CJ Hartung is a senior in the five-year Bachelor of Music/Master of Music in voice program and also serves as president of the Peabody General Assembly, a student group he has reignited into a thriving organization that is focused on improving the student experience. We talked to Hartung about his path to Peabody, his musical studies, and his motivations for leading the PGA.
When did you first become passionate about singing?
Actually, I first studied the piano, trumpet, and cello before getting involved in singing when I was in high school. I became a member of the Berks Opera Company in Reading, Pennsylvania, where I performed with soprano Jennifer Beck and tenor James Valenti. Then I studied music education at Temple University for two years before coming to Peabody to continue my voice training. The accelerated program will allow me to gather the skills needed to begin to navigate the real world with a jump start.
Why did you choose to study vocal performance?
To me, it was easier to relate emotionally to singing. When the composer or the librettist or the poet writes texts that are set to music, it’s all the more special and easier to connect to. I also enjoyed the collaborative work of being on the stage and interacting with other people and feeding off of that.
Your voice studies keep you busy, most recently last fall when you played the role of Mr. Darcy in the Peabody Opera Theatre’s production of Pride and Prejudice. Why did you decide to get involved with the Peabody General Assembly?
I was involved in student government and leadership in high school and when I was at Temple. So, last year, I decided to see if I could help bring the PGA back and make it a strong presence on campus. The PGA is a great outlet for the student body to have consistent and transparent conversations with Dean Fred Bronstein, and we were missing that. So, I grabbed some of the strongest personalities on campus that I know and asked if they wanted to get involved. We held elections at the end of February of 2018, and I created the executive branch and four focus group committees: diversity and inclusion, academics and faculty correspondence, student services, and student engagement and traditions. Each committee has two co-chairs, so essentially, we created eight positions for students who were interested in getting involved.
What are some of the assembly’s activities?
We had talked about a lack of student engagement and activities on campus, so last year we held what we hope will become a recurring event called Peabody Palooza. We had food, T-shirt giveaways, games, and music, and it was a way for everybody to celebrate the end of the school year. We also implemented five Pick-Me-Ups for students last year, including fortune cookie giveaways and an opportunity to interact with therapy dogs on campus. Our diversity and inclusion group brought in a pilot training work group to talk about microaggressions and microtriggers. We’ve been working with staff to spruce up the appearance of the school from the inside, and we’ve had conversations with Paul Mathews, associate dean for academic affairs, about anything that has to do with our academic experience. And we’ve grown our student organizations from five to 14, which we’re really excited about because we’re seeing a better representation of cultures, identities, and interest groups on campus.
Why is the PGA important to the student experience and the Peabody community?
The PGA is our largest means of student voice and activism on campus. When we can sit down and have meaningful conversations and make positive changes or creations together, we can improve the experience for everybody at Peabody. [It’s] also important for students to understand in their lives going forward that good leadership leads to good results.
What’s next for the PGA?
This year, we expanded our committee from eight people to 16 people because we added new positions, including a cross-campus liaison to better connect students at the Peabody and the Homewood campuses. The more opportunity we have to interact with like-minded people and people who are different from us, the more we have to bring to the performing arts. So, we’re hoping to continue to grow those kinds of connections.