MONROE - More than a few teenagers walking the halls of Monroe High School secretly dream of being the next pop or rock sensation.
Not Nicole Heinen - when she daydreams, it's in opera.
Heinen, 16, is the daughter of Rebecca and Jerome Cherney and James Heinen of Monroe. She started taking voice lessons at age 7 and began learning opera almost six years ago.
She credits former voice teacher Michael Hillestad with opening her eyes to the classical music tradition.
"I really didn't appreciate it," the soft-spoken Heinen said. That soon changed. "But once you start studying it, you live and breathe it," she said.
Today, Heinen is dedicated to singing opera and classical music. She said it's more challenging than singing pop music - especially because there are five languages commonly involved in singing opera: English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.
"Everything about it is more appealing," Heinen said.
Rebecca Cherney said her daughter's voice is well-suited to opera.
"Her voice is very sweet," she said.
To further her voice, Heinen takes lessons with Cheryl Rowe in Madison about once a week. But lessons don't come cheaply - a 45-minute lesson costs $45, or a dollar a minute.
Last summer, Heinen had the opportunity to attend a vocal music camp at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This summer, she has her sights set a little further, to Interlochen Center for the Arts, in Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen is one of the most prestigious Fine Arts high schools in the country. Notable alumni include pop and classical singer Josh Groban, jazz and pop singer Norah Jones and "Cathy" comic strip creator Cathy Guisewite, as well a multitude of symphony orchestra musicians and conductors, stage and screen actors, and writers.
The boarding school also offers a summer camp. Out of thousands of applicants, Heinen was selected to attend the program, which runs from June 19 to July 21. The audition tape of Heinen singing two selections is on YouTube. To access the video, go to youtube.com and type in "opera audition" in the search field.
With the opportunity to study at Interlochen comes a hefty pricetag: Tuition for the summer camp is $4,420, with an additional $760 needed for uniforms, laundry and incidentals.
Making sure Heinen gets to Interlochen is a top priority for her family. Cherney contacted a number of local organizations, but was told they don't give out scholarships to individuals. Now, Heinen and her family are seeking sponsors to help sponsor her. Cherney said the family is committed to sending Heinen to the camp and as a last resort will take out a loan to cover the remaining expenses.
"We need to raise money," Cherney said, noting the family expected more time to raise funds. "We found out so late." They just found out Heinen was accepted March 31, and the first payment of $1,000 is due April 17 with the remainder due May 1.
Heinen said she wants to be able to bring back what she learns at Interlochen to the community. She has performed the National Anthem at numerous sporting events around town, as well as the Madison Mallards and Beloit Snappers. She has donated her time to sing with area church choirs for holiday programs and concerts and has performed recitals and benefits with Hillestad. Locally, she has been accompanied by Joann Hawthorn and sometimes Sherri Novak.
There's more to Heinen than just singing: She's involved in a full slate of other activities. In addition to maintaining a 3.98 grade point average at Monroe High School, she has been invited to join the National Honor Society. She plays softball and is in forensics, Model UN, mock trial, Spanish club and Costa Rican exchange club. She sings with the acappella and madrigal choirs, plays in the concert, jazz and pep bands and performs in the school musical.
But opera remains Heinen's passion, and she's willing to forego some of the usual trappings of being a teenager to pursue it. Although she just got her driver's license, Heinen passed on getting a car in favor of going to camp. Financially, both are not feasible, Cherney said.
"I'd rather go to Interlochen," Heinen said.
A fund has been set up at Amcore Bank, under Hawthorn's name, to collect money for Heinen's camp expenses. Questions can be directed to Rebecca or Jerome Cherney at 329-3925 or Hawthorne at 325-2299.
Not Nicole Heinen - when she daydreams, it's in opera.
Heinen, 16, is the daughter of Rebecca and Jerome Cherney and James Heinen of Monroe. She started taking voice lessons at age 7 and began learning opera almost six years ago.
She credits former voice teacher Michael Hillestad with opening her eyes to the classical music tradition.
"I really didn't appreciate it," the soft-spoken Heinen said. That soon changed. "But once you start studying it, you live and breathe it," she said.
Today, Heinen is dedicated to singing opera and classical music. She said it's more challenging than singing pop music - especially because there are five languages commonly involved in singing opera: English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.
"Everything about it is more appealing," Heinen said.
Rebecca Cherney said her daughter's voice is well-suited to opera.
"Her voice is very sweet," she said.
To further her voice, Heinen takes lessons with Cheryl Rowe in Madison about once a week. But lessons don't come cheaply - a 45-minute lesson costs $45, or a dollar a minute.
Last summer, Heinen had the opportunity to attend a vocal music camp at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This summer, she has her sights set a little further, to Interlochen Center for the Arts, in Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen is one of the most prestigious Fine Arts high schools in the country. Notable alumni include pop and classical singer Josh Groban, jazz and pop singer Norah Jones and "Cathy" comic strip creator Cathy Guisewite, as well a multitude of symphony orchestra musicians and conductors, stage and screen actors, and writers.
The boarding school also offers a summer camp. Out of thousands of applicants, Heinen was selected to attend the program, which runs from June 19 to July 21. The audition tape of Heinen singing two selections is on YouTube. To access the video, go to youtube.com and type in "opera audition" in the search field.
With the opportunity to study at Interlochen comes a hefty pricetag: Tuition for the summer camp is $4,420, with an additional $760 needed for uniforms, laundry and incidentals.
Making sure Heinen gets to Interlochen is a top priority for her family. Cherney contacted a number of local organizations, but was told they don't give out scholarships to individuals. Now, Heinen and her family are seeking sponsors to help sponsor her. Cherney said the family is committed to sending Heinen to the camp and as a last resort will take out a loan to cover the remaining expenses.
"We need to raise money," Cherney said, noting the family expected more time to raise funds. "We found out so late." They just found out Heinen was accepted March 31, and the first payment of $1,000 is due April 17 with the remainder due May 1.
Heinen said she wants to be able to bring back what she learns at Interlochen to the community. She has performed the National Anthem at numerous sporting events around town, as well as the Madison Mallards and Beloit Snappers. She has donated her time to sing with area church choirs for holiday programs and concerts and has performed recitals and benefits with Hillestad. Locally, she has been accompanied by Joann Hawthorn and sometimes Sherri Novak.
There's more to Heinen than just singing: She's involved in a full slate of other activities. In addition to maintaining a 3.98 grade point average at Monroe High School, she has been invited to join the National Honor Society. She plays softball and is in forensics, Model UN, mock trial, Spanish club and Costa Rican exchange club. She sings with the acappella and madrigal choirs, plays in the concert, jazz and pep bands and performs in the school musical.
But opera remains Heinen's passion, and she's willing to forego some of the usual trappings of being a teenager to pursue it. Although she just got her driver's license, Heinen passed on getting a car in favor of going to camp. Financially, both are not feasible, Cherney said.
"I'd rather go to Interlochen," Heinen said.
A fund has been set up at Amcore Bank, under Hawthorn's name, to collect money for Heinen's camp expenses. Questions can be directed to Rebecca or Jerome Cherney at 329-3925 or Hawthorne at 325-2299.