Ellen Chamblee ’22 describes the challenges and triumphs of earning her master’s degree in voice performance during the pandemic.
Continuing my education at the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University meant challenging myself. Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, the closest opera venues were several hours away. My father and I traveled to Chicago for the first time so I could audition at the CCPA. I was drawn to the sense of community at Roosevelt, and inspired by the cultural and work opportunities in the city.
My class is exceptionally small because we committed to Roosevelt during a time of chaos and uncertainty regarding the pandemic. The six of us moved from all over the country to Chicago. Most of us live alone, which was an adjustment in itself, but during a pandemic made it hard to make new friends and explore a brand-new place. But in each other, we saw a passion for music, drive for higher education and genuine smiling faces.
It’s been a challenge to adapt to technology and virtual voice lessons from my bedroom. But I chose to attend Roosevelt University for the same reasons that continue to be happy with my graduate school decision.
I can attend Roosevelt today thanks to the scholarship opportunities I received — my scholarships made my education possible.
To learn more about supporting scholarships for students like Ellen, visit roosevelt.edu/give.
WORKING CLOSELY WITH RESPECTED ARTISTS
During my sophomore year of college at Furman University, I traveled to the Classical Singers Competition and convention in Boston. It was at this convention that I had the opportunity to observe several master classes by CCPA voice professors Judith Haddon and Mark Crayton.
I fell in love with their style of teaching and felt particularly inspired by Ms. Haddon’s abundance of energy, which was what I was looking for in a graduate studies teacher. I watched closely from the edge of my seat as I saw breakthroughs for these singers in a short amount of time. I had never seen opera singing look so easy.
Studying music is special because of your relationship with your music teachers. Roosevelt students have a private hour-long lesson each week, and study with the same professor each semester. Not only do music students have to apply to Roosevelt, but they also have to be accepted into the music studio of a CCPA faculty member.
During my studies with Ms. Haddon, she’s become more than a voice teacher. She’s become a mentor, an advocate and at times, a therapist to me. Working closely with someone who I respect as an artist and admire as a person has enhanced my Roosevelt experience.
When I’m working with her, I feel more confident in my abilities to pursue what I love, and nothing could be more fulfilling.
The wisdom and real-world experiences of my professors extend beyond their knowledge of music. I am learning more about social justice through their curriculum. Our master’s recital consists of 40 minutes of music with at least four languages and four stylistic periods represented. Through the social justice component, we seek to promote understanding and inclusion while highlighting historically marginalized and underrepresented composers.
I’m passionate about feminism and knew that I wanted to research female composers who were overlooked during their time period. Now, I’m working on repertoire by Francesca Caccini of the Baroque Era and Classical Era composer Jane Mary Guest Miles. I have also looked at Libby Larsen’s “Try Me, Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII,” where she sets music and gives voice to Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.
I intend to shed light upon the talents and experiences of these artists.
FINDING CREATIVE COMMUNITY ON CAMPUS
My voice performance cohort and I found creative ways to support one another and became great friends. We began to have socially distanced picnics in Grant Park, accompanied one another on walks by the river, and even attended a spooky outdoor movie during the Halloween season.
Even behind my laptop screen, I can feel the sense of community at Roosevelt. At the beginning of my first semester, I got an email about Student Government and applied to be a senator. I knew that I wanted to contribute to the community of Roosevelt and become connected with the campus. I now attend biweekly meetings where I help review and approve proposals to make student life even better.
The CCPA has found innovative ways to adapt. During my fall semester, I was cast in the chorus of Pauline Viradot’s Cinderella for the virtual OperaFest. The chorus rehearsed individually on Zoom, singing alongside a recording. For our final production, we each recorded our part in front of a green screen, and we were digitally edited together.
Many of us had never worked with green screens or been filmed before. We wore an earbud in one ear to listen to the piano accompaniment. I kept having to re-record because, with my choreography, my earbud kept falling out!
While this experience was limiting in some ways, it also opened new doors, challenging us to see opera in a new, innovative light. It challenged me to be adaptable and creative and to seek out ways to make opera successful and accessible in modern times.
Scholarships help students like Ellen make their educational dreams a reality. To explore ways to give, visit roosevelt.edu/give.