Gorham High School senior Matthew Slipp has become the first Gorham student to be accepted at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

The school’s mission is to educate talented performing artists. A singer, he’ll focus on opera. Slipp said it’s a four-year program with a bachelor of arts degree. He said a Juilliard student is also eligible to take classes at Columbia University.

Slipp, who has sung with the Chamber Singers, is the son of Gary and Kim Slipp, who is an assistant principal at Gorham High School. “He’s worked hard to get that,” his mother said about his acceptance at Juilliard School.

His sister, Kristin Slipp, is a vocal performer in jazz and a senior at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass. She graduates this year.

This summer, Matt Slipp will appear in a show at the Schoolhouse Performing Arts Center in Sebago Lake Village.

Gorham people will have an opportunity to see him in a recital at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Corthell Hall on the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine.

He graduates Gorham High School on Sunday, June 8. “Then, it’s time to relax,” Slipp said. “And I’ll be off.”

Darrel Morrow of the Gorham High School Music Department expects great things from Slipp. “Get his autograph,” Morrow said. “He’s going to be famous some day.”

Q. Was there an audition to be accepted at Juilliard School?

A. Six hundred kids sent in CDs. They took 60 and broke it down to two audition days. I sang three pieces, one French, one Italian and one English. On my audition day, they took 13. I’m in a class of 12 freshman singers.

Q. Did you apply at any other schools?

A. I applied to the Manhattan School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory. But I got into Juilliard.

Q. Does Juilliard offer scholarships?

A. Yes. I’m getting a $10,000 scholarship. That was pretty neat.

Q. Where is Juilliard located?

Upper West Side in Lincoln Center.

Q. Will living in the Big Apple change your life dramatically?

A. It’ll be a culture shock to live down there.

Q. Will you know anyone at Juilliard?

A. I have a few friends there. That will be cool. My sister is graduating. She’s moving to New York next year.

Q. Where will you live?

Freshmen have to live in a dorm. I move in on Aug. 24 and first classes are on Sept. 5.

Q. Will you miss Maine?

A. New York is the best city in the world. It’ll be great to get out of Maine. These are my roots. It’ll be great to come home to see family and friends.

Q. What led you to pursue singing?

A. I did a summer program at Tanglewood in the Berkshires. That’s where I learned what classical music was. I didn’t think about conservatory music until then.

Q. How did that come about?

A. Tanglewood is a six-week program. It is not an ordinary summer camp, it’s an intense conservatory program. Phyllis Hoffman (a professor at Boston University and Tanglewood) approached me when I was a freshman in a competition at Bates College. She called. She gave me a full-boat tuition.

Q. When?

A. The summers of 2005 and 2006. I had to go back.

Q. Have you performed at Gorham High School?

I’ve been in seven shows, three musicals and four plays.

Q. Are your parents musical?

A. My parents were both athletes in high school. They didn’t do anything musical but both can carry a tune.

Q. Where did you get started in music?

Initially, I started piano lessons at 12. I dreamed about being a concert pianist. I went to my sister’s recitals. I took voice lessons from Judith James, a teacher at USM, who has a private studio in Portland.

Q. Have you met any famous performers?

A. The first famous performer I ever met was Deborah Voigt. She’s a big opera star. I went backstage in the Berkshires and met her. She’s relaxed and humble. It was phenomenal. She travels around the world.

Q. Did you get her autograph?

A. I did, it’s hanging on my wall.

Q. How much do you sing daily?

A. I practice two hours everyday. That’s the life I’ve chosen.

Q. Do you collect recordings?

A. I have a massive collection of recordings, in the hundreds for sure. Recordings are crucial to anyone. They help you to learn.

Q. When not singing, what do you enjoy?

A. In the springtime, I like to play tennis. I used to take dance lessons. I don’t have time for hobbies. I like to spend time with family and friends, and I’m pretty happy when family and friends are around.

Gorham High School senior Matthew Slipp has become the first Gorham student to be accepted at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

The school’s mission is to educate talented performing artists. A singer, he’ll focus on opera. Slipp said it’s a four-year program with a bachelor of arts degree. He said a Juilliard student is also eligible to take classes at Columbia University.

Slipp, who has sung with the Chamber Singers, is the son of Gary and Kim Slipp, who is an assistant principal at Gorham High School. “He’s worked hard to get that,” his mother said about his acceptance at Juilliard School.

His sister, Kristin Slipp, is a vocal performer in jazz and a senior at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass. She graduates this year.

This summer, Matt Slipp will appear in a show at the Schoolhouse Performing Arts Center in Sebago Lake Village.

Gorham people will have an opportunity to see him in a recital at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Corthell Hall on the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine.

He graduates Gorham High School on Sunday, June 8. “Then, it’s time to relax,” Slipp said. “And I’ll be off.”

Darrel Morrow of the Gorham High School Music Department expects great things from Slipp. “Get his autograph,” Morrow said. “He’s going to be famous some day.”

Q. Was there an audition to be accepted at Juilliard School?

A. Six hundred kids sent in CDs. They took 60 and broke it down to two audition days. I sang three pieces, one French, one Italian and one English. On my audition day, they took 13. I’m in a class of 12 freshman singers.

Q. Did you apply at any other schools?

A. I applied to the Manhattan School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory. But I got into Juilliard.

Q. Does Juilliard offer scholarships?

A. Yes. I’m getting a $10,000 scholarship. That was pretty neat.

Q. Where is Juilliard located?

Upper West Side in Lincoln Center.

Q. Will living in the Big Apple change your life dramatically?

A. It’ll be a culture shock to live down there.

Q. Will you know anyone at Juilliard?

A. I have a few friends there. That will be cool. My sister is graduating. She’s moving to New York next year.

Q. Where will you live?

Freshmen have to live in a dorm. I move in on Aug. 24 and first classes are on Sept. 5.

Q. Will you miss Maine?

A. New York is the best city in the world. It’ll be great to get out of Maine. These are my roots. It’ll be great to come home to see family and friends.

Q. What led you to pursue singing?

A. I did a summer program at Tanglewood in the Berkshires. That’s where I learned what classical music was. I didn’t think about conservatory music until then.

Q. How did that come about?

A. Tanglewood is a six-week program. It is not an ordinary summer camp, it’s an intense conservatory program. Phyllis Hoffman (a professor at Boston University and Tanglewood) approached me when I was a freshman in a competition at Bates College. She called. She gave me a full-boat tuition.

Q. When?

A. The summers of 2005 and 2006. I had to go back.

Q. Have you performed at Gorham High School?

I’ve been in seven shows, three musicals and four plays.

Q. Are your parents musical?

A. My parents were both athletes in high school. They didn’t do anything musical but both can carry a tune.

Q. Where did you get started in music?

Initially, I started piano lessons at 12. I dreamed about being a concert pianist. I went to my sister’s recitals. I took voice lessons from Judith James, a teacher at USM, who has a private studio in Portland.

Q. Have you met any famous performers?

A. The first famous performer I ever met was Deborah Voigt. She’s a big opera star. I went backstage in the Berkshires and met her. She’s relaxed and humble. It was phenomenal. She travels around the world.

Q. Did you get her autograph?

A. I did, it’s hanging on my wall.

Q. How much do you sing daily?

A. I practice two hours everyday. That’s the life I’ve chosen.

Q. Do you collect recordings?

A. I have a massive collection of recordings, in the hundreds for sure. Recordings are crucial to anyone. They help you to learn.

Q. When not singing, what do you enjoy?

A. In the springtime, I like to play tennis. I used to take dance lessons. I don’t have time for hobbies. I like to spend time with family and friends, and I’m pretty happy when family and friends are around.