Workshops
The Why Collective hosts workshops semi-annually that explore the same artistic process Collective Members go through when they are developing their own work. The workshops exist under multiple names - "What Do YOU Have to Say?" and "Synthesis" being two - but the structure is very much the same. As a participant the facilitators will take you through a series of prompts that help you to identify something about your inner voice that you would like to explore throughout the session. From there, we break out into small groups where each individual can choose to explore their inner voice through movement, music, creative writing, visual art, or some combination thereof!
This process was first used during the development of The Women Have Something to Say, and the workshop attendees/facilitators/artists liked it so much we decided to continue!
Scheduled workshop sessions will appear on the Ticket page!
Facilitators
Sydney Anderson
(she/they)
Sydney Anderson is a versatile soprano, actor, director, educator, and the founder of The Why Collective. A contemporary classical music enthusiast, Sydney has participated in numerous World Premieres as well as workshops at various stages of the creation process. She has most recently been featured with American Lyric Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, HERE Arts, Opera Saratoga, and Opera NEO. Last season, she created the roles of Dalinda in the World Premiere of Being Ariodante by Jonathan Dawe with Ensemble Échappée, One in the World Premiere of "it is a comfort to know" at National Sawdust, and portrayed Ruth Bader Ginsburg in "Scalia/Ginsburg" with Opera in the Heights. This season, she will sing Marzelline in Beethoven's "Fidelio" with Opera Company of Middlebury. Sydney was named an Eastern Region Finalist after winning the Eastern District of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and went on to win the Audience Favorite Award at the Region Finals. When she is not singing or fostering creative laboratories for artists, she teaches early childhood music education classes and conducts the Preperatory ensembles for Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Laura Dearman
(she/her)
Originally from North Carolina, Laura Mosteller graduated from UNC Charlotte with a BA in Dance: Performance, Choreography, and Theory while simultaneously earning her Professional Training Certificate with Charlotte Ballet. She then attended The School at Jacob's Pillow where she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Ron K Brown under the direction of Milton Myers. Since moving to NYC, Laura’s performance experience includes works by Matthew Brookoff, Neville Dance Theatre (principal dancer), Visions Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet Inc. Laura made her opera choreographic debut with the production of Being Ariodante (composed by Jonathan Dawe, ‘22) at The Italian Academy. She’s also presented solo works on programs for the Omni Arts Foundation and The Why Collective, among others. Her work for The Womxn Have Something to Say (dir. Nicole Kenley-Miller) was presented at The Cell Theatre in ‘23 and continues to be a pillar in her artistic and choreographic mission.
Rocky Duval
(she/her)
Rocky Duval is a singer , performance poet, and show creator. She has performed with The Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Glimmerglass Festival, Festival Bach Montréal, The Seattle Symphony, on Spanish National Television (La1) and on ARTE Television Germany.
Both an accomplished soloist and ensemble singer, Rocky is a member of the 12 person vocal ensemble Fourth Wall, and sings regularly with L’Harmonie des Saisons, Theotokos, CapelaIntima, and with Lazzuli Baroque, the Toronto-based ensemble she founded.
She has written five touring shows , including Hildegard, Reborn, which premiered at Lincoln Center spring 2024 to a sold out house, and was hailed as “Beautiful, entertaining, and deeply
moving” (Dir . of Music and Sound, NYPL-LPA). Her works are scheduled to be produced into 2026. She is a resident artist at 2B&2C Gallery in NY, where she regularly performs genre melding performance art pieces and runs a monthly baroque hang, Atelier Baroque.
Rocky is a guest professor of communications at Cooper Union School of Engineering, and has been a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins, Juilliard, McNeese University, and Riverdale Country School, where she co-produces TEDx Riverdale. The children’s opera series she produced from 2019-2023, Playground Opera, was nominated twice for Opera America’ s prestigious Opera Innovation awards. She is a public speaking coach and has worked with top leaders from HP, Coca-Cola, Netflix, and more.