Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gillian Rae Perry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gillian Rae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I have just finished writing my very first opera with poet Marcus Amaker. The piece is titled The Weight of Light and is set to have its concert premiere with Chicago Opera Theater April 27th. The opera is about a mother and daughter who share a magical ability to talk with the objects around them. This show is very personal for me and is a very full and authentic expression of who I am, not only as an artist, but also as a human. Marcus and I have been able to create a show that is a snapshot into how we both view the expression of love through different generations… the show feels like a love letter to love, in a way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up on a bird farm in rural Texas. As a little kid, I loved writing songs to myself and singing them to my pet rooster. That is how I got my start as a music maker. I was very fortunate growing up to have a mom who encouraged me to pursue piano, which lead to a deep love for classical music. My mom also helped run a not-for-profit theater company and I grew up acting on stage with my siblings. During my undergraduate career studying music composition, I also developed a love for filmmaking and ended up finishing my time at Southern Methodist University with degrees in both music composition and film. From there I attended The California Institute of the Arts for a masters degree in music composition. Post school, I wrote and recorded four albums, 2 of which are in the classical music genre and the other two are singer-songwriter albums. In 2022 I was awarded a residency at Chicago Opera Theater which has allowed me to write my very first opera.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When I was 14 I had my very first lead role in a play. I had been acting since I was 7, but this was my first time getting to play a leading role. On opening night, we had a very small turnout. I was heartbroken, truly defeated. My director came backstage before opening curtain. She sat the whole cast down and told us that it is such a huge honor to get to perform for any number of people. She told us it is an incredibly special gift to get to perform for even on person; to get to share your art with even one person is an honor. I have taken then sentiment to heart. It is so special to me as a creative that I get to share my art with anyone. I find it most rewarding when someone comes up to me after a performance and tells me that my music resonated with them. I feel so lucky every time I have the opportunity to connect with a fellow human in such a specific and sacred way.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think a lot of non-creatives sometimes don’t understand the waves of success that happen for an artist. I think it was Jim Carrey who described being a creative as being a surfer, basically the idea being you have to sit around and wait a lot for a big “wave” to come in your career. The wave picks you up and it is amazing and exhilarating, and then, eventually, it puts you back down. And you’re left waiting again. I’ve thought about this analogy often and I feel it is a good one. I know so many of my fellow creative friends who are doing very rewarding, amazing work and appear quite “successful” for a time, and then go through periods where they don’t have as many consistent gigs lined up. That does not mean they aren’t doing the career they set out to do, and I think a lot of non-creatives don’t quite understand that. This of course leads to a whole bigger analysis of what society deems “success” anyway, but I’ll save that discussion for another day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gillianraeperry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gilligil?igsh=bnIzaGpobXgzMHdu&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gillianraeperry
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-rae-perry-24aa2492
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gillianraeperry?lang=en

Image Credits
photo: joe mazza — brave lux inc