ABOUT JAMILA

German-American soprano Jamila Drecker-Waxman has distinguished herself for her rich, expressive tone and vibrant performances in operatic, concert, and recital settings. This year, Jamila joined Central City Opera as a Developing Artist, where she performed the role of La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, as well as selections from Die Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and Alice Ford in Falstaff in concert. She also performed La voix humaine with Modernized Opera Initiative in its inaugural production.

In 2025, Jamila joined the young artist programs of Sarasota Opera, Central City Opera, and Florentine Opera, performing the roles of Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Adina in The Elixir of Love, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Shepherd Boy in Tosca, and Second Wife in The Knock. She also covered the roles of La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Antonia/Stella/Giulietta in Les contes d’Hoffmann, and Jo Jenner in The Knock.

During the 2023–2024 season, Jamila was named a Boston District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She performed scenes from La bohème, La rondine, Lady in the Dark, and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and covered roles in The Pirates of Penzance and Street Scene as a Studio Artist with Central City Opera. She also returned to Opera Maine, where she had been a Studio Artist in 2023, to perform in the Opera Maine Gala.

While pursuing her Master of Music at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Jamila performed the roles of Susannah, Vitellia, and the Governess. She was also awarded a grant to produce and star in a film adaptation of La voix humaine, which she subsequently reprised in concert at the Alliance Française. Other recent engagements include Mimì in La bohème at the Bay View Music Festival and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Noémie in Cendrillon at Opera in the Ozarks.

This season, Jamila looks forward to joining the community at The Juilliard School, where she will pursue a Graduate Diploma in Voice.

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BEHIND THE MUSIC

Artist's Statement

People often recommend reframing the voice as if it were a physical instrument, separate from the body; that it’s easier to accept your mistakes when you think of them as a broken string, or an incorrect fingering instead of something wrong with you. While this approach may give you the peace of mind one needs to experiment with and refine technique, it strips a singer of everything that makes vocal music so uniquely powerful. I find myself drawn to opera for the way it combines so many of my passions all at once; history, language, literature, culture, and poetry all coalesce to create artwork that fires up every part of your brain and unearths the most intimate, personal experiences from your memory.

Formal training has broadened the scope of my ability, opened my eyes to endless works of gorgeous music, and contextualized the pieces I know and love to become even more thought-provoking and thrilling. My task as an artist has evolved over the years-- how can I present this music in an equally thrilling and accessible way? How can I share not only my voice, but everything around it in addition-- all the facets of opera that make it so exciting?

In my continued practice I have sought to rediscover my most instinctual, most natural, and most human voice. To reconnect with my inspirations and myself, and uncover the voice that has been an integral part of my identity long before I stepped into a classroom. The voice that has remained with me through every technical challenge, and persisted through every moment of self-doubt.

In my reflection, I’ve discovered my purpose for music-making has remained constant since my earliest and most novice performances; to express my deepest and truest self, to foster a sense of community and connection through universal human emotions and experiences, and to explore the immense beauty of life.