Callie Emery

INSTRUCTOR

Callie is a lyrico-spinto soprano and pianist born and raised in Orlando, FL. From a young age, Callie always had an interest in music and was heavily involved in school and church choirs from the time she was eleven. Around this time, she also began auditioning for and performing in district, state, regional, and national honor choirs. In high school, Callie began to explore her solo classical voice and eventually auditioned for collegiate music programs. Callie completed her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University, where she double majored in vocal performance and child psychology. After graduating in 2020, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she pursued her masters degree at the Boston conservatory at Berklee. She majored in opera performance and graduated in 2022. Callie has performed in a variety of operas both nationally and internationally. Her highlighted performances and role studies include Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica with both Utah Vocal Arts Academy and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with both Lyrique-en-mer international festival of Belle Ike and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and Zelda ‘48 in the Ghost of Gatsby with Vanderbilt Opera Theatre. Her opera ensemble credits include Tosca, Le nozze di Figaro, Candide, and The Fairy Queen. Along with these stage performances, Callie has performed on live radio broadcast with WFCL Nashville Live im Studio C in honor of the bicentennial of Clara Schumann. She has also performed with a number of ensembles including the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Disney World’s Candlelight Processional, the Festival Singers of Florida, and the Nairobi Chamber Choir. She notably took part in a performance of Thomas Tallis’s Spem in Alium, a piece famous for requiring forty separate vocal parts. Callie has performered in masterclasses hosted by internationally acclaimed vocalists such as Natalia Romaniw, Jennifer Larmore, Michael Mayes, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Christian Bowers, and Elvia Puccinelli. Despite her performance history, Callie has found a home in teaching young musicians. With multiple years of teaching experience and abilities to work with a wide range of ages and levels, her areas of expertise include intermediate/advanced voice, beginner/intermediate piano, musicianship, music theory, and music history. 

 

Birthday: October 17th

Favorite music to perform: Opera, Musical Theatre, and Country

Favorite music to listen to: Heavy metal and Country 

Something people don’t know about you: I sang the national anthem for all three days of the Olympic qualifier swim meets in 2016. 

Other hobbies and interests: I am certified in stage hair styling and makeup application, I knit, sew, and crochet, I collect old school Pokémon cards, and I powerlift. 

Born and grew up in: Orlando, FL

Pets: Two cats, Bob and Betty

Practice Tips: Frustrated practice is not good practice. If you find yourself becoming disappointed in your practice, try taking a 10 to 15 minute break and come back to it afterward. If that doesn’t work, tomorrow is a new day to try again. The goal of practice is to build positive muscle memory around healthy techniques. Practicing when frustrated or tense is only going to solidify bad habits. Not every time you practice is going to be the best time you practice and that’s okay – as long as you try again later in a better mindset!