Hello everyone! My name is Chloe Weiss, my pronouns are she/her, and I am from Potomac, MD. I am entering my third year at Pitt as a Music Performance and English Writing double major. I involve myself in the Redeye Theatre Project, Association of Writers, Pitt Stages, and Musicians United Sharing Ideas Creatively (or M.U.S.I.C for short!). I am also a vocalist in the Heinz Chapel Choir, where I am serving as Vice President for the 21- 22 academic year. Outside of my academic and extracurricular work, I love to hike and spend time with friends! As a musical fun fact, any sort of overture is my favorite music to listen to. 

I’ll be honest: I’m a huge music nerd. Theory, rehearsal, performance, musicals, you name it! Though I’ve been involved in the arts since I was about seven years old, I fell in love with the concept of music as a language during my Junior year of High School. It was there that I realized that every note, interval, or chord we hear has a complex aural and theoretical anatomy, and that it was indeed possible to dissect them accordingly. That being said, I am ever-inspired by my colleagues and classmates in Pitt’s music community. During my time with them thus far, I have learned not only what it takes to be a stellar musician, but also what it means to be the kindest version of myself I can be. Because of this revelation, it is my hope to root my work with as many of these ideals as possible.

My project is titled “Get With the Program: A Guide to Musical Analysis and Storytelling”, and I am under the mentorship of Prof. Roger Zahab. As a novice conductor, I am utilizing my dramaturgical and musical skills to explore how musical repertoire (or a program of music) lends itself to storytelling. More specifically, my endeavors employ score study and analysis, as well as conducting, rehearsing, and performing with a choral ensemble. As a matter of fact, my first rehearsal is in less than a week! My overall objective is to document all of these endeavors, as a way to examine the process from the page to performance. 

Though academia and conducting are indeed fields of great interest regarding my career, I view the Creative Arts Fellowship as the perfect medium to further realize what I am capable of in my interdisciplinary work. I’m looking forward to seeing what this summer has in store!