2/18/2025

As a senior Music Education major and Kathwari Honors Student, seizing opportunities to experience new things is music to Julie Cooke’s ears. This summer, in Salzburg, Austria, Julie took masterclasses in singing from world-class vocalists like Daniel Okulitch and Cecilia Bartoli.

A majority of her trip was spent in Alstadt, or the Old Town, where her classes took place. Julie visited Mozart’s Birthplace and the Festspielhaus (home of the Salzburg Music Festival). She also took the time to visit the Mirabell Palace, Schloss Leopoldskron, and the town of Mondsee, all places featured in the film The Sound of Music. “The opportunity to live in a beautiful country with a different language and culture than in the U.S is lifechanging,” Julie explains. “Music is an important part of past and present culture, and being able to study and perform music in a place where impactful musical figures performed has allowed me to come into my own as a musician and as a person.

Julie felt fulfilled to be learning new music and focusing on her singing technique with an array of experienced and informative professionals. She also learned methods for how to teach voice students to manage competition in a healthy way, get through performance anxiety, and make meaningful connections with others. All along the way, she got to practice her German. “After taking German language classes for a month straight,” Julie says, “I earned my A1 Language certificate from ÖSD, an internationally recognized organization of German language proficiency.”

Julie thrives in the supportive community of the Kathwari Honors Program. She feels like she is a more well-rounded person because of her participation in the Program and because of the generous funding from the Kathwari Family and Barden Fund: “I experienced the rich culture of a country I had never been to before, and I was able to strengthen my skills as a musician and an educator. I could not have done this without their financial support, as well as the Kathwari Honors Program’s encouragement to expand my horizons.”