Grace Mead
About
Grace is currently studying vocal performance and German at James Madison University. Grace is an emerging young opera singer who will be gracing the international stage as Adele in Die Fledermaus in Germany this Summer. Not only is she training as an opera singer in her collegiate studies, but she also was a young artist with the Roanoke Opera, a soprano section leader at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and one of the leading singers at her university. She has received many distinctions for her singing, such as the third prize of the "Sue Goetz Ross Memorial Voice Competition" in Washington D.C., placed in the state and regional levels of the competition for the National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS), was the recipient of the "Bowman Endowed Choral Scholarship" at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and was just awarded the "In Dal Choi Scholarship" for being the most outstanding senior at James Madison University. Additionally, she is a very experienced choral singer with over 10 years of experience in singing and teaching choir, and she became the youngest member of JMU's leading choral ensemble, The Madison Singers, in 2019.
Not only is she experienced in classical and choral singing, but she is also well versed in musical theatre and pop singing. She trained with some of the voice industry's leading professionals in all styles of singing, and that is why she considers herself a well-rounded singer and teacher. She can work with students of all ages and points in their singing journeys, and she loves to see the progress that each student makes as they work with her!
Teaching and working with people is one of my greatest joys, and I believe that every student requires a specific teaching style that caters to their needs. As I train as a professional operatic singer, I place a lot of emphasis on breath and body work, and laying a solid foundation of pitch accuracy and evenness of tone and resonance in every singer. Depending on what style the student wants to specialize in, I am also experienced in teaching music theory and diction in French, German, and Italian. For my musical theatre and pop students, I work with them on healthy ways to belt and mix to suit the style of the music. Overall, I believe it is very important that students begin building technique, regardless of genre, in the classical method of singing, diction, and music theory.