentice in 2008. I would encourage any high school or college student to become involved in CVAE because of the community of artists that will help you grow as a performer."

Holly Curtis

CVAE Student Apprentice 2007-2009

Holly Curtis is a sophomore Vocal Performance major at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, in Princeton, New Jersey. As explained by Holly, “My freshman year was amazing. I've had such wonderful music opportunities with many more in store for me as I continue my education there. I study voice under the direction Nova Thomas. I was a high school apprentice in CVAE for 2 years. I learned about it through my mother who was the accompanist for CVAE for a number of years. I also took voice in high school from Steve's wife, Liz.

I thought CVAE would be a very interesting thing to participate in and learn from. One year I played violin for CVAE, and the next two years, I sang soprano. It was very beneficial for me to sing with CVAE because I was challenged. I had to learn all the words on my own, all the music, and the rhythms. It was very different from being in a high school choir. I feel that it prepared me for college. Especially since I was going to be a music major in college. I had to work with others and be responsible for myself and the effort I had to put into doing my part. The performances were always worth the hard work though. Steve is very dedicated and I loved working with him. It was such a fun thing to be a part of! I'm sure if I reside in Wilmington when I'm retired, I'd come back and be a part of it again!”