Lamont Student Profile: Sara Fortunato
Finding Your Way
It is not unusual for a high school graduate to imagine two alternatives for a music career: perform and/or teach. While this perception is changing slowly with technology’s ubiquity, its limited perspective is understandable, since for most high school students it reflects their lived experiences. At Lamont, we work toward expanding the notion of what is possible, of encouraging students to explore new ideas, of helping them find their own way. There is no better example of this blossoming than Sara Fortunato.
Sara is part of a musical family. Her father graduated from Berklee College of Music, and music involvement by older twin brothers inspired her to become a musician herself. (One of them, Ben Fortunato, is today an active jazz guitarist in New York.) She grew up in the culturally rich environment of Princeton, New Jersey, beginning her studies on the clarinet in fourth grade but switching quickly to bassoon. At Montgomery High School she was “the quintessential band kid,” playing bassoon in school ensembles and snare drum in the marching band. Outside of Montgomery High, she played all four years of high school in the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra, “did a little bit” at Westminster Choir College, played in solo & ensemble auditions with the Central New Jersey Music Educators Association, and studied in Manhattan with Leonard Hindell in the college prep program at The New School/Mannes.
As I talked with Sara, I was struck by her modesty. While sharing her accomplishments, she seemed to dismiss herself, saying with a laugh, “I’m still working on the imposter syndrome.” Her potential, though, was not missed by Martin Kuuskmann, Associate Professor of Bassoon at Lamont. Sara played for him in a master class at Mannes, and he encouraged her to apply to DU. She was accepted and enrolled in Fall 2021.
It’s been a great fit. Since matriculating, Sara has played in numerous ensembles. She’s taken advantage of opportunities at DU and has created projects on her own. She describes Lamont as a supportive place where she has “met some of the greatest people I’ve ever known.” But she has also taken on initiatives supporting the Lamont community, being herself one of those great people. She has done a recital every year (instead of the two required in the junior and senior years), partnered with Assistant Professor Remy Le Boeuf on producing the Centennial Dance last Fall, and has been one of the curators for the annual Inclusive Composers Concert the past two years. She also has expanded her studies, enrolling in the 4+1 program that combines her music degree with a Master of Science in Management in the Daniels College of Business.
Sara’s expanded course of study reflects music having a place for her in a larger picture. She talks of applying musical abilities to projects, of team building and discipline, two essential ingredients of music and business careers. She describes what she has learned through Daniels about the science of team leadership, fostering belief and trust with those who work with you, learning how to lead one’s own success and also lead a team. Sara draws parallels to playing in orchestra or in a chamber group, of having a breadth of understanding to know when to lead and when to follow.
After DU, Sara is considering something in music business – more specifically, something that will involve music and community engagement. That mixture cropped up often in our conversation, of how music can fit into a bigger picture. She mentions pursuing possibilities after graduation in Denver, hoping to become involved with the Colorado Music Bridge, an organization co-founded by adjunct professor Peter Stoltzman which provides access to inclusive modern music education programs, curricular resources, and professional development. It will be her first step beyond DU toward combining her interests in music and business.
Kuuskmann thinks Sara has great promise in the music world. “She is a wonderful musician – beautiful lyrical playing,” he says. “She has ideas galore! I think she will shake up the music field. She is going to be doing great things. I could see her becoming a CEO of a symphony orchestra or a major music festival. Great charisma, a wonderful personality.”
From a “quintessential band kid” to a potential mover and shaker in the music industry, Sara is a model at Lamont for a person who has applied herself, explored ideas, expanded the notion of what is possible, and found her way – her own way.
