Nadine Gomes
Nadine Gomes
Teaching Professor of Musical Theatre
Interim Chair of the Theatre Conservatory
Chicago College of Performing Arts
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About Me

In the Classroom:

Greetings! I have had the immense joy of teaching in the Theatre Conservatory since 2004, where I bring a substantial background in classical vocal pedagogy balanced with a comprehensive and contemporary understanding of musical theatre repertoire, vocal styles, and current performance practice. I am a strong believer in vocal versatility and authenticity for musical theatre singers, and my own experience spans the genres of musical theatre, jazz, pop/rock, and opera as both a performer and a voice teacher. I teach private voice, as well as a variety of classes such as: Vocal Ensemble, Senior Showcase, and Pop/Rock Styles for Musical Theatre, a class I created in 2020. My private voice students sing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on national tours, in regional theatres, and throughout Chicago.

One of the things that drew me to Roosevelt University was its mission of social justice. To that end, I am particularly passionate about creating a welcoming and equitable learning environment for all of our students in the Theatre Conservatory. I took part in a 6-week course for RU faculty called the Ensuring Student Success in the summer of 2021. Here I learned many progressive pedagogy practices, as well as ways to create more of a sense of academic belonging for my students. I went on to be named as the ESS Faculty Fellow for CCPA for the 2021-2022 academic year, and I led multiple workshops for faculty to help promote these new teaching ideas and methodologies. I began teaching modules of ESS in 2023, and I cherish this opportunity to engage with faculty across the university and discuss ways that we can improve the student experience. I have also brought in experts to educate our Theatre Voice Faculty on working with transgender singers in the voice studio. I believe that our conservatory is stronger when it provides a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds, needs, and learning styles so that everyone is afforded a path to success. I also contend that a good teacher should be a lifelong student, so I am always seeking out new professional development opportunities so that I can continue to bring new ideas into the classroom.

My Performing Background:

In addition to performing roles in regional theatre and opera, my concert work has taken me throughout the U.S. and Taiwan with such ensembles as the Chicago Symphonic Pops Orchestra, Vocal Summit, and Ars Musica Chicago.  I served as the Music Director for HealthWorks Theatre for three years, and I was a touring company member for five years. I have also performed at such jazz and cabaret venues as Davenport’s Piano Bar, Simone’s Cabaret at Cyrano’s Bistro, The Fairmont Hotel, and the Treemont Hotel. I was a founding member of the a cappella jazz quintet, The Hi-Tops.

I spent seven summers as the conductor of the Gallery 37 Vocal Arts Ensemble, serving as Chorus Master for The Love for Three Oranges and The Magic Flute at The Chicago Cultural Center. I was also the Stage Director for a production of The Magic Flute with Lyric Opera’s Opera Kids! program. For ten years, I served as a faculty member in both the Voice and Early Childhood Music departments at The Sherwood Conservatory of Music. I am an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), as well as a registered Music Together™ teacher.

College Audition Support:

Auditioning for BFA theatre programs is a stressful business! I'm on a mission to help prospective students with this process, and I have written multiple articles on the subject over the years. You can find some of my past articles here, covering topics such as choosing the right school, avoiding overdone songs, video prescreens, dance auditions, and skills you need for musical theatre college programs:

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AP505XWXjFjbjZw&id=77EECBC9CB02EAC2%211146&cid=77EECBC9CB02EAC2

 

Topic of Expertise
  • Vocal Health

    Nadine is passionate about instilling good vocal health habits in her students at CCPA. She has created practical course materials on the subject, and she often brings in guest speakers to give her students the most recent information from medical professionals and researchers in the field

  • Pop/Rock Music in the World of Musical Theatre

    Many of today's new musicals are begin written by pop/rock singers, so, in addition to traditional Broadway repertoire, musical theatre singers need to be comfortable performing a wide range of genres such as: Motown, Hip-Hop, Disco, and Country. Nadine has sung extensively in the pop/rock genre in her career, and she has taken workshops with leaders in the pop/rock musical field, such as Sheri Sanders and Melissa Cross. This is an exciting time for new musical theatre! She has created a course called Pop/Rock Styles for Musical Theatre which teaches students how to sing in a wide variety of pop/rock genres with vocal authenticity and a comprehensive understanding of the era and the history behind it.

Education
  • M.M. Vocal Performance & Vocal Pedagogy — Roosevelt University
  • B.S. Performance Studies — Northwestern University
  • 2 years Vocal Jazz Performance — Berklee College of Music