JAMILA
DRECKER-WAXMAN
SOPRANO
ABOUT JAMILA
German-American Soprano Jamila Drecker-Waxman has distinguished herself for her rich tone and vibrant performances in operatic, concert, and recital settings. During the 2023-2024 season, Jamila was named the Boston District Winner at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and performed scenes from La bohème, La rondine, Lady in the Dark, A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder, and The Mikado 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 was a studio artist in 2023, to perform in the Opera Maine Gala. While pursuing a Master of Music and Professional Studies Certificate from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Jamila performed the roles of Susannah, Vitellia , and Governess, and was awarded a grant to produce and star in a film of La voix humaine, a role she reprised at the Alliance Française shortly thereafter. Her other recent engagements include the role of Mimì at the Bay View Music Festival, as well as the roles of Pamina and Noémie at Opera in the Ozarks. While receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College, Jamila performed the role of Belinda, and was featured as a soloist in The World, This Wall, and Me (Bussewitz-Quaram), Magnificat (Pärt), Art is Calling for Me (Herbert), Considering Matthew Shepard (Hella-Johnson), Messiah (Handel), and Laudate Dominum (Mozart). This winter Jamila looks forward to joining Sarasota Opera as a Studio Artist.
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?
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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.
