Interview– Ashley Huber

A musical journey to Baltimore and back to New York

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Class of 2020’s Ashley Huber has been surrounded by the arts ever since she was a young girl. Huber never thought of music as a chore but rather something she “always wanted to do for fun.” Music quickly became an integral part of her life, and she devoted countless hours to the performing arts at the Manhasset High School. A member of the Manhasset Theater Company, the Symphonic Choir, the Select Ensemble, and the Vocal Jazz Group – ask Huber if she’s done it; you bet she has. 

Unlike most high schoolers, Huber always knew she wanted her future career to incorporate her undeniable love for music; however, she never expected to land herself in one of the most reputable conservatories in the country. Huber met her first private vocal teacher, Jeannie O’Malley, in the fifth grade. All throughout middle and high school, Jeannie provided unwavering support that pushed Huber towards her lifelong dream of being a vocalist. She prepared Huber for the annual music competition, NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association). Huber had two chances to make it all the way to the all-state level, and she was grateful to qualify and to attend both times. 

In addition to Jeannie’ O’Malley’s direction, Huber also sends gratitude to the man who truly shaped her ability to become a professional musician: her high school choir director, Mr. Van Schenkhof. Among the plethora of significant figures in her life, Mr. V. (as he was affectionately known) was perhaps the most pivotal in Huber’s training, hosting sight-reading nights at his house, encouraging her to major in music, and fueling her love for classical singing. Mr. V. inspired Huber to work harder than ever before at her craft. For example, she explains her drive to become a better sight-reader, saying, “Whenever Mr V. wasn’t working with [my] section, I was looking over the next part of my music and trying to ‘solfege’ it out and figure out what my next notes would be so that when he came back I would be ready to go.” When Huber was a sophomore, Mr. V. suggested the idea of attending the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, the place from which she would later graduate six years later. According to Huber, Mr V. will forever be someone to whom Huber and her music career are indebted. Despite his passing in the beginning of 2024, Mr. V. and his legacy will continue to hold their place at Manhasset High School and in the future teachings of Ms. Huber, who hopes to incorporate his teaching skills into her own career.

Studying amongst the competitive students of Manhasset High School, Huber found herself balancing her time between weekly voice lessons, extracurriculars, and her rigorous high school courses. During her senior year, Huber also had to incorporate traveling for college auditions into her schedule. In her interview, she discusses the intricate process of pre-screenings and auditioning to universities and conservatories, two processes that might be unknown to many high schoolers. In light of this stressful period of her life, Huber emphasizes the importance of staying organized. “I had spreadsheets, and my calendar was full… All the things that the guidance department tells you to do, I did, and it was very helpful at the end of the day.” There is no doubt that these organizational skills were a big contributor to her success in the college application cycle. 

Huber shares the story from the morning of her Peabody live audition, saying, “I woke up and I started crying, and I was like ‘I can’t audition here, I don’t deserve this… Why would I get in there?’” In a panic, she called O’Malley, her vocal tutor, for support. O’Malley’s response: “You got an audition because you deserve to be there.” Sure enough, when April of 2020 came around, Huber found herself accepted to the Peabody Institute. Despite it being the first school she ever visited, she states that from the second she stepped onto the campus she knew it was the school for her. Besides the vast opportunities she would be able to gain from both the conservatory and John Hopkins University, the intimacy of the student body drew her attention the most. “I loved having this sense of community… and knowing the majority of the people I was going to school with.” Little things, like being able to stop fellow classmates in the hallway to catch up, were aspects of the school that really stood out to Huber. Recently graduated with a major in Vocal Performance and Musical Education, Huber shares what her future plans are: “I’m attending NYU Steinhart to pursue musical theater and vocal pedagogy.” Although Huber studied classical voice at Peabody, her heart lies in musical theater, and so New York City will be Huber’s home for the next few years. 

In the end, Huber leaves the high schoolers in the audience with one final piece of advice: to prioritize your mental health. “You have to do the things that make you happy,” is a key motto for Huber. She reiterates this point, explaining how she measures her success by the level of happiness of the people around her and that of her own life. “Let yourself decompress so that you’re able to take the time to do everything else you need,” she states. We thank Huber for her words of wisdom, and we look forward to seeing what she accomplishes next in life!