Sophomore Noah Sesling stood on stage in the junior version of the musical Into the Woods at his summer camp. While he may have first participated in the show because his friends were in it, Sesling’s passion for singing continued long after the curtain closed.

After coming to the realization that singing was not just a hobby for him, Sesling has done everything he could to achieve his dream by performing in professional operas and joining Camerata, a capella and helping out in Concert Choir.

Sesling said that he performed in the chorus for a professional opera called Lizzie Borden, and that he would do it again if given the chance. He said his mother and chorus encouraged him to pursue to experience.

“The week before the opera goes up there were 10-hour-long rehearsals. Your voice gets really tired. In the end, the performance is good, it’s a really good feeling. I was just in the chorus for Lizzie Borden, but I’ve been in other operas where I’ve had solo roles, which was pretty cool,” Sesling said.

Sophomore Sophie Morganstern, a friend of Sesling’s, said the Lizzie Borden performance allowed Sesling to connect with the musical plot.

“He really loved it. The music was kind of creepy. It’s this girl who murders her family with an ax, so all the music is really dissonant and evil sounding at times,” Morganstern said.

Sophomore Sonia Hills, a friend of Noah’s, said Sesling puts in a lot of effort and time into developing and strengthening his musical abilities.

“He does at least one or two performing arts classes every single day. He’s in all three choirs, Concert Choir, a capella choir, and Camerata. On the weekends he’s all music, all the time,” Hills said.

Sesling said he enjoys different varieties of music, though his focus is opera and classical music.

“I really like doing any kind of singing, and I think musical diversity is important,” Sesling said.

Sesling said the professional opera means a lot to him, and it is a very important part of who he is today.

“It was one of the best experiences in my life and I really have to be thankful for it because it’s kind of shaped me as a person. I’ve learned so much now that I would not have known if I didn’t get into singing,” Sesling said.

Morganstern said that Sesling is talented and creative with his music.

“He has a really good ear with harmonies, and he makes his own little pieces. He covers pieces with just his voice on GarageBand, which I think is really really cool,” she said.

Chorus director Michael Driscoll said Sesling influences the other students to work harder.

“In concert choir, he’s a huge help in the bass section there and providing them with a model, both as a singer and a musician. He really helps lead that section a lot, which is a big help with that class because the basses in that group are all freshman,” Driscoll said.

Sesling said he has improved greatly as an artist by gaining confidence in his voice and artistic performance.

“I had some bad choir habits, like always standing still, really tense. When my voice dropped, it gave me a chance to start again and learn new skill and teach myself some better singing habits,” Sesling said.

He has worked hard to get to where he is today and his desire for the future is to sing.

“Although, it might not be steady income I’d rather be doing something I like doing rather than having a desk job and being bored all day,” Sesling said.

He realizes that he can not achieve his dream of becoming a professional singer by himself.

“It really takes a village,” Sesling said, “because I’ve had so many different teachers and so many different ways of learning.”