Student Spotlight: Lara Rui-Qi Tan
Lara Rui-Qi Tan '27 is a Junior in Cabot House, working on a double-concentration in Music and Government, and a Secondary in European History, Politics, and Society. “I realized that [European History, Politics, and Society] was a natural complement to the work that I was already doing in my concentrations.” Born in Singapore, Lara started singing classically with the Singapore Symphony Children's Choir, where a teacher introduced her to the worlds of opera and art song. Lara continued taking vocal lessons and performing throughout her childhood and adolescence, alongside learning piano, violin, and viola. She says she began focusing on singing around the age of 16. “I think having that strong theatrical and performing background has shaped me as both a performer and a person. I’m quite a flesh and blood kind of person, I’m very grounded, which I think comes through in my performances.”
Although Lara has been performing from a young age, she didn’t study music academically prior to starting college. “The main reason I wanted to aim for Harvard was that I knew it had a great music department with more of a direct academic and musicological focus, which was something I hadn’t been able to explore yet at that point in my life.” These days Lara has been exploring and expanding her personal musical identity, which she describes as “fairly all-encompassing, in the sense that I’ve been pushing myself to go beyond just performing. There’s a lot to the classical music world that lies beyond what you see on stage at a concert for an hour, and those things don’t get talked about often, but they are very interesting to me.”
"There’s a certain quality to live performance that is very, very special. It’s different from just learning a song in a practice room and to me, it feels like, what’s the point if you don’t get to share that with other people?"
Lara has taken a wide variety of music classes since starting at Harvard, “Even for someone with a relatively niche interest in classical vocal music like me, there’s no shortage of interesting classes.” One of her favorites was a seminar on Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen taught by Professor Carolyn Abbate. “It was my first foray into the department, and I was the only freshman in this graduate seminar.” She says, “Carolyn was incredibly willing to take me on and encouraged me to contribute to the conversations. It was quite a deep dive, but it really set me off on the right footing within the department.” Lara has explored a wide variety of topics through the Music Department, taking full advantage of the range of courses offered. “My particular outlook is that it is important and beneficial to be well-versed in the larger universe of music, even outside of the specific realm you intend to work within. … I’ve found that a lot of what I learn in my courses does sort of bleed over into what I’m pursuing and learning outside of schooling.”
"Even if you don’t speak the language or you don’t always understand what the music is doing, if you can come away from a live music experience feeling something and experiencing it with other people, that’s pure magic."
This past summer, Lara received a Davison Fellowship from the Music Department which allowed her to attend the Bayreuth Festival in Bayreuth, Germany as part of the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation. The annual festival, which was conceived of and promoted by Wagner during his lifetime, includes performances of Wagner’s stage works in a specially designed theatre. “If I hadn’t taken Carolyn’s seminar my freshman year, I never would have reached for an opportunity like that.” Lara says, “The experiences I have and the classes I take in the music department always inform my next steps; they give me the confidence to reach for experiences and opportunities that I would otherwise find intimidating.”
Outside of class, Lara’s schedule is packed to the brim. “On campus, I do quite a lot,” she admits, “I’ve dabbled in a lot of different things. The wonderful thing about music at Harvard is there is quite literally something for everyone, no matter what your interests may be.” Lara is currently a Ferris Choral Fellow in the Harvard University Choir, where she is also soon to be senior choir secretary. She is the incoming President of Harvard College Opera, where she was previously the Vice President of Arts. She is also involved in the Lowell House Opera and the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players. “Arts administration and programming, or even stage and music directing, are things that I’ve been able to throw myself into at Harvard because of the plethora of opportunities that are available. Music performance is still the core of what I do, and it informs my artistic identity and approach to creating a product that is understandable and accessible and brings joy to people.”
"In my dream world, people view the opera as something just as exciting as watching something on Netflix."
Taking advantage of every opportunity she can has allowed Lara to strive for new heights across campus. Last semester, Lara was Stage Director for the Harvard College Opera’s ARTSFEST performance of the Act I Finale of Mozart's Don Giovanni. “Creating things that are ambitious but also an opportunity for growth has been a big part of my Harvard journey. It was electrifying to see people approach the music and drama with that level of fearlessness; I felt like I could trust the process in the hands of my peers.” Lara also worked with fellow undergrad Harvey Lin on a University Hall recital this past October. “The level of commitment to the process, from meeting regularly for rehearsals to experimenting with interpolations and interpretations, made us a lot more invested in the project, especially since we chose to do this performance. Starting off the semester with a big recital like that really gave me some good momentum for my year.”
Lara’s commitment to her craft is clear, but she admits there was an adjustment period when she started college. Singing with the Harvard University Choir means that four out of five weekdays, she’s awake and ready to sing by 8:00am, but Lara says she wouldn’t change a thing. “Treating [Harvard University Choir] as a responsibility to both the choir and to my own musical development is something that I never thought I would have the discipline to do going into college. Now that I’m here, it’s one of the most fantastic aspects of being a musician at Harvard – showing up every day for the music and my fellow musicians.”
“It’s not just about showing up for the music, but also for the people that you make music with. You have to show up for rehearsals on time, but you also need to be prepared for those rehearsals, which requires being rigorous about music and treating it as a practice that you dedicate time to every day. At the end of the day, music is a team sport. There are so many incredible musicians at Harvard, but the magic really happens when you’re committed to your fellow musicians and bringing out the best in each other.”
This spotlight was originally published in the Department of Music Winter 2025/2026 Newsletter.