Erin Corrigan This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Catholic Register

   cathregaj.org/reg/hpage.php?id - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/3/2006   Last Visited: 8/18/2006

   PERFORMING: Erin Corrigan of Johnstown (right) enjoys performing as a member of Duquesne University's famed Tamburitzans troupe, and credits her success as a musician to lessons learned at Catholic schools in Johnstown.
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   Bishop McCort High School Graduate and Duquesne University student Erin Corrigan, a member of the internationally known Tamburitzan group, recounted her growing up years in a telephone interview. She is a graduate of Saint Benedict Parochial School in Geistown, Johnstown, and attributes much of her success to the school. "It's a really great academic school. It gave me a strong music background. Everyone who comes through the school loves the music program," Corrigan gushed. A classical violinist, she's been enamored with music from an early age, when she began to pursue it with zeal. "Elizabeth Pile of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra gave me my first violin lesson. She conducted a small string group at Saint Benedict," Corrigan remembers fondly. Corrigan was introduced to piano at five years of age and continued to be tutored by Joseph Gaunt at Saint Benedict.
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   She was very strict and demanded the best," said Corrigan with an air of gratitude. In the seventh grade her life got busier when she was selected to the Johnstown Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she continued to play the violin. "Every Fourth of July when I have time, I perform with the Johnstown and Altoona Symphonies," she added. In high school she studied violin for a year at the Pittsburgh City Music Center, while auditioning for other conservancies. During her sophomore year at Bishop McCort she received the Jim Miller Excellence in Arts Award/Grant. It's given in honor of Miller, a former beloved guidance counselor at the school, who passed away several years ago. The grant is to enable students to pursue the arts such as language, music and acting. She spent the summer of 2001 at the Luzerne Music Center in Lake Luzerne, New York, with persons from all around the country. Always devoted to her music it was at this time that she made a commitment to her future. "Because of the scholarship afforded me by Bishop McCort, I was able to experience different persons and cultures. It was then I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a musician," Corrigan recalled of that valuable time she spent away. "Without that experience provided to me by Bishop McCort, I never would have known how much of the world was out there for me to discover." She remembers her days at Bishop McCort and Saint Benedict School with fondness. The faith instilled in her carries her during hectic times at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. "Faith plays a big part in my life at Duquesne," Corrigan said. Her pace didn't slow when she entered Duquesne. The Tamburitzans perform over 80 shows each year, which means there's much rehearsing and music to memorize. That's in addition to all her college classes, lessons, etc. For two years now she has studied violin with Christopher Wu of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where he is a member of the first violin section. "He's my mentor. He's an amazing player and a gifted teacher," Corrigan said. "I've made great strides with my violin since I began studying with him." Corrigan recently returned from several performances in Florida. She's involved in every musical number so she has a lot of music to learn. "With all the shows we do and the academics, it's very tough at first," Corrigan sighed. "You learn how to focus and manage time very quickly." The Tamburitzans perform songs and dances of Eastern European Cultures such as Ireland, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, Croatia, Ukraine and Romania. She first experienced the Tamburitzans when her mother took her to a show when she was a young girl. "I didn't audition for the group until my sophomore year," Corrigan explained, even though she is attending the college on a music scholarship.