In her own words, Emilia Perrotta ’24 talks about how she’s learned to be her own person and singer and not compare herself with others.

I have an older sister who's an opera singer. Like any younger sibling, I picked up what she did. When I was a kid I tried dance, cello, and piano, but nothing gave me satisfaction like singing. Growing up, I questioned if I actually loved music or if I loved it just because my sister did. Now that I'm at SFCM, I have no doubt this is for me. 

I study with Cathy Cook and in our short time together I’m singing like never before. My voice has quadrupled in technique, power, and enthusiasm. I voiced my concerns to Cathy right off the bat. I said, “This is how I’m struggling with the influence of my older sister. I want to find my own path and I want to be my own person.” She has been so supportive of me in that. She is rooting for me sometimes more than I root for myself. I would not be where I am, both as a musician and as a person, without her.

The biggest thing Cathy and I have been working on this year is to make sure I don't overwork myself. It's hard. No matter how much I don't want to, I compare myself to my sister. I know she's seven years older, but I see the way that she's singing and I want so badly to sing like that too. I have the tendency to push myself too hard even though my voice is young and still growing. I’m learning that it’s okay to not sing at 100% all the time. I’m not any less of a singer if I sing at 75% or 50% somedays. This is the first time in my life I've really started to accept that and it's making a monumental change in the way I sound. I’m finally starting to value the bad days just as much as the good ones. 

Cathy is incredible. I don't know anyone on the west coast. I don't have any family here. My mom was concerned with me coming to San Francisco on my own. But if anything was to happen, I know Cathy would be there for me. Along with this, we also maintain a high level of professionalism because that's something that I’ve struggled with in the past. She'll give me a hug, but she's not afraid to say, “Go back and do it again. I know you, you’re better than that.”

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