Jacob Aychman is an emerging conductor and operatic vocalist, having made his European debut in both fields just this summer. He is currently pursuing concurrent bachelor’s degrees with honors, in Music Education and Vocal Performance respectively, at the University of Northern Colorado, from where he’ll be graduating in the spring of 2021. Jacob is a current member of the American Choral Directors Association and Pi Kappa Lambda, and is the former community liaison for the UNC Opera Theatre Society. As an operatic soloist, previous stage engagements include Antonio in The Gondoliers, Betto di Signa in Gianni Schicchi, Masetto in Don Giovanni, John Shaw in the world premiere of C.L. Shaw’s Home on Blue Mountain, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Cuno in Der Freischütz. At the podium, Jacob has most recently conducted excerpts of the Dvořák Serenade for Strings and Mozart Great Mass in C minor, respectively with the Varna International Chamber Orchestra and the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra, under the tutelage of Gregory Buchalter and Dr. Jill Burgett in Varna, Bulgaria.
What year are you at UNC and what is your degree program/emphasis?
“I’m a third-year senior in the BME and BM programs—my emphases for the BME are in conducting and choral music, and my BM emphasis is in vocal performance.”
Where are you from?
“I’m from Lafayette, Colorado, about twenty minutes east of Boulder.”
What got you involved in music?
“I remember adoring choir and taking lessons on piano and violin ever since elementary school—the instruments didn’t stick so well, but I loved singing enough to beg my parents to let me go to middle school in the next town over after meeting the choir director there. I knew I had to teach music when I came back from the Colorado All State Choir in 2016; I was too sick to sing for most of our rehearsals, so I got to sit and really watch how our clinician (Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, from USC) completely revolutionized our sound with just his words and gestures.”
What are your future goals/what are you planning on doing after graduation?
“I plan on teaching middle and/or high school choir, starting the 2021–22 school year, until I’ve been in the field long enough to move from an initial to a full teaching license. After that, I’ll be looking into master’s programs in either conducting or vocal performance. At the peak of my career, I’d love to be teaching choir and voice at the collegiate level, so I imagine there’s a DMA or PhD somewhere in my future.”
What are three hobbies outside of music?
“I knit, cook, and try my best to keep up with my favorite podcasts.”