Estill Master Trainer Spotlight: Brian Eisiminger
This spotlight features a voice teacher and musical director who is raising the bar and breaking legs at California University of Pennsylvania, one of our Estill Educational Affiliates!
Name: Brian Eisiminger
Current home (city, country): Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Where did you grow up? I grew up on a farm a few miles south of the town where I currently live.
Biggest professional challenge: Having enough time to accomplish goals related to my own professional growth so that I have more to offer to my students and be a better teacher.
Favorite Voice book: The Owner’s Manual to the Voice by Rachael Gates, L. Arick Forrest & Kerrie Obert
Last book read: I tend to have several books going at one time. I believe my most recently finished book is The Demon of Brownsville Road, a nonfiction work I chose to read because of the setting (a borough south of Pittsburgh, PA) and my mild curiosity about the paranormal. I am currently in the middle of This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin, Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Person you would most like to have dinner with: If he were alive and would accept the invitation, it would be Johann Sebastian Bach, though I feel I would bore him terribly. I might be a bit brazen of me, but I would ask to buy him dinner in exchange for just one day of teaching me some things about composition and improvisation.
Favorite performer: I have no favorite in this category. There are many I admire and appreciate. Among those are: Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster, Norah Jones, Billie Holiday, Harry Connick, Jr., and Michael Bublé.
Dream vacation: If money were no obstacle, I would love the opportunity to meander throughout Europe for an entire year with no fixed itinerary.
3 Albums (CDs) you would take with you if stranded on a deserted island: Again, no favorites in this category. However, I would be happy with representative works of piano jazz, baroque organ, and choral music.
Item(s) most likely to be found in your refrigerator: Milk, eggs, yogurt, and celery. Occasionally, you may find a bottle of white wine, which will not remain there for long.
Hobby(ies): I have very little time for hobbies these days, but hope that changes as I grow older. I like to do things with my hands, such as woodworking and DIY home projects.
Favorite quote: I have two: “Every time a choice is made, a belief is applied,” and “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.”
People would be surprised to know… I changed my major several times during my years as a college undergraduate; I entered as a biology major, but finished with a degree in Italian Language and Literature. Another fun fact: I once worked as a flight attendant.
