Since I was four years old, I have been dancing, singing, or acting. My love for music was first cultivated through my love of performing. Performing is my calling, and it is something that I must do. Fulfilling this desire to create, I have discovered that managing arts businesses, teaching voice and piano lessons, choreographing and directing shows, and advocating for the arts is just as enjoyable as being a performer. 

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In 2018, I graduated from Meredith College, in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Professional Performance Certificate in Voice and a minor in Arts Management. Music is fundamentally a language; it is a form of communication with the world. Studying the arts business throughout my undergrad helped me understand how I can grow as a musician and attract certain audiences at a consumer-based need. In 2020, I received my Master of Music in Opera Performance at Oklahoma City University. 

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My perspective on both the business and musical study is an exploration of human culture. I've been fortunate to have shared music with many people in many places over the years. Sharing music through performance is one of the things that keeps me going. Sharing music and dance by teaching others about it, is equally important. As a student and teacher, I have numerous opportunities to collaborate musically and academically with students, colleagues, and audiences. Live performance is a community activity, which is something that is important in our modern world. It’s significant to gather together, in one place, with a group of people and share music. In this day of increasing availability of sound that freezes out the sound of the world around us (headphones), I think it is important that we have congruous moments where we are listening to the same music at the same time. 

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My first voice professor, Dr. Ellen Williams, at Meredith College, reminded me that singing is three things: “exalted speaking,” a privilege, and an act that needs your entire being, not just your vocal folds. With this sense of gratitude and appreciation for singing, I am filled with happiness and wholeness. When others see my work, I hope they see the passion in me and are inspired. I want an audience to feel and grasp the character just as much as I do. I am optimistic about the future of live performance with my education and experience, so far. Let’s fearlessly keep it alive.