Music grad finds success at sea

By Madison Ridge If you told Penn State School of Music alumna Annabelle Lecy that she would get her dream job right after graduation, she would never have believed you. Now, she’s busy preparing for her next performance onboard Holland America's Nieuw Statendam cruise ship, and she’s loving every second. Thanks to a special partnership with RWS Entertainment and Lincoln Center, Lecy is now one piece of a quartet, playing alongside a violinist from North Carolina, a violist from Poland, and a pianist from France. They perform a wide range of genres, from classical masterworks by Brahms, Schumann, Mozart, and Beethoven, to tango, ballet, pop, and rock music. According to Lecy, who received her master of music in cello performance in spring 2022, the quartet had only about two weeks to rehearse before boarding the ship. They typically perform two or three shows a night, six days a week. “It was a bit stressful at first, to rehearse with a totally new group of people and rehearse so much in so little time,” Lecy said. “But after a few weeks together we are in a much better place—we understand each other as people and as musicians.” This cruise started in Boston and traveled up the coast of eastern Canada towards Quebec. In October, the ship switched courses to travel down the Atlantic coast to Florida and the Caribbean. For Lecy, the excitement of traveling to new places paired with her passion for performance has made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Among Lecy’s favorite things about living on the water is being surrounded by such a diverse crew. The ship has more than a thousand crew members from all over the world and a route that goes through several French-speaking territories, giving Lecy plenty of opportunities to practice her French.

I think this might be my dream job." – Annabelle Lecy

“Chamber music is my favorite to perform, and I’m working with a small group of musicians, traveling the world, meeting people from all over; this is definitely the coolest job I’ve ever had.” Although this position may seem perfect, Lecy explained that at first, adjusting to life onboard was not as easy as she’d hoped. Compared to what she’d grown accustomed to during her time at Penn State, the lifestyle onboard the ship was a jolting change. “Sometimes I miss the stability of being home,” Lecy said. “I miss the student life at Penn State, I miss the ability to drive home and see my family … I also miss Wi-Fi.” Lecy said she is grateful for the encouraging and supportive faculty in the School of Music, noting Distinguished Professor of Music Kim Cook has been particularly influential. “I think part of the reason I was so successful coming out of college was that Penn State set me up with a mindset for success,” Lecy said. “The professors were always encouraging, the students were working towards our own goals rather than competing, and it provided a great learning environment.”