Artistic Statement
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Mim Paquin
Artistic Statement
I am an actor, singer, composer and writer.
I began dance training at age four, and performed in a high school musical theatre production of The King and I when I was five. I grew up in an artistic and academic home. My father was an audio engineer who recorded live symphonic concerts of orchestras, he also conducted them, and sang tenor solos with choirs and orchestras, and was a high school french, latin, portuguese and spanish teacher. My mother was a trained actor and singer with a degree in poli-sci. Both parents raised five children.
The culture in the home was such where conversations about art and performing and creating and producing were everyday things. I discovered later in life that what I know - table-talk during family dinners or car ride discussions during family trips was not common. I associate these subjects with being a part of a family. For a long time I tried to remain in one lane: the performer, but very quickly (by age fourteen) I found myself with a desire to write plays. My first plays and sketches were presented as a homages to senior classes in high school. I wrote, directed and cast anywhere from 20 - 30 kids to portray graduating seniors. I loved every moment of it. It was the first time I wrote spec scripts and had other people speaking dialogue I had written! Hearing the audience of 300 people laughing was the greatest feeling in the world. Of course, they were primed with already knowing the people being portrayed and having a particular fondness for their personalities and quirks. I learned early how to craft a joke that was funny and not mean-spirited, or "a roast." I put feeling in the work. And I just haven't stopped.
I was always composing music on the piano and guitar as a hobby, but eventually took the hobby more seriously in tandem with my performing experiences and educational pursuits. I became a singer songwriter by age seventeen- and never stopped. Writing lyrics is the most succinct form of communication- compounded the importance of melody, melody, melody, and believe me, having listened to playback of symphonic recordings since birth, I put in my 10,000 hours of classical music listening by age eleven. (I did the math, it checks out. There are: 8760 in a year. I listened to, rehearsal, performed music every single day of my life between ages 1 - 19. I put in my 10,000 hours and some by age eleven!) It really is wild to think about it!
I auditioned for and earned the soprano solo in the Massachusetts All-States Choir, earned scholarships from The Boston Conservatory (attended one year) and Berklee College of Music (which I did not attend.) I'm a trained singer of all style. I figured when I moved to New York, that I needed to find the right vocal coach who would understand me without judgement, enter Marni Nixon. She was a great ally in my artistic pursuits. Me singing gospel rep, followed by Mozart's Laudate Dominum didn't make her flinch- she always said, "Wow." Our sessions were cut short when she landed a gig with the US Tour of My Fair Lady. She really wanted me to focus my energy on opera. "You can't stop. Oh, where are going to find someone who wont try to contain you?" She worried about leaving. I told her I'd be okay. I found Christina Henson-Hayes (former child prodigy, Lily Pons and Maestro Laslo Halaz's protege.) She pushed me through five years of vocal pedagogical training with a primary focus on classical and operatic performance. She became family. I performed as a headliner with symphony orchestras as an operatic soprano soloist. I perform all styles of music, all styles of vocal performance.
I'm a trained actor. After I left the conservatory, I wanted to maintain the things I had learned freshman year. I happened upon a class that was being offered at Boston Baked Theatre in Harvard Square, it was with Michael Shurtleff (casting director and author of AUDITION Twelve Guideposts for the Actor). I went on to study with him. And didn't stop until I moved to NYC.
I have experience as a stage director and choreographer, and music director.
For me, becoming a multi-hyphenate was not necessarily by choice, it was the natural evolution of my artistic development. Each discipline informs and strengthens the other. My four pillars are: acting, singing, writing and composing. I stand tall honoring the truth of them in my work.
I began dance training at age four, and performed in a high school musical theatre production of The King and I when I was five. I grew up in an artistic and academic home. My father was an audio engineer who recorded live symphonic concerts of orchestras, he also conducted them, and sang tenor solos with choirs and orchestras, and was a high school french, latin, portuguese and spanish teacher. My mother was a trained actor and singer with a degree in poli-sci. Both parents raised five children.
The culture in the home was such where conversations about art and performing and creating and producing were everyday things. I discovered later in life that what I know - table-talk during family dinners or car ride discussions during family trips was not common. I associate these subjects with being a part of a family. For a long time I tried to remain in one lane: the performer, but very quickly (by age fourteen) I found myself with a desire to write plays. My first plays and sketches were presented as a homages to senior classes in high school. I wrote, directed and cast anywhere from 20 - 30 kids to portray graduating seniors. I loved every moment of it. It was the first time I wrote spec scripts and had other people speaking dialogue I had written! Hearing the audience of 300 people laughing was the greatest feeling in the world. Of course, they were primed with already knowing the people being portrayed and having a particular fondness for their personalities and quirks. I learned early how to craft a joke that was funny and not mean-spirited, or "a roast." I put feeling in the work. And I just haven't stopped.
I was always composing music on the piano and guitar as a hobby, but eventually took the hobby more seriously in tandem with my performing experiences and educational pursuits. I became a singer songwriter by age seventeen- and never stopped. Writing lyrics is the most succinct form of communication- compounded the importance of melody, melody, melody, and believe me, having listened to playback of symphonic recordings since birth, I put in my 10,000 hours of classical music listening by age eleven. (I did the math, it checks out. There are: 8760 in a year. I listened to, rehearsal, performed music every single day of my life between ages 1 - 19. I put in my 10,000 hours and some by age eleven!) It really is wild to think about it!
I auditioned for and earned the soprano solo in the Massachusetts All-States Choir, earned scholarships from The Boston Conservatory (attended one year) and Berklee College of Music (which I did not attend.) I'm a trained singer of all style. I figured when I moved to New York, that I needed to find the right vocal coach who would understand me without judgement, enter Marni Nixon. She was a great ally in my artistic pursuits. Me singing gospel rep, followed by Mozart's Laudate Dominum didn't make her flinch- she always said, "Wow." Our sessions were cut short when she landed a gig with the US Tour of My Fair Lady. She really wanted me to focus my energy on opera. "You can't stop. Oh, where are going to find someone who wont try to contain you?" She worried about leaving. I told her I'd be okay. I found Christina Henson-Hayes (former child prodigy, Lily Pons and Maestro Laslo Halaz's protege.) She pushed me through five years of vocal pedagogical training with a primary focus on classical and operatic performance. She became family. I performed as a headliner with symphony orchestras as an operatic soprano soloist. I perform all styles of music, all styles of vocal performance.
I'm a trained actor. After I left the conservatory, I wanted to maintain the things I had learned freshman year. I happened upon a class that was being offered at Boston Baked Theatre in Harvard Square, it was with Michael Shurtleff (casting director and author of AUDITION Twelve Guideposts for the Actor). I went on to study with him. And didn't stop until I moved to NYC.
I have experience as a stage director and choreographer, and music director.
For me, becoming a multi-hyphenate was not necessarily by choice, it was the natural evolution of my artistic development. Each discipline informs and strengthens the other. My four pillars are: acting, singing, writing and composing. I stand tall honoring the truth of them in my work.