Name: Jennifer Ramon
Year: Senior
Major: Choral Music Education
Her Campus Texas: How did you get involved in music?
Jennifer Ramon: As a kid I did a lot of community musical theater, which is where I started singing. I was in band in high school, but chose to pursue singing in college.
HCTX: Tell us about your internship in NYC this summer:
JR: I interned at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts center in the world. I worked in a department that was responsible for gaining the financial support of corporate sponsors. I got to be involved in the planning for a lot of cool events like a very high end golf tournament, and a fashion event that will feature the head designer of Chanel.
HCTX: How many Broadway shows/ballets/concerts did you see this summer?
JR: I saw: 12 Broadway shows, three Off-broadway shows, two ballets, two contemporary dance shows, two New York Philharmonic Concerts, one opera, and one jazz concert.
HCTX: Any celeb meetings?
JR: My first week there was the luckiest week of my life. My first day in New York, I was walking down the street with my brother and we spotted Kristin Chenoweth walking in front of us. I basically started hyperventilating, but my brother was great, and calmed me down and gave me a pep talk so I had the confidence to talk to her. She was so wonderful and had an entire conversation with me. She was on a date with Jake Pavelka from the Bachelor, but I was so star struck by her, I didn’t even really notice him. Later that week, I participated in the student ticket drawing for the Tony Award tickets and my name miraculously got drawn out of the hundreds of people that were there! I may have nearly suffered an emotional breakdown trying to find a dress to wear, but it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Plus, I saw Neil Patrick Harris live! Meeting Aaron Tveit was another magical part of the summer. I heard he was playing in the Broadway Softball League in Central Park, so a friend and I headed to the softball fields, and thankfully that rumor turned out to be true!
HCTX: What was your favorite part of living in NYC? Least favorite part?
JR: My favorite thing is the city loves the arts as much as I do. On any night, you can see a musical, a symphony, or a ballet. There’s so much stuff to do! My least favorite thing is that it’s painfully expensive. Although, there were student discounts for everything. So being a college student in New York, made it a little more bearable for my bank account.
HCTX: What are your top three favorite musicals?
JR: Avenue Q, Spring Awakening, Wicked
HCTX: If you could perform in concert with someone, who would it be and why?
JR: Neil Patrick Harris. He rocked that opening number of the Tony’s!
HCTX: Tell us about your upcoming senior recital:
JR: Every voice major has to give a recital. It’s basically your chance to show what you’ve learned in the voice lessons that you’re required to take. I will be singing pieces in Italian, French, German, and English. It’s kind of terrifying since I’ve never performed by myself for an entire hour before, but it’s also going to be a fun opportunity for my friends and family to hear me.
HCTX: What’s next for you after you graduate?
JR: I’ve always wanted to be a music teacher, but this past summer, I realized how much I would love working in the business side of the performing arts. I’ll be student teaching in the spring, but I think there’s a pretty big chance I’ll be headed back to New York after graduation. So if you know of anyone who has a couch in the New York area that I can sleep on while job hunting… let me know!
Want to hear Jennifer sing? Check out her Senior Recital!