Vanderbilt Student Breaks Ground with Vienna Opera
1,625 views · Published 7 April 2015 · 2:18 · Indexed 10 November 2026
Channel: Vanderbilt University · 2015 · Education
She came to Vanderbilt with a love of music and exploring other cultures. see how Ohio native Nora Pertz combined these passions with a lot of hard work…to accomplish an impressive first with the Vienna Opera. HER MUSIC TRANSPORTS YOU TO ANOTHER AGE AND TIME… VANDERBILT MUSIC MAJOR NORA PERTZ SAYS HER DREAMS ARE TAKING FLIGHT. “It has been I must say in the past four years it was probably the single most defining part of my Vanderbilt career.” THAT DEFINING MOMENT—STUDYING ABROAD “I have a full financial aid package. I would have never thought I would have had the opportunity to study abroad not once but three times but Vanderbilt has given me that opportunity. THE NORTHEAST OHIO NATIVE FELL IN LOVE WITH VIENNA, AUSTRIA AND IMMERSED HERSELF IN STUDYING GERMAN. SHE THEN EARNED THE FIRST INTERNSHIP EVER OFFERED BY THE VIENNA OPERA. “It was phenomenal I mean every week sometimes every day I would go to a different Opera – I would hold the door open Oh hello Ms. Nertrepko the premiere opera singers in the world.” AND SHE DID A LOT MORE THAN WATCH. “I’m a piano major at Blair so I got to know some of the opera coaches and I was able to play for the singer sometimes at rehearsals which was such an incredible experience” SHE EVEN HELPED TOM CRUISE WHEN HE FILMED MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. “I got to translate his contract from German to English (laughs)” HER LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO WORK ON THE MANAGEMENT SIDE OF AN OPERA HOUSE. “I’m able to not only come at this arts administration from a business side but also come at it from a musical side because of the wonderful music teaching that I received at Blair.” “Vanderbilt really pushed me to think outside the box and to challenge myself and to find what I’m passionate about.” PERTZ ALSO EARNED A SPOT AS THE ONLY AMERICAN IN A SPECIAL MASTER’S PROGRAM WITHIN THE VIENNA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC. WHAT DO HER PARENTS THINK OF THIS LONG DISTANCE DREAM? “I think they’ve always expected that I was going to one day fly away from my small town in Ashtabula, Ohio. They always said I was born with wings.” FOR VUCAST, I’M AMY WOLF. Follow Vanderbilt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanderbiltu, on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vanderbiltu and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanderbilt. See all Vanderbilt social media at http://social.vanderbilt.edu.
