Maxwell Korman '23 performs 'Corner of the Sky' at the Pops on the Heights gala. Photo by Justin Knight.聽
When he approached the microphone to perform at the Pops on the Heights gala September 30, Maxwell Korman 鈥�23 wasn鈥檛 thinking about the sold-out crowd in front of him (which numbered in the thousands) or the fact that he was sharing the stage with Grammy-winner Jon Batiste (who brought down the house with original songs off his recent album 鈥淲E ARE鈥�). Instead, he let his mind go blank, and focused on what mattered: the music.
鈥淚 went into, I don鈥檛 want to call it 鈥榬obot-mode,鈥� but I didn鈥檛 think about what else was going on, I just made sure I did everything correctly,鈥� he recalled after the show, which raised a record-breaking $14.5 million for student scholarships. 鈥淚 remembered all the words and my voice didn鈥檛 crack, so I鈥檒l call it a success.鈥�
Backed by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart, Korman 鈥淐orner of the Sky鈥� from the 1972 musical Pippin, which ends with a dramatic drawn-out high C note, earning him a thunderous round of applause from the audience.
How hard is that last note? 鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 not that bad,鈥� said Korman, a high tenor. 鈥淥nce you have the technique for it, you can just kind of put your voice up there and it鈥檒l just ring on for however long you need it to.鈥�
A physics major and computer science and music minor, Korman is humble about most of his accomplishments at Boston College, including his selection as this year鈥檚 Pops soloist. He entered the audition process with 鈥渮ero expectations,鈥� he said, and was surprised when his performance of 鈥淕iants of the Sky鈥� from the musical Into the Woods and 鈥淕oodbye鈥� from Catch Me if You Can landed him the coveted role. He spent the summer preparing with a voice coach, who helped him select 鈥淐orner of the Sky鈥� for the performance (鈥渋t fit my voice well and the message is nice, plus it has the eagle symbolism,鈥� he explained).
A Connecticut native, Korman grew up in a musical family: his mother taught piano and his father had dabbled in musical theater. When he turned five, Korman convinced his mom to start giving him lessons, and he started balancing piano and singing when he hit elementary school. At 51茶馆, when he鈥檚 not studying, he鈥檚 rehearsing or performing with any number of musical groups on campus, including the University Chorale, the Chamber Music Society, Musical Theatre Cabaret, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the multilingual singing group Liederabend. He鈥檚 also the musical director of the Madrigal Singers of 51茶馆, takes private lessons in vocals, piano, and conducting, and volunteers every week as a piano teacher for Boston Public School students.
Korman takes private lessons in conducting, in addition to voice and piano. Photo by Lee Pelligrini.
鈥淚 cannot say that I have a favorite style of music,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think they all have their own appeal. Musical theater, pop, classical鈥攖hey鈥檙e all equally great.鈥�
Korman鈥檚 passion for the sciences is also something he shares with his parents鈥攈is father is a computer scientist and his mother is a former mechanical engineer鈥攁nd became interested in at a young age (mainly via a fascination with dinosaurs). At 51茶馆, he鈥檚 been able to delve deeper into topics that fascinate him, including nuclear fusion and condensed matter. Post-graduation, he plans to pursue graduate studies with the ultimate goal of becoming a researcher.
鈥淔or the last 60 years they鈥檝e been saying nuclear fusion is going to be 20 years down the line,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f I were able to contribute in any small way to making that a reality that would be absolutely incredible.鈥�
Being at Boston College, with its focus on the liberal arts, has allowed Korman to pursue both science and music equally, while forming valuable relationships with mentors in both the lab and the practice room. The two opposite vocations have also given him a sense of balance, he said. When he鈥檚 feeling overwhelmed by a difficult problem set, he鈥檒l turn to music to recalibrate.
鈥淲hen the sciency stuff is really tough, I love having music to fall back on,鈥� he said with a smile. 鈥淚t allows me to feel like I鈥檓 doing something useful and important without having a mental meltdown.鈥�
Alix Hackett | University Communications | November 2022