Faces of UWM: Barbara Castonguay
of the Frontpage Milwaukee reporting staff
April 20, 2009
By Kristin Lewis
UWM journalism major Barbara Castonguay knows all about
Milwaukee’s diverse music scene because she already has her Bachelor’s Degree
in music from UWM.
“Florentine Opera does a lot of cool stuff, but Skylight
Opera does a ton of cool stuff and it’s all in English. The [Milwaukee Symphony
Orchestra] is one of the better orchestras in the country. The pop music here,
well rock really, the whole rockabilly thing, all the punk shows in Riverwest,”
she explains.
And that’s one of the reasons she loves Milwaukee.
Barbara came to UWM from her hometown Eagan, Minn., a suburb
of the Twin Cities. She came to specifically to work with music professor Dr.
Bill Levonis.
After she finished her degree, Barbara moved to Cleveland to
study at the Cleveland Institute of Music, but left after one year.
“I ended up feeling like I didn’t want to be a professional
musician anymore,” she explains. “I had worked at it for so long and I was
really dedicated but then, all of a sudden, I got really tired of the
travelling and the uncertain finances.”
So, Barbara moved back to Milwaukee and decided to pursue
another degree, this time in journalism.
But she hopes to be able to put both of her degrees to good work after
college.
“I would ideally like to be an arts critic for the Journal
Sentinel or Milwaukee Magazine,” she says.
For now, Barbara spends her time studying, working at
Elements Therapeutic Massage in Whitefish Bay, and going to concerts with her
boyfriend, Nate, a film major.