Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Cooke.
Hi Julia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey began with a whisper of something I didn’t fully understand at the time: standing behind a screen onstage at age three, waiting to appear in the opera ‘Madame Butterfly.’ I don’t remember much beyond the bright stage lights and some candy from my mom backstage to keep me quiet, but something about that moment planted a seed. I wouldn’t fully recognize its significance until much later – but I never forgot the feeling.
For most of my youth and even into college, I kept my distance from opera. But the pull was always there. Eventually, I surrendered to it. I spent over two decades as a professional opera singer, performing across the U.S. and abroad. I taught voice at the university level and mentored young singers nationwide. I also spent critical early years as a children’s choir conductor in Chicago, where I first saw how singing could transcend language and background. That experience changed me. I came to believe something I hold onto still: everyone has a voice. And helping people find theirs – whether through music, self-expression, or simply a sense of belonging – has become the core of my purpose.
Because “finding one’s voice” isn’t just about singing. It’s about finding one’s power, one’s place in the world, one’s connection to others and to something larger. I work on my own voice – both the literal and metaphorical ones – every day. That work is central to who I am. And I believe deeply that when someone finds their voice, they find a sense of power, belonging, and connection that can ripple outward in beautiful ways.
In 2009, when Baltimore’s former opera company went dark, a small group of artists, including me, formed what would become Opera Baltimore. We had no budget, no staff, and no guarantees, but we had conviction. We built trust with our community from the ground up, one performance at a time. Today, we are a nationally recognized company that sells out shows, partners deeply with our city, and makes opera accessible to thousands through excellence and outreach.
What keeps me here – what makes all the challenges worth it – is the special moment when I let myself stop and listen. Amidst the hubub of a production and all the work that goes into it – I give myself just one moment to sink into the exchange between singer and audience. That energy, that raw human connection, reminds me exactly why I do this. I’ve seen it change people. It’s changed me.
My career has spanned performing, teaching, conducting, and now leading an opera company that is defining a new path forward for our art form. Every step has shaped the leader I am today – and I carry all of it with me, every day, into this work. Opera Baltimore is my life’s work, and I’m proud that we’re not just making great art – we’re making space for people to feel something profound.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road – but I don’t think anything truly worthwhile ever is.
When we started the company in 2009, we were fueled by passion and purpose, but blissfully unaware of just how deep the challenges would run. The previous opera company in Baltimore had collapsed suddenly and without resolution, leaving a trail of broken trust and confusion. The word “opera” itself had become, quite frankly, a liability. We received angry phone calls from people who thought we were the same company that had taken their subscription money and disappeared. There had been no satisfactory public explanation or apology – just silence.
What made that time especially difficult was knowing that the company’s demise wasn’t due to a lack of love for the artform. It is clear now that it stemmed from fractured leadership and internal disagreement – two monumental risks to the sustainability of any company. Those differences prevented a unified path forward, and the absence of action left the public hurt and disillusioned. We couldn’t speak to that directly at the time without reopening wounds, so instead, we quietly and persistently got to work, building trust one performance, one artist, one audience member at a time.
Of course, funding has always been a challenge, as it is for most nonprofit arts organizations. The uncertainty of sustaining an opera company in today’s climate – especially in a city with limited arts coverage and scarce marketing dollars – requires relentless creativity and grit. We learned to make beauty on a shoestring, to leverage word of mouth, and to center our brand around sincerity and excellence. Still, in a media landscape overwhelmed with noise, breaking through remains a constant effort.
And then there’s the personal side: building a company while raising two young children, in a household where both parents work in the same high-pressure field. It’s a daily juggle of priorities, time, energy – and often emotion. But this life has also taught me balance, humility, and the necessity of community.
Despite all this, or maybe because of it, our success feels deeply earned. The obstacles haven’t stopped us; they’ve clarified our purpose. Every challenge we face is another reason why our work matters. Though truthfully, I could use fewer challenges!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At the heart of my work is the powerful, highly trained, unamplified human voice. I specialize in helping audiences rediscover what it means to be moved by the power of live, acoustic singing – no microphones, no tricks, just the raw, resonant beauty of the human instrument. At the helm of Opera Baltimore, I have the privilege of shaping performances and programs that prioritize this connection – between voice and listener, artist and community.
I’m known for two things: championing artistic excellence, and building an opera company that doesn’t just serve its city but listens to it, learns from it, and reflects it. That dual focus – artistic integrity and deep community engagement – is what sets us apart.
I’m most proud of creating something from nothing. We built this company from the ashes of a collapse, with no roadmap and no safety net, and today we are a thriving, fully professional organization with national recognition. I’m also proud that Opera Baltimore is one of very few companies that intentionally centers singers not just as performers but as connectors – between the institution and the people we serve. Our concert opera format puts the voice front and center, and we’ve proven that even in a media-saturated world, this centuries-old, visceral artform can still stop time and reach hearts.
What sets us apart is our refusal to choose between excellence and accessibility. We believe opera belongs to everyone, and we work to remove barriers – financial, cultural, geographic – so that more people can experience its beauty. We’ve turned libraries, parks, and neighborhood centers into opera venues. We’ve built bridges with communities historically excluded from the artform. And we’ve done it all while staying rooted in the integrity of the music and the power of the voice.
In the end, I think my real work is about connection. I build systems and spaces where artists can thrive and audiences can be transformed. That’s what opera has always done at its best, and that’s what I intend to keep doing.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Relentless clarity of purpose.
In this work, there are so many pressures: financial, emotional, logistical. It’s easy to lose sight of why you started. What’s helped me stay grounded and grow Opera Baltimore is an unwavering commitment to our “why”: we exist to build community through opera, to uplift people through beauty, and to center the human voice as a powerful force for connection.
That clarity fuels everything – from how we program, to how we engage with our audience, to how we make tough decisions. It helps me lead with integrity, stay open to feedback, and keep moving forward even when the path isn’t clear.
But there’s something else – something quieter but just as essential: I still get emotional when I hear a beautiful voice. After all these years, even after being a singer myself, I still tear up – often at inconvenient moments! I’ve had to learn to manage that, but I also give myself one moment in each production to stop, to really listen, and to feel that sacred exchange of energy between singer and audience. It never stops being extraordinary.
What our artists do is remarkable. Their courage, poise, and artistry inspire me constantly. That’s what keeps me going – so that as many people as possible can experience that visceral, soul-stirring feeling of connection. It’s why this work matters so deeply. And why I’m still here, still moved, still in awe.
Pricing:
- Opera Baltimore tickets start at $32.95
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.operabaltimore.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/operabaltimore/#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OperaBaltimore
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-cooke-93028b62/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/operabaltimore
