UO Opera Ensemble 2019 production of Les contes d’hoffmann, Photographer Erin Zysett
During the workday, you will find Brooke Cagno busy in her office, scheduling all spaces in the Music and Dance buildings, and coordinating details for the 2023 University of Oregon School of Music and Dance graduation ceremony. On select evenings and weekends, you may find her on stage belting her heart out.
"I find singing so joyful,” Brooke said. “It is a wonderful form of expression. There is such a variety of music genres that I have always loved to explore and sing.”
Born in California, her family moved to Oregon when she was in first grade. Throughout grade school, she took piano lessons and performed in musicals at theatre camp during her summer breaks. Her musical talents came from her mother, who also played piano, and her grandmother, who was musically inclined and loved all types of music.
After graduating with a BS in Psychology from UO in 2003, a family friend gifted Brooke voice lessons. She was encouraged to audition for Eugene Symphony Chorus and the Eugene Opera Chorus, and she landed a spot in both! Her first ESC performance was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, led by Dr. Sharon Paul, and her first opera was Die Fledermaus. "They were wonderful experiences that led me to say, ‘I would love to do more of this and get better at it!’” She aimed to do exactly that by way of a second bachelor’s degree. In 2009, she received her BMus in Vocal Performance from SOMD.
Following graduation, she landed a full-time position in the College of Arts and Sciences as the undergraduate coordinator for the Oregon Consortium for International and Area Studies. In 2016, she came “home” to SOMD, and started her current role as the events and scheduling coordinator.
Part of her job is ensuring graduation goes off without a hitch!
“This year, I'm not stressed!” she exclaimed. “Every year since joining the administrative staff at SOMD, our commencement ceremony has become more organized and more enjoyable for all.” This year, more than 130 Music and Dance students are set to walk across the stage at Beall Hall during the June 20th SOMD ceremony. “When the building is full of students and families who are celebrating, it is a wonderful energy. It is celebratory and positive. I am excited. I love commencement! It is a lot of work leading up to it. I am really looking forward to it.”
With all the planning that goes into it, you may assume someone in her role would be type A, but you would be wrong! “Man, I am so not a type A person!” she laughed. “You cannot control everything. I know I have a great work ethic, but I am not someone who is going to lose sleep over worrying about every little detail. I have planned a lot of events. I am incredibly organized and competent. I have an excellent sense of what my job entails, and I love helping people, but I am not a type A person.”
While she is crossing all her t’s and dotting her i's, music is never far away. Whether she hears music echoing through SOMD’s halls or she is performing herself, her first love has never been relegated to the back burner. “Frohnmayer Music Building, where my office is located, is a place on campus I have a deep connection to and I love,” she said. “There is always a song in my head, so I love working in a building where you hear music all the time. You can catch snippets of a rehearsal or students playing in the practice rooms or out in the courtyard. I can attend concerts outside of working hours. When we have a candidate visit, I can pop into a recital or a lecture. It is so fulfilling. It is such a wonderful job and I love all those benefits.”
Performing is also one of her favorite perks. This past February, Brooke was asked to sing in the UO Opera Ensemble’s production of An Italian in Algiers. Her most recent project was singing in the chorus for Eugene Symphony’s production of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe in late May 2023.
Brooke’s love for music can also be felt in her home, specifically in her kitchen. She and her husband, Dustin, first met in a local restaurant where they both worked; he as a chef and she as a server/manager. One of their favorite activities is cooking together. As Thomas Keller once said, “music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient.” Most evenings they rotate through various genres from classics like Paul Simon and David Burns to Afrobeat and reggae. Whatever they are cooking that night typically informs the playlist. “If we make Italian food, we’ll listen to Pavarotti,” she said. “Any meal can be enhanced with great music.” They also love to spend that quality time at home with their two cats, 18-year-old Molokai and 15-year-old Weasley.
Brooke poses with Molokai
Outside, they have a flower and vegetable garden with fruit trees. Every summer, they look forward to processing and preserving the fresh produce they have grown. They also enjoy traveling to places like the coast to dig for clams or to forage for mushrooms.