“Anything you can do, I can do better.”

Until now, Voice student Carmen Voskuhl had never performed Irvin Berlin's iconic lyrics from Annie Get Your Gun before. “I’ve had lots of training in classical singing and opera, but I’d be lying to you if I said I was fully confident in my ability to sing in adjacent genres,” she said. 

The lyrics are almost poetic now that Voskuhl's repertoire has grown, building her future as a 21st-century musician. The mezzo-soprano performed the song as a duet with fellow Voice student Natalie Sweeney. Voskuhl appreciated that while her classical training has empowered her, experiences like this challenge and excite her with “breadth and depth.” 

Sheng Feng Chan and Shuke Liu.

The two students were part of about a dozen in Voice faculty Catherine Cook's studio who performed in the unique recital November 3. “We had such a joyful time working on this program,” Cook said. In this studio recital, performers all sang musical works from the “Great American Songbook,” a term that loosely describes popular jazz, Broadway, musical theatre and Hollywood songs written during the first half of the 20th century. “I’ve always wanted to highlight it,” Cook said. “It’s an important part of the fabric of our musical theater history.”

Soprano Syona Ayyankeril.

The program featured popular songs by George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Cole Porter, as well as Duke Ellington and Lorenz Hart. “Singing these songs flexes a specific skill set and level of storytelling,” Cook continued. “The honesty and directness of these melodies and songs go straight to the heart. I was thrilled to highlight these fabulous songs in this program and hope it leads to more exploration and discovery of this repertoire in the future!”

SFCM faculty Cathy Cook.

Voskuhl and Sweeney leaned into not only performing at their vocal best, but the chance to try something challenging and fun. “Something that is special about Cathy’s studio is the camaraderie and support that I get from my fellow colleagues,” Voskuhl continued. “Natalie is a wonderful singer and person and I feel so lucky to be able to work with her. I really love being in Cathy's studio.”

Baritone Junzhe Zhang.

SFCM’s vocal program openly embraces the highest quality of opera and musical theatre training, but also provides a unique educational experience for the 21st-century singing artist. In the fall of 2024, SFCM began expanding its vocal curriculum to focus on the highest standards of professional training while openly embracing cross-genre exploration from the beginning of students' time at the Conservatory.

Taking a risk with repertoire was something students like Voskuhl were excited to take on, inspired by their teacher. “Cathy is also unafraid to try new things,” she said “There is strength in going outside of your comfort zone. Cathy is a great person to help push you outside of your comfort zone while still having your back.”

Natalie Sweeney and Carmen Voskuhl perform "Anything you can do, I can do better."

Adding another layer to their performance was that Voskuhl and Sweeney were both cast as Prince Charming, a trouser role in the Spring 2025 production of Cendrillon. “We thought it would be a cute idea to rewrite some of the lyrics so we could poke fun at that,” Voskuhl said. 

For Voskuhl, the concert not only expanded her vocal technique, but let her show off another side of her performing skill, an unforgettable experience. “I’ve always felt pretty comfortable with doing comedy so being able to show that off in a recital was special to me,” Voskuhl said.

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