By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
Name: Olivia Federman
Parents: Andrea and Chad Federman
Activity: Choir
Olivia Federman is a senior at West De Pere High School that enjoys performing music.
She hopes to attend the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities for mass media marketing and fashion merchandising.
Who is your favorite composer? “Eric Whitacre.”
What is it like to be a leader in the choir at West De Pere High School? “Although I am heavily involved in choir, I do not believe myself to be the ‘leader.’ West De Pere only offers two choirs: one is a highly selective all women’s choir, and the other is mixed. I enjoy singing in both.”
What is your most embarrassing moment while performing a song? “I perform a lot, so there aren’t many times where I find myself embarrassed. There was one time during a concert where I sneezed at least five times. To this day, my friends still make jokes about it.”
Where is one place you’d love to go with your fellow choir members to perform? “Sydney Opera House.”
How many years have you been involved in choir? “I have been involved with choir since fifth grade, making it eight years in total.”
What is your most memorable moment? “Not only am I involved with the school choir, but I also participated in the Green Bay Girl Choir. With that being said, it makes it hard to choose, but there is one moment that always stands out in my mind. I had the opportunity to sing with a choir at the Governor’s inauguration in Madison at the capital. It made me realize how important music is and my love for performing grew even more.”
What’s the hardest part about performing a choir piece? “I think the hardest part, in all honesty, is not mixing other songs with the one that you’re performing. Some songs sound similar based on time signature and key, so it can be easy to confuse them.”
If you could be somebody for a day, who would it be? “Although she has passed, I would love to be Audrey Hepburn. She has been my idol ever since I can remember. She struggled in her life before the fame and helped change the world after. She remained humble and caring through her entire life. I think she is a perfect role model for every girl.”
Do you have a nickname or something somebody calls you? “A lot of my close friends call me Oli.”
What is one thing that other choir members don’t know about you? “I do consider myself to be an open book, but what I think a lot of people don’t know is that I never get nervous to perform or speak in public.”
What would your dream job be once you graduate? “If I could have any job in the world, I would love to be a public relations manager for the fashion industry.”
What are your hobbies? “I love to write, sing, bake and read.”
What is your favorite event ever attended? “I went to the National Youth Gathering in Houston this summer and it was life-changing!”
What is your favorite type of music? “My favorite music is 70’s rock.”
What is your favorite thing to do on your phone? “I like to listen to music or podcasts.”
What three words describe you? “Genuine, kind, free-spirited.”
What is your favorite trip ever taken? “My sophomore year of high school, I had a chance to go to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and it was absolutely beautiful.”
Favorite song ever performed? “A cappella arrangement of Billy Joel’s ‘And So It Goes.’”
One instrument you’d love to try if somebody bought it for you? “The drums.”
Favorites
Food: Burrito’s
Subject: English
Color: Light pink
TV Show: “Stranger Things”
Athlete: Christian Yelich
Season: Spring