Today we’d like to introduce you to Jarrod Lee.
Hi Jarrod, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Alabama and found my way in Classical Music/Opera in my junior year at Jacksonville State University in AL. I’m very grateful for my time with my family, playing in my grandmother’s yard, listening to the wind blow through the trees, and watching the clouds roll by. It wasn’t always this pleasant, but this is where my mind goes when I think of my childhood. When I was very young, I remember telling my grandmother that god said to me that I’d be a writer, a singer, and a preacher. Well, two out of three are alright. My family nurtured my love for the song in practice, and I’d say in the blood.
I grew up singing in choirs and family talent shows during reunions and occasionally lip-syncing with a grand entrance. I enjoyed myself. I loved the ability to tell stories with my voice and body. I loved the attention it gave me when I knew what I was saying. Later, while attending JSU, I was bitten by the stage bug. I sang through Central Alabama Community College and Jacksonville State University and eventually jumped into Opera at the University of Maryland. I moved to Baltimore in 2010 after earning my Masters of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Maryland in 2010 with the Maryland Opera Studio, founded by Leon Major. After graduating, I lived in the basement of the program’s wig and make-up artist in Baltimore for a few years until moving into a shared space with another UMD/MOS graduate, friend and colleague. It was all a big dream to move to Maryland for graduate school and to study Opera as a student; I looked up to my teachers, who all had beautiful careers. And I often looked them up to find videos, recordings, and pictures of their life on the opera stage. Later as a grad student, I even had the honor of meeting a legendary opera star, Leontyne Price! The queen! She was so gracious and encouraging.
Thanks to some gracious ladies like the wig and make-up artist, the director of the department who hired me to work in the facilities department of Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and many others who saw my desire to sing. Only recently did I feel confident to share my love for writing. I love telling stories, and once I realized folks liked my writing and singing, I leaned into the possibility of writing stories for Opera. Now I have the honor and privilege to dive into stories and help bring new options for opera companies to program. I have learned a lot in my short lifetime and living in Baltimore only adds more spice. I don’t know the exact steps of how I ended up dividing my time between singing and writing, but it has always been something I wanted to do. I hope folks feel empowered or question their level of empathy when they hear me sing or when they hear something I’ve collaborated on as a writer. I want my work to feed people in every definition of the word.
Would it have been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think having access to more financial support and early exposure followed by training would have assisted me as a younger person. A lot of folks don’t know that a lot of Black folks are in opera. A lot of folks don’t understand the art form and don’t see it as a form of entertainment like going to see a movie. One obstacle is getting folks to look up the different styles of opera and how they are all rooted in stories. I fell in-love with the stories and why the creatives decided to work on the story. My biggest challenge is telling my younger self that things change and although my dreams are still valid, life is a reality of change and balance that I have the privilege to experience. I recognize my privilege and count my blessings while shaking every tree with the intention that my life will be filled with greater joy than I have yet to experience.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with what you do?
I am a creative who sings opera and writes stories to be turned into operas. I aspire to write stories for Film as well. So many topics can be discussed, and it doesn’t have to be the only medium or vessel to tell a story, but opera is my favorite. I had two premieres as a collaborator in 2022. One called “Voices of Zion” with composer Ronald “Trey” Walton was commissioned by Alliance for New Music Theatre in D.C. The topic included Mt. Zion Methodist Church and Female Union Band Society shared cemeteries in Georgetown and the historical disrespect of the Black people buried in sacred spaces. Another collaboration was with composer Timothy Amukele, “Spirit Moves,” commissioned by IN Series. It is dedicated to my late grandmother Mattie S. Woods. This work reviews our relationship to food and community while sharing the love and life lessons we pass on to our children while being guided by those who are no longer physically with us through spoken word, song, and dance. I’m looking forward to the 2023 premiere of my collaboration with my cousin and composer, B.E. Boykin, called “Oshun” at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C. It is commissioned by the Washington National Opera. Oshun is an Orisha, and one of the many stories about her became our topic. We explore what sacrifice means and the definition of true beauty while using the Yoruba and English languages. I’m still singing when I can. I’m now a little more selective in the topics I sing about on stage.
Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
I love the term “Shaking Trees.” I used to say, “my gifts will make room for me,” and I still believe that, but now I’m more inclined to shake the tree and see what falls. What falls will benefit me and help me to be of service to someone else. As for finding a mentor, I had to learn who to ask the person and do it with intention. Most folks do want to share their experience. When I was younger, I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t think I needed one. I realized they knew something I didn’t, and I wanted to learn as much as possible from what they experienced while crafting my path and experiencing things for myself. I now work with a life coach and check in with a few mentors now and then.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jarrodlee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarrodleeopera/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JarrodLeeBassBaritone/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jarrodleeopera
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5z0897h__48rlnjUSfA1bg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jarrod-lee-821514082
Image Credits
-Jarrod Lee headshot with red scarf / photographer Robert Mercer, Jr. -Jarrod Lee in black and white photo / photographer Catrilia Watson -Jarrod Lee in an untucked shirt in tuxedo in the library of the Cloisters Castle in Baltimore / photographer Robert Mercer, Jr. -Jarrod Lee with cast of “Spirit Moves” by composer Timothy Amukele and Librettist Jarrod Lee / photo by IN Series. from left to right: Jihanna Davis (mezzo soprano), Daniel J. Smith (baritone), Shawna J. Williams (dancer), Darryl Lillian Johnson (actor/singer), Dustin Pray low (dancer) and Jarrod Lee (librettist). Not pictured is the composer Timothy Amukele. *Note to identify picture: location is at the Fort Stanton Rec Center…three cast members are wearing white. -Jarrod Lee with cast of “Oshun” by composer B.E. Boykin and Librettist Jarrod Lee / photo by Caitlin Oldham. From left to right: Nicole Cloutier, Christian Isaiah Simmons (bass), Jarrod Lee (Librettist), Evan Rogister (conductor), B.E. Boykin (composer), Katerina Burton (soprano), Daniel J. Smith (baritone), and Anthony Ballard (tenor). *Note to identify picture: location is at the WNO rehearsal studios. -Jarrod Lee on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera during sitzprob rehearsal for “Porgy and Bess” by Gershwin/ I don’t know who took this photo -Jarrod Lee on the stage of the Washington National Opera as the Baron in “Candide” by Bernstein/ photo by Scott Suchman -Jarrod Lee on stage as Henry Davis with Nina Evelyn Anderson (soprano) in “Street Scene” by Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes with the Maryland Opera Studio / photo by David Andrews
