Rosie Brand G'18 on Opera and International Affairs

With training in opera, mime and at a clown school in Paris, alumna Rosie Brand G'18 might not sound like your typical MA in International Affairs candidate. But Brand arrived at AUP with a strong intention to understand the frustrations experienced in her work with displaced populations in Germany. We sat down to ask what connects music with international affairs, what's happened since graduation, and what advice Brand would offer current AUP students.

Rosie Brand G'18

What first brought you to AUP?

I'm from Minnesota, and I studied music at Ithaca College in upstate New York as an undergraduate. I then had this crazy, circuitous route that involved training as an opera singer in a Staatstheater in Germany, studying literature and drama in London, and attending a mime and clown school in Paris. I first came to AUP in 2010 for the Summer French Immersion Program, but I applied to the master’s because I was working with displaced populations in Germany and wanted to explore some of the personal and professional frustrations I was having with the job. 

Five years out, what’s stuck in your mind about your AUP experience?

AUP gave me theoretical introductions to some of the greatest minds in sociology and politics. It was such a fulfilling experience to read Hannah Arendt and Pierre Bourdieu, people whose ideas make up the foundations of our culture and society. The social aspect also sticks out: I met so many great people, many of whom are still my friends, in a short amount of time. I was also President of the Graduate Student Council, which was really fun and great for building confidence and networking. 

How did you connect your musical background and your master’s degree?

I did an internship at the Polish National Opera House, and while I was there, I wrote my thesis on national artistic programming in Poland. I looked at how government funding was influencing decision-making around the distribution of resources and the kinds of shows being performed. It was really interesting because it was just as the right-wing, conservative government came into power, so I was able to look at the programming before and after this change. 

MA in International Affairs

Summer French Immersion Program

Take part in the Graduate Student Council

Find Hannah Arendt in the AUP Library

Read Pierre Bourdieu in the AUP Library

Orchestre de Chambre de Lyon

The best moments I’ve had are the ones where I let myself follow my intellectual curiosity. It’s scary, but it’s also how we learn.

– Rosie Brand

How have you built on this work since graduation?

After graduating, I got a job working with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lyon. My practical experience through AUP during my thesis research really helped. I’d already seen how an opera house works, and I also had familiarity with European work environments through my internship. Musicology is not so far from sociology and political science. The personal is political, and art is not created in a vacuum. I also work for a conservatoire in Lyon as a voice coach and for an opera festival in Prague, called Opernfest Prague, every summer.

How has the opera world been influenced by international affairs in recent years?

First, Covid-19 and high inflation have raised costs and led to fewer international opportunities. I’m lucky to work for an orchestra that is involved with an academic institution, and the conductor is extremely well connected. Secondly, the war in Ukraine has had a huge influence on programming, given Russian influence in opera. There’s a tricky balance when it comes to which performers to support and which performances to stage.  

How have you found the process of staying in France in the long term?

I’m so lucky to have gone to AUP. I think about this often. It was great to have support from the University when it came to setting up a carte vitale and doing other necessary paperwork for the French administration. Staff members helped me out with my visa questions too. It was really useful to have student status.  

Any advice for current AUP graduate students?

Utilize the resources you have available to you now, and don’t be afraid to ask professors questions! Speaking up can help alleviate a lot of stress. It takes time to look at what’s on offer and decide what you really want to do. There are times when we self-censor ourselves or worry about looking goofy, but the best moments I’ve had are the ones when I let myself follow my intellectual curiosity. It’s scary, but it’s also how we learn.