Consistently ranked among the top conservatories in the nation, the Eastman School of Music is home to approximately 900 emerging artists. Only thirty-eight students within this student body are a part of the Black Diaspora. When not practicing their artistry, this group of students dedicate their extra time to creating a safe space for Black students on campus. Several students from the Black Students’ Union (BSU) spoke to (585) magazine about their music studies and careers.
Kayla Lauren Sconiers
Kayla Sconiers (mezzo-soprano), twenty-two, is a native of Lakeland, Florida. She recently graduated from Eastman School of Music, where she received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance under the tutelage of Joshua Conyers. She also was awarded an arts leadership certificate. Sconiers is a two-time recipient of the William Warfield Scholarship. Recently, she performed as Anne in the Eastman Opera Theatre’s production of To Hell and Back by Jake Heggie. She played the role of Oberto in Handel’s Alcina, and studied the character Paula in Florencia en el Amazonas by Daniel Catán. She also won the Mary E. Singletary Vocal Arts Competition in 2023. Sconiers attended the Music Academy of the West this last summer as a studio artist. She is excited to continue her vocal studies at Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music for her master’s under the guidance of Gwendolyn Coleman. Besides her musical pursuits, Sconiers is actively involved on and off campus as she served as vice president of the Black Students’ Union at Eastman and vice president of the Undergraduate Students’ Association. She was awarded the Linda Muise Student Life Award for her dedication to uplifting student experiences on the Eastman campus. She was awarded the second place prize at the Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition, as well. Sconiers appreciates her family, instructors, mentors, and advisors’ unwavering support and guidance in nurturing her passion for music.
What motivated you to pursue a career in music?
“What inspired me to pursue a career in music was the desire to be the representation in the classical music world that I didn’t see growing up [and] to demonstrate to aspiring musicians that a career in music is achievable, regardless of their background, beliefs, or appearance.”
Dykeem Cervantes
Dykeem Cervantes is a saxophonist from Orange County, Virginia with a bachelor’s in saxophone performance. He is a recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under Chien-Kwan Lin. He is also a recipient of Eastman’s Arts Leadership Certificate. Cervantes has performed in ensembles such as the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Eastman Saxophone Project, Unter Quartet, and Cypher Quartet. As a member of the Cypher Saxophone Quartet, Cervantes placed second in the North American Saxophone Alliance College Quartet Competition. Cervantes has administrative experience with organizations such as Charlottesville Opera, Gateways Music Festival, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, SPHINX Organization, and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
What motivated you to pursue a career in music?
“I found so much joy in creating beautiful sounds, which was only possible thanks to my music educators. They inspired me to transfer this passion to students of my own.”
Holden James Turner
Holden James Turner, a Baritone from Rochester, is an Eastman School of Music student studying under the direction of Nicole Cabell. Turner is the 2024 Rochester Links Scholarship Award recipient and also is seen as a featured soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He’s been honored to perform as a Baritone soloist for the Finger Lakes Opera on numerous occasions, the Rochester Oratorio Society, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman-Rochester Chorus, SUNY Geneseo Symphony Orchestra and Festival Singers, Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, and many more in and out of the Rochester community. Turner has worked with many artists ranging from Jon Batiste to Martin Katz. He has been a young artist and professional fellow at Songfest during the summers of 2017 and 2023 and will be a Tanglewood fellow in the summer of 2024.
What motivated you to pursue a career in music?
“Music helped me find peace and connect with others in such beautiful and special ways, and when I saw what it could do for me, I felt compelled to share those feelings with others.”
Lauren M. Smith
Lauren M. Smith is an oboist and conductor pursuing a master’s degree in oboe performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music. She is currently the oboe graduate teaching assistant, a graduate assistant for the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music at Eastman, and a graduate advisor for the BSU. Lauren is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she is the founder and artistic and executive director of the Louisiana Art Music Collective. Lauren was a member of the Chautauqua Institution’s Summer Music Festival as well as a 2023 fellow at the Yale School of Music’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. She is a substitute oboist with professional orchestras in Louisiana and New York. Beyond her musical ventures, Lauren is a passionate writer and a lover of Louisiana cuisine.
What motivated you to pursue a career in music?
“I feel a personal need to pursue a career in music in one way or another. It is a calling. I am grateful to frequently experience the power of music, but I also know that everyone does not have equitable access to it. This understanding drives me to perform at the best of my ability and to unapologetically share my deep-rooted appreciation of music.”
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