Rita Mathsen has had the biggest influence in my life out of any individual I know. I was a music major at a small liberal arts school in Michigan for a year, and while I was there, I realized that the school did not have the program that I needed. In coming back to New York, I discovered Rita through a friend in my church. After just one lesson with her, I knew that if I wanted to pursue a career in music, she was the person I needed to work with.
Her skills as a teacher are many-fold; she has the patience to work with younger, new musicians, teaching them the basics of the voice. She also has the knowledge, experience, training and wisdom to guide a singer towards the professional path as well. That is what caused me to gravitate towards her as a teacher. She was brutally honest in my lessons, because she knew that that was the type of training and guidance that I needed. If I sang, and it wasn't my best, or I was boring, or wasn't giving a convincing performance, there were no holds barred; she did not mince words just to make me feel
better, she told me what I needed to fix and we improved from there.
Due to Rita's past experience performing opera, she was able to help me with all the different facets of a performer. Lessons were not just about singing and vocal technique; she would give me guidance on diction in languages, as well as acting expertise. In preparation for a performance of Die Fledermaus, she even spent a good portion of a lesson teaching me how to waltz. She would also find performance opportunities for me, outside of the normal studio recitals one
would expect from a private voice teacher. Because of her, I had the experience of performing as a soloist and section leader in a church, performing as a guest artist at an Italian Music Festival, singing in a production of Die Fledermaus, as well as Don Giovanni, as well as being hired to perform multiple weddings. The amount of energy she sinks into her students is astounding, and I would not be where I am now without her.
The final thing I would like to bring up about Rita, which is not a musical facet, but rather an aspect of her personality, is her generous and caring nature. In the year and a half that I studied with her, she was really like a second mother to me. She would spend much longer than the hour I was paying for with me, giving me knowledge and guidance on not just singing, but wisdom in life as well. Our relationship was more than just teacher, student; by the end of my time with her I considered her a steadfast friend and mentor as well. She would go above and beyond the normal responsibilities of a teacher, even going so far as to travel with me to Texas when I auditioned for school.
In conclusion, Rita Mazurowski Mathsen has been profoundly influential to my journey as a musician. If it was not for her teaching and guidance in setting me on the right track, I would not be on the path of achieving my goal as a performer.
Josiah Davis
Her skills as a teacher are many-fold; she has the patience to work with younger, new musicians, teaching them the basics of the voice. She also has the knowledge, experience, training and wisdom to guide a singer towards the professional path as well. That is what caused me to gravitate towards her as a teacher. She was brutally honest in my lessons, because she knew that that was the type of training and guidance that I needed. If I sang, and it wasn't my best, or I was boring, or wasn't giving a convincing performance, there were no holds barred; she did not mince words just to make me feel
better, she told me what I needed to fix and we improved from there.
Due to Rita's past experience performing opera, she was able to help me with all the different facets of a performer. Lessons were not just about singing and vocal technique; she would give me guidance on diction in languages, as well as acting expertise. In preparation for a performance of Die Fledermaus, she even spent a good portion of a lesson teaching me how to waltz. She would also find performance opportunities for me, outside of the normal studio recitals one
would expect from a private voice teacher. Because of her, I had the experience of performing as a soloist and section leader in a church, performing as a guest artist at an Italian Music Festival, singing in a production of Die Fledermaus, as well as Don Giovanni, as well as being hired to perform multiple weddings. The amount of energy she sinks into her students is astounding, and I would not be where I am now without her.
The final thing I would like to bring up about Rita, which is not a musical facet, but rather an aspect of her personality, is her generous and caring nature. In the year and a half that I studied with her, she was really like a second mother to me. She would spend much longer than the hour I was paying for with me, giving me knowledge and guidance on not just singing, but wisdom in life as well. Our relationship was more than just teacher, student; by the end of my time with her I considered her a steadfast friend and mentor as well. She would go above and beyond the normal responsibilities of a teacher, even going so far as to travel with me to Texas when I auditioned for school.
In conclusion, Rita Mazurowski Mathsen has been profoundly influential to my journey as a musician. If it was not for her teaching and guidance in setting me on the right track, I would not be on the path of achieving my goal as a performer.
Josiah Davis
Rita helped to prepare my eight year old daughter for an open call audition for the lead role of Matilda, in the Broadway musical, Matilda. Rita was eager to help us out. She scheduled my daughter for her first lesson immediately after our first phone call. She addressed every aspect of my daughter's audition...vocals, dress, hand gestures and even pre-audition warm-ups and food and beverage suggestions. As a music teacher myself, I was keenly aware of Rita's musical abilities as I listened to her work with my daughter. She was able to make a huge difference in my daughters voice in a very short time. I am excited to announce that out of hundreds of little girls who attended the open call for the role of Matilda, my daughter was selected for a callback, and yesterday she attended her SECOND callback! The musical directors of the show worked with her for an hour and a half, along with eight other potential girls. It has been incredible to make it this far in the audition process and we are very excited. Thank you, Rita! Laura M.
