Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jacquelyn Pileckas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jacquelyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I was really lucky in that I attended a performing arts high school starting at the age of 14. Before starting at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, I hadn’t really heard of opera beyond the famous Looney Tunes “What’s Opera, Doc?” short. Between our yearly trip to NYC to attend productions at the Metropolitan Opera and our productions of everything from Dido and Aeneas to Hansel and Gretel, I caught the opera bug. If I had to name a particular moment, it was when I was watching the Richard Tucker Gala on PBS and saw Joyce DiDonato performing and hosting. I was so enraptured by her down-to-earth attitude and her fantastic singing and I remember thinking that I wanted to sing like that too.
Jacquelyn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a freelance opera singer currently based in Central Florida and I’ve performed in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Savannah in the US. I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in some summer opera programs in Mexico, Austria, and Italy. I have been singing opera since I was 14 years old and received my education at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA (B.M. Vocal Performance) and at the University of Florida (M.M. Vocal Performance).
I think the main reason I’ve been drawn to opera is that I love telling stories. There is something so intimate about getting to connect with the audience and experiencing such heightened emotions alongside them. When I was at the Savannah Voice Festival this past summer, we performed an A WWII revue and I remember how the audience connected with all of the music—whether that was favorites from their own childhood or music that reminded them of their parents.
I also find that music is a way not only to connect, but to create change. I was involved in the recent production of OutLoud with Opera Tampa which is celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. In the midst of so much anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, it was empowering to push back and state “hey we’re here!”
I’ve recently performed as 2nd Witch in Dido and Aeneas with the Savannah Voice Festival, as La Badessa in Suor Angelica with Bold City Opera, and as Black Water Hattie in the Witching Opera with Opera Tampa. I’m currently gearing up to join the ensemble of Don Giovanni with Opera Tampa and I will be performing the role of Ruth Bader Ginsberg in Scalia/Ginsberg with Opera del Sol in March.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Sometimes something I struggle with is just keeping up with all of the lovely people in my life! For many folks in creative fields, we are juggling many different roles. For myself that means not only am I an opera singer, but I have a day job, I’m a voice teacher, and I have a few other side hustles here and there. And my weekends and holidays are often packed with performances. Unfortunately, I often find that leaves me very little time for anything else. I am lucky that my friends and family and usually quite understanding when I’m slow to call and say hello or make plans. My one piece of advice is to be kind to the artists in your life if they can’t make it home for the holidays or if they don’t text you back for three weeks. They know and they’ll get back to you as soon as things slow down!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I was initially rejected from every graduate program that I applied to. I was in my senior year of college and I had just come off of performing one of the principal roles (Despina) in the opera, Cosi Fan Tutte and I was performing well in my classes. I was extremely disheartened and was scrambling to figure what I was going to do when I graduated. One of my mentors, reached out to me and helped me set up some additional auditions. He was also a huge source of encouragement as I felt like an opera career wasn’t in the cards at the time. I ended up at the University of Florida because they needed a mezzo-soprano and the rest is history! There’s a saying in our industry “You only need one person to like you.” I think this experience was also very valuable because the schools that rejected me and were in a lot of ways—I did need to work on my technique a LOT and I was able to end up in a program where I eventually met my teacher Lindsey Neumann who has been instrumental in improving my vocal technique over the last 4 or 5 years. This is also an industry where you get told no constantly. This experience did a great deal in setting me up for the high rejection rate. It just makes the yes’s you do get mean more.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jackiepileckas
- Facebook: Jackie Pileckas
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jacquelynpileckas?si=J0zU04dtJptyTHrK
- Other: Website coming soon!