After GrAduAtion: WhAt noW?
The Right Fit
Varsity wrestler chooses music over sports
For a few years, Brian Manternach ’97 tried to balance arias and cadenzas with takedowns and reversals. Manternach competed for three seasons with the Saint John’s University wrestling team before deciding to pack away his singlet and concentrate on his music major. “Coming out of high school, my strongest interests were in sports and music,” Manternach says. “I didn’t know where either pursuit would lead, but it was important to me to find a school where I could continue to do both. After my visit, Saint John’s was the obvious fit. “Of course, my parents were attracted to the liberal arts focus and the Catholic identity. Those elements were important to me as well, though increasingly more so since graduation. But in the sense of feeding all interests while also being exposed to new fields and ideas, it was everything I was looking for in a college, and, upon reflection, everything I needed at that time in my life.” Manternach teaches music theory, directs the choral program and serves as music director/conductor of music theater productions at Juan Diego Catholic High School near Salt Lake City. He is also on the faculty of the Department of Theatre at the University of Utah. And he performs, playing Ferrando in a concert version of “Cosí fan tutte” for the Utah Midwinter Song Festival. He also made his European operatic debut as Belmonte in “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” with the Oper im Park festival in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Austria. “Obviously, sports and music both have competitive elements, especially with singers who are on the audition circuit,” Manternach says. “But, ironically, my time at CSB/SJU has probably made me less of a competitive person, ultimately. Certainly, I work hard at what I do, and I diligently prepare for performances and auditions alike. But I am more focused on exploring greater creative possibilities and improving as an artist than I am at landing a specific part or job.”
Brian Manternach performs as Belmonte in the opera “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” by Mozart in summer 2012 at the Oper im Park festival in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Austria.
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