We were lucky to catch up with Claire Galloway recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Claire thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

“Without community, opera does not exist. Opera IS community – every single person involved from the front of house to stage management to the performers to the audience contributes something vital to the live energy and vision of the story. ” This is a summary of something director Peter Sellars said in a presentation at Peabody many years ago and it has stuck with me ever since.

It is certainly true of opera which is the true definition, and origin, of the word Gesamtkunstwerk in which music, dance, visual arts, stagecraft, the power of the voice, dramatic stories, and the environment of the theater all lend themselves to the process, product, and experience.

I would argue that the idea of community is paramount to any musical project, too.

The most impactful and powerful project I have every been involved in was one that I became intertwined with from early in the process. A dear friend, Vanessa Moody, had written a poem that had a strong impact on myself and composer, Frances Pollock.

In the poem, God is depicted in the stages of creating the world – and as a female. She is compelled to constantly apologize to her creations, interrupting herself, tripping over herself to apologize to things that, moments before, did not exist.

Frances began to set the poem to music for my voice and an unusual chamber ensemble of instruments including alto flute, soprano saxophone, cello, viola, and violin.

We immediately programmed music that would pair well with the theme of the feminine journey and set a date on the Baltimore War Memorial Arts Initiative calendar and set up a GoFundMe to allow ourselves to compensate all involved artists.

Through the process of fundraising, we set up conversations about walking through life as a perceived female and released these videos. We created visual art to promote the fundraiser and advertise the concert itself.

Most importantly we found ourselves relating on a deeper level not only amongst ourselves as friends and artistic collaborators, but with a larger network of people who had seen our fundraiser, advertisements, and videos. Some of these conversations were not easy ones – those that made us confront questions of what it is to be “female” and how other labels influence that experience.

To this day, I consistently have referred back to this experience as a model for projects I create and I involve myself in because they are the ones that connect us to our souls – and more importantly, to those of others. Through making music we connect – even on a physical level, heartbeats of musicians making music together sync up, we breathe together, and we open ourselves to connection that can bridge differences.

Projects like this one encourage us to open a door to walk in the shoes of another, to deeply explore our own experience and perspective in the world, and to pause and wonder from where compulsive apologizing (or any reaction) originates.

So many musicians, and professionals/amateurs alike in other fields, are often encouraged to specialize and only be involved in one aspect of a project. I would argue that although honing ones skills for a specific aspect is highly beneficial and important, knowing and walking the walk of other roles and connecting with the people that walk those paths leads to a more fulfilling, evolutionary, and powerful process AND performance.

I have found myself and collaborators often talking about how much we love the rehearsal and preparation process. It is separate from the bursting energy of performance – more of enduring flame that slowly brings to light more details of what is around and inside each and every one of us.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a:

~ Scottish-American soprano,

~ Language nerd and language coach (Français, Italiano, Deutsch, Scandinavian languages including Swedish, Norwegian, and so many more), I teach diction and repertoire courses at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD.

~ Art song nerd and recitalist who loves to create new opportunities and collaborate, and help others do the same,

~ Voice teacher who deeply believes that breath and body make us who we are and give the unique quality and authenticity to our voices (look for my Technique Tuesdays each week and catch up on Instagram and YouTube!), I have my own private studio online & in Baltimore and am currently an Artist in Residence with Bard College in the Hudson Valley, NY.

~ Food enthusiast and baker who loves Julia Child,

~ Puppy mama to a Havapoo named Zola & wife to Eric

~ Cheerleader for all artists and advocate for empathy, kindness, and supporting each other in this world. I love acting as a sounding board for artists and teach the Building a Brand & Portfolio class with Peabody’s Career Office LaunchPAD.

Check out my website for even more info about me, upcoming performances, and sign up to work with me – I offer a free 30 minute consult/trial voice lessons if you want to see if we’re a good match!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“Making mistakes is bad/shameful.”

Sure, making mistakes isn’t the goal. But it’s not shameful. We learn so much from making mistakes. And if we approach everything we do from a place of fear, we don’t commit or dedicate our full force or personality to any one task. We can never discover our full potential by tiptoeing through life.

For years, and still sometimes, I would sing through a phrase worried I was going to make a mistake. It stopped me from using my air efficiently – a key for singing in a connected, healthy, and colorful way.

In ensemble rehearsals, and in lessons, it’s become more common to say “make mistakes loudly.” This allows us to at least use our breath support effectively, sing in a more healthy way, and notice where the mistakes are so we can make a note to fix them later.

It’s also taught me to live a bit more in the present moment and dedicate myself to practicing a line the way I would perform in front of an audience. In front of an audience I wouldn’t stop myself and say “SORRY!” I would find a way to keep going and continue the atmosphere of the story so that by the time the piece ends, few people are aware of the mistake made. I encourage myself to record videos of my practice so I can analyze after the fact instead of in the moment.

Go into something with goals you try to achieve, but live in the moment, and reflect on how to move forward, learning from what you experience. And isn’t that a nicer way to walk through life?

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Live in curiosity! Explore your own interests in any kind of art. Get to know the artists you like and support them by following them, buying tickets, attending shows, and staying in touch with them.

We are a global community and the arts help us think in new ways. Art allows us to collaborate in a sense of play and improvisation. And art allows us to live in a sense of curiosity about the world – the universe – around us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clairegalloway.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/clairegallowaysoprano
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/clairegallowaysoprano
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/clairegallowaysoprano

Image Credits
IMG_9361 (cover photo) – Photo by Niklas Ottander from Nordic Song Festival August 2023 in Lilla Edet, Sweden IMG_6178 – (photo with group) Photo from “The Somatic Singer” workshop in June 2023 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Baltimore, MD IMG_2525 – (profile view photo in gold and black) Photo by Will Kirk/Homewood Photography from Baltimore Musicales & Arthur Friedheim Library’s “A Force of Destiny” October 2018 at the George Peabody Library in Baltimore, MD IMG_2524 – (photo with jeweled necklace) Photo by Owen Long from “Saffron Chung & Friends” with Musicians of New York in January 2020 IMG_2092 – (photo in black cape and blue gown) Photo as Vitellia in Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” at Lidal North in Oslo, Norway in July 2019