During his time as a master’s student and his two years as a doctoral student, Langley has had plenty of time to get to know CCM’s academic and performance faculty. Some of his most-beloved instructors are Professor of Musical Theatre Roger Grodsky (“a treasure trove of all types of music”), Professor of Music Theory David Carson Berry (“His enthusiasm for theory is infectious!”) and, of course, CCM’s Director of Orchestral Studies Maestro Mark Gibson.
“I’ll never forget auditioning at Juilliard for a spot in Alan Gilbert’s conducting studio before I applied to CCM," Langley remembers. "I met a student of Gibson’s in the hallway, and she told me, ‘Well, if you love opera, then you have to study with Gibson!’”
It turns out that Langley encountered his destiny at Juilliard — although perhaps not exactly how he’d imagined it — before he arrived at the audition.
“Maestro Gibson is like the Energizer bunny — he never ever stops," Langley adds. "He’s a fount of knowledge, and his level of preparation is the very benchmark to which we all aspire."
One of Langley’s favorite experiences at CCM so far was serving as a conductor for the 2017 Mainstage Opera production of Bernstein’s Candide, which fell during the 100th anniversary of Bernstein’s birth. Graduate assistants who serve as student conductors of CCM’s larger performances often conduct some rehearsals and matinee shows.
“Just before the Sunday matinee, the concertmaster, David Goist, leans over to me and says, ‘Hey Buddy, guess who came to see the show today?’ I laughed and asked, ‘Who?’ David grins and says, ‘Louis Langrée!’ Little did I know that not only was Maestro Langrée there that day but so was the now General Director of Cincinnati Opera, Christopher Milligan. I had no idea just how much the presence of these two at my performance of Candide would foreshadow what was to come.”