Ethan and Rebecca met in the fall of 2019 in their undergraduate studio voice class taught by Margaret Chalker. Rebecca recalls Ethan’s first studio performance well. She says she always knew his voice was going to be the real deal. They were friendly for a few years, attending each other's recitals and offering support and vocal advice. In the fall of 2021, while planning her graduation recital, Rebecca decided she wanted the entire Chalker studio to join her for the last number, “Make Our Garden Grow” from “Candide.” She had a special request for Ethan, whom she asked to sing the leading tenor (Yes, you read that right! Ethan used to be a Tenor, and Rebecca never lets him forget it.) in the duet. He graciously accepted — Rebecca was SO excited to finally get to sing with him.

When the spring semester rolled around, Rebecca’s recital preparations were in full swing. They found themselves in a few classes together and began rehearsing for Candide. A few weeks into the semester, Ethan broke his ankle. Because their schedules were lined up so well, Rebecca offered to drive Ethan to and from classes so he didn’t have to crutch his way through the Potsdam snow and ice every day. This also gave her extra time to bug him about learning his music for her recital (LOL). Before they knew it, small talk and rehearsing turned into Ethan tagging along for after-class Taco Bell runs and errands, doing homework together, and hanging out with Rebecca’s roommates, joining them for wine nights, errands, and nights out very often.

The pair went on their first “real” date on March 13th, 2022. They spent the day shopping for an outfit for Ethan to wear to Rebecca’s recital and stopped at Spanky’s diner on the way home. Rebecca likes to say that their first date actually happened much earlier than that, on the night they went to Taco Bell for a study break, blasted Taylor Swift in the parking lot, and shared laughs over burritos and freezes. This became a fun tradition that the couple has enjoyed countless times since, but Ethan insists that “Taco Bell can NOT be a first date.”

At the end of March, Ethan wasn’t on crutches anymore, but Rebecca was still driving him to class most days. The spring opera was coming up and Rebecca’s family was visiting to see the show. Rebecca jokingly warned Ethan to keep his distance after the show unless he wanted to be introduced to her family as her “friend from class,” to which he responded, “Well, maybe you could introduce me as your boyfriend,” which is exactly what she did. That conversation on March 22nd, 2022 marked the beginning of their relationship.

The next year together saw lots of medium to (very) long distance, several moves together, two graduations, lots of jobs, countless weekend trips, a few auditions and competitions, a senior recital, and a whole lot of love. The couple traveled to Chicago, New York City, Albany, Vermont, Boston, and a few places in between. They spent hours on FaceTime dates, made nonsensical travel plans in order to see each others’ families, and planned thoughtful surprises for each other between visits.

After Ethan’s graduation from Crane in the summer of 2023, it was a busy few months with much in store for the two. First, Ethan moved back home from college. Then, Rebecca moved from her apartment in Oneida to the Wagner household in Geneva. At the same time, they were preparing for their six week trip to Novafeltria, Italy to sing with La Musica Lirica. Ethan sang the title role in Don Giovanni, and Rebecca sang the leading soprano in Falstaff, Alice Ford. They also sang in concerts and masterclasses, participated in acting workshops, and, of course, took in the beauty of the Italian countryside while on the trip.

Ethan knew that he wanted to propose to Rebecca in Italy, so he spent the month before they left and the first few weeks of the trip planning the big moment. It wasn’t easy to sneak the ring to another country with Rebecca's meticulous packing (and repacking) rituals. Once the ring had safely arrived in Italy, Ethan set his plan in motion. Over the first 3 weeks of the program, he scouted out locations for the proposal, organized friends to help take pictures, and planned out every detail.

The big day started at 3:30am. Ethan and Rebecca woke up and prepared to go on a sunrise hike. Anyone who knows Rebecca knows she is NOT a morning person, which made it very difficult to get her excited for a 3:30am wake up call. In fact, Rebecca nearly decided she would rather sleep than hike, and it took a great deal of convincing from Ethan to get her up. He even tried to entice her by saying, “If you get up now maybe you’ll even have time to paint your nails while I’m in the shower! You can use that new set you’ve been wanting to use.” She responded with “Fine, but I don’t think I’m going to do my nails.” After Ethan told her she should reallllllly do them anyway, Rebecca had a little clue to what was going on and perked up a little more. They left for the hike at 5am, and arrived just in time for a 5:37 sunrise in Talemello, Italy. A couple of friends were waiting there, hiding behind cars and walls to take pictures of the moment. As the sun rose over the Italian countryside, they beautifully captured the moment when Ethan asked Rebecca to marry him. She said yes, and they shared a hug and a kiss. They excitedly called friends and family members from their lookout point. Since it was so early in the United States, many of them were still awake!

Rebecca and Ethan were so excited to come home and share their happiness with their friends and family, and now, they can’t wait for you to join them on their big day! They are filled with joy and excitement thinking about the life they will build together.