Skidmore musical opportunities propel Alum's career success
Joanna Schubert ’12, known as Oropendola, recently released a debut full-length album, “Waiting for the Sky to Speak,” with Spirit House Records and Wilbur & Moore Records. Oropendola’s kaleidoscopic chamber pop music blends the orchestral sounds of clarinet, flugelhorn, harp, and strings with synths, drums and bass, piano, and vocal manipulations. Thirty musicians and vocalists contributed to the solo artist’s album. Recorded by co-producer Zubin Hensler during the COVID-19 pandemic, the album is a celebration of choosing life even in the face of its ephemerality.
“This is my first album of this scale, and the relentless exploration and maximalism
felt important to me,’ Schubert says. “And, in such an isolating time, to eventually
have so many people involved was a gift.”
The Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and musician majored in music at Skidmore. She was a member of the then-newly formed Lift Every Voice gospel choir on campus. Most weeks, she could be found at Caffe Lena in downtown Saratoga Springs for open-mic sessions, and she played her first show of original music at the venue. Playing at Skidmania was also a regular highlight. Schubert’s love of orchestrating blossomed during her time at the College. She credits acclaimed pianist and Skidmore faculty member Pola Baytelman as a “life-changing piano instructor.”
“I had a very rich musical time at Skidmore,” Schubert says. “Zankel was built by the time I was becoming more serious about my music education, and I practically lived there. I felt held by the Skidmore music community — students and faculty alike.”
In addition to focusing on her solo music career, Schubert has sung backup vocals and played keyboard for a variety of bands, most notably Half Waif and Barrie. She is part of the Rosa Vocal Group, an all-female international ensemble that performs traditional Serbian music. Schubert also directs a musical theater class at the Kaufman Music Center’s Lucy Moses School, where she helps youth ages 7 through 12 write and perform their own musicals.
