An Interview with Lillian Breeze
JJ Abernathy: What first sparked your interest in music? Do you have one memorable moment or did you discover your music passion gradually?
Lillian Breeze: I’m told I was singing before I started talking. I’ve been singing since I was a baby, but I think the more professional side of singing came gradually, beginning around the age of eight-years-old when I started lessons with Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller.
JJA: Can you describe the moment you realized you had a special gift for music and performance?
LB: I don’t know if I have fully realized it yet. My parents, family, and Lisa probably first saw my potential around ten years old, and I’ve just continued to work on my voice and challenge myself.
JJA: What are some of your memorable performance experiences?
LB: Oh, wow! I have loved doing concerts with Jenny Oaks Baker and being Kurt Bestor’s featured artist. I was also able to perform on stage with David Foster and Kat McPhee, which was epic! As far as a venue, I’d have to say performing to a packed house at Lincoln Center in New York City.
JJA: Have you ever felt stage fright or performance anxiety—and how did you deal with it?
LB: A little bit but not too bad. My dad stays backstage with me and keeps me pretty calm and ready to go out there confidently.
JJA: How do you balance your daily activities with music—and how does music and other aspects of your life intersect?
LB: My life is pretty balanced. School, friends, vacations, and we set aside a little time every day to work on my technique and preparing for the next show.
JJA: How does your identity influence your creativity?
LB: Well, I think my age makes a difference in the way people hear my vocal talents. I think seeing a 13/14 year old embrace classical crossover opera, in both French and Italian, is unusual for them and takes them by surprise.
JJA: What do you do to improve your skills?
LB: Weekly lessons with Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller followed by daily sessions at home to work on areas that Lisa suggests I work on.
JJA: What are your long-term career goals?
LB: I don’t know, I just want to keep singing, keep performing, continue growing a fanbase, and see what God has in store for me.
JJA: What are your current or upcoming projects?
LB: In October I’m performing for the Rise Economic Summit; also in October I’m performing with William Joseph and Pia Toscano. Then, November 12th, I’m the actual headliner of my own concert at Tuacahn Amphitheatre. I’ve mostly performed only classical crossover, but November 12th, I’ll have a little bit of that, but will also debut both pop and country.
JJA: What hopes do you have to contribute to the world?
LB: I hope to be a light to other young girls to chase their dreams, inspire them to work hard for them, and to one day be a mentor and show up to support them.
JJA: What advice would you give to other young aspiring musicians?
LB: To find a great teacher, ask for support from family and friends, put in the work, and don’t ever believe your dreams are too big.
JJA: What lessons have you learned from your teacher/mentor?
LB: First, GREAT technique. I had no idea how technical singing is. I didn’t know you can work with the technique to get better and better. Also, Lisa has taught me to be confident and instilled in me that I am maybe the best child opera singer in the world.
JJA: What do you enjoy most about performing?
LB: Looking out and seeing the crowd smiling, shocked at times, getting standing ovations, and hearing all the encouragement from them after the show. It’s the fans who keep me pushing myself to get better every day.
The Small and Simple Things in Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller's Own Words:
I was mentored by the late Marlena Malas and Trish McCaffrey, legendary voice teachers at the Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute, and The Manhattan School of Music, two of the greatest voice teachers of my generation, and, after adopting their techniques and adding my own insights after nearly 30 years of teaching and a lifetime of performing on some of the greatest stages in the world, the motto I have adopted for my studio is found in one of my favorite verses of Latter-day Saint scripture, Alma 37:6: "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."
Two icons I often refer to in lessons are Einstein and Mr. Miyagi from "The Karate Kid." Einstein said, "The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple." Mr. Miyagi was a master sensei who embodied this approach as he taught "Daniel Son" simple, real life movements (like "wax on, wax off" as he waxed Mr. Miyagi's vintage cars) that he strengthened through focused repetition, and which he later applied to the art of karate and self-defense.
Similarly, I believe in taking the incredibly complex instrument of the voice and making it simple by demonstrating and drilling simple, specific movements of the body, vocal cords, tongue, lips, teeth, jaw, and facial muscles—based on our Creator's laws of nature—over and over.
JJ Abernathy is a local arts advocate and was awarded a fellowship through the National Endowment for the Arts at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in Opera and Classical Music.
Lilliane Breeze in Concert at Tuacahn Nov. 12
Lillian Breeze, 14, is known as a vocal phenomenon—a rare young artist who is cross-trained in classical, pop, and musical theatre.
Since the age of 8, Lillian has trained with local Tony Award-winning, Grammy-nominated soprano Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller, developing a voice that is both technically brilliant and emotionally powerful.
Lillian has performed alongside musical legends David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Daniel Emmet, Jenny Oaks Baker, Kurt Bestor, Caroline Campbell, Alex Sharpe, and, of course, her voice teacher, Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller, in such venues as Lincoln Center, ECCLES Theater, and Kingsbury Hall.
Lillian Breeze will perform at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre with Emmy-Award winning, Grammy-nominated composer/performer Kurt Bestor and his band.
Source: Tuacahn Amphitheatre Website