- So explain to me kind of like again how this works exactly.

- Okay.

So you'll lay flat.

- Okay.

- Okay?

- Mmh.

- Now again, this is not technique.

This is just a separate exercise to help you focus on holding the ribs in place, once you've inhaled completely, all right?

- Okay.

- And-- - [Announcer] In partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music, WHYY presents the following program.

- So to speak.

The ribs outward.

So once you take your deep breath, you'll come into boat pose.

If it's too difficult to pull the head and shoulders up right, then just pull the feet up.

- Okay.

- Just a few inches off the floor.

- Okay.

(Emily vocalizing) - That's what we're gonna do.

Here we go.

(Emily vocalizing) Yeah, I'm gonna do it with you.

- Okay.

All right.

Solidarity.

Here we go.

Here we go.

Team.

Here we go.

One same key.

Ready?

- Mmh.

- And go.

(both vocalizing) - Rest.

We'll take a breath and go faster.

(both vocalizing) - My name is Emily Damasco.

and I am Curtis' opera student.

When I was a child, I was very vocal, but I never really spoke.

So I would always like hum.

I was like (Emily hums) in my little car seat and my mom was, you know, when I would hum and I would phoneme, my mom just kind of heard a different sound, a different quality in my voice that was a little bit, I wouldn't say older, but it didn't sound like a six year old.

It sounded a lot different.

When we were starting out the journey of learning how to manage this voice, where to take it, my grandmother was a big part of it.

- [Announcer] Here is a young lady that I haven't seen for quite a long time.

I have to do a little checking up.

Her name is Janice.

Janice Jaya, good morning.

- [Janice] Good morning.

- When she was around nine years old, she started to sing.

Her mother saw potential in her as well.

And kind of put her into just singing in general because she didn't really know about operatic singing.

(Janice vocalizing) When she continued on through her journey through high school, she did musicals.

And then she went to New York City to study with a teacher from Julliard.

She wasn't really feeling it.

She wasn't really motivated to do what she wanted to do.

(Janice vocalizing) So she ended up just singing locally, the church or just practicing still by herself and not really professionally.

(Janice vocalizing) - That little breath is great, good, lean.

(Emily vocalizing) - The first thing she said to me when I was like seven or eight, she's like, "The teacher is everything."

(Emily vocalizing) I knew when I wanted to be an opera singer when I met Elizabeth.

(Emily vocalizing) I was just taken away by her instrument and her gift.

(Emily vocalizing) - Good breath, lean, stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch.

- She made me feel really, really inspired.

And she also moved my soul deeply.

(Emily vocalizing) She kinda helped me believe in myself and believe in my instrument.

- Bravo.

(both laughing) You are getting it.

You are getting it.

I'm so happy for you, you are getting it.

- I did a student recital series, "The Mignon Lieder" by Hugo Wolf.

Mignon is younger than me.

She's like around 13 or 12 and she's a very obscure type of girl.

And she's pretty much throughout her whole life has been moved around.

She doesn't speak like an actual language, speaks multiple languages.

She was abused as a child.

She was thrown into other people's like circus things and she was all over the place.

And she finally was able to speak out to this one man called Wilhelm.

And it's the whole cycle is based off of the story of Mignon from Wilhelm's masters apprenticeship by Goethe, so Wilhelm meets her, and this is the first time she opens up to him and she's like, "Bid me not to speak.

My heart is closed off and only God can unlock my heart and my soul."

But she comes out a little bit more and she just continues to flourish through these songs.

(Emily vocalizing) (Emily vocalizing) (Emily vocalizing) And the last song in particular, which is my favorite, "Kennst du das Land".

She talks about almost like her old home or where she used to live, where she felt most comfortable and she just keeps questioning, "Where is that place?

Why can't I get to it?"

All of these beautiful boulders and there are these beautiful blossoming trees, and why am I not there?

Where is this place?

(Emily vocalizing) I was able to work with Jin Hyun Park on Korean songs that were written by Jean Ahn, and these songs were revised or revisited Korean songs that are a part of the Korean culture.

So really old folk songs that are created into Korean art songs.

- These songs are titled Korean Folk Songs Revisited composed by Jean Ahn.

Korean folk songs very stylistically by province.

The songs you used to hear are from the North Eastern and Western parts of South Korea.

These songs sung by common people while they were working, performing rituals or play, the songs are directly connected to their everyday lives.

(Emily vocalizing) - I'm really proud of how diligent I am and how motivated and driven I am with this craft.

I really work hard every day.

I'm really proud of how I've been able to decipher my decisions, use my intuition to guide me where I need to be.

And so when I practice every day and I get up, what keeps me going is knowing that this gift that I have will be able to help me in some way or my body and my soul and my voice will all be able to come together and help me learn something from myself.

So I'm very proud of myself for that.

(Emily vocalizing)