Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Hashizume.
Hi Anna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started taking acting classes when I was in elementary school. I was the kid that was always singing and putting on shows in my family’s living room. One day, my mom saw an ad in the paper for a Steppingstone Theatre and Theater Mu co-production. They were specifically looking for Asian American youth performers, so I decided to audition. I got in the show and I guess you could say that was when the bug bit me.
As I got older, I started taking voice lessons and taking my singing more seriously. I participated in a lot of performing opportunities both in high school and outside of school. As my voice grew, my teachers started encouraging me to look at classical music. I was a musical theatre kid through and through but as I started to explore classical music, I started falling in love with it.
When I started looking at colleges, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to seriously pursue classical music or if I wanted to go into musical theatre. After a lot of auditioning and long discussions with my family and teachers, I landed on attending Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. There, I studied with American soprano Carol Vaness and received a dual degree in vocal performance and acting.
I went on to receive my Master’s of Music in vocal performance at the University of Minnesota. When I graduated, I had the full intention of continuing to pursue opera. Every season, I went out to New York City to audition for Young Artist Programs – the first stepping stones to becoming a professional opera singer. However, after a few seasons of doing that, I started to get really burned out. I realized I wasn’t singing for the love of it anymore. I felt so much pressure to sound a certain way. I remember having a trip planned to NYC with auditions all set up and calling my mom to say, “I don’t think I want to do this anymore.”
That was when I turned back to my first love – musical theatre. I started auditioning for local shows and rediscovering the love of my voice and performing! Now, I work locally and nationally performing in all types of theatre – opera, musical theatre, and plays.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road!
I’ll never forget having that conversation with my mom where I told her I didn’t think I wanted to do opera anymore. I had put so much time and money into becoming an opera singer. I felt like I was letting everyone down by turning away from it. It was a really hard few months where I was refiguring out what kind of performer I wanted to be. Of course, I still perform in operas, but now I feel that I do it on my own terms which is really empowering.
It’s also just hard to be an artist. I face rejection all the time! Every few months I question what I’m doing. It isn’t easy!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I guess my identity is very tied to my career, since that’s all I’ve been talking about so far. 🙂
With every person I talk to, I feel like I change the way I describe myself. Sometimes I lead with “classically trained singer.” Sometimes I say “performer” or “actor.” Other times, I lead with “voice teacher” or “teaching artist.” It’s challenging when I feel like my career encompasses so many aspects of performance. So, all of this is true! I perform in operas, plays, and musicals. I also do on-camera work, mostly commercials and industrials. And I’m an educator – I teach voice and acting through various organizations throughout the Twin Cities.
I would say that performing on stage is what feeds my soul the most! I particularly enjoy storytelling through music. It’s funny – I feel like what I’m most known for in the musical theatre community is my vocal abilities and what I’m most known for in the opera community is my acting. Either way, singing and acting together is where I feel most at home.
As a voice educator, I’m very passionate about creating “whole performers.” I want my students to feel set up for success when performing! I want them to understand their voice and how to make smart vocal decisions to tell a story.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think I’m a really hard worker and highly self-motivated.
I also have a hard time sitting still, which definitely has its downsides, but has helped me get to where I am today.
Pricing:
- $50 for a 60min voice lesson
- $30 for a 30min voice lesson
Contact Info:
- Email: hashizume.anna@gmail.com
- Website: www.annahashizume.com
- Instagram: @annahashizume or @sing_with_anna
Image Credits
Photo 2 and 3: Lily Lancaster
Photo 4: Sara Erdman
