Artist Spotlight: Meet Madeline Ross!

As we count down the days until our cabaret-inspired fundraiser, Dirty, Stupid Music, we turn the spotlight toward the artists featured on the show. This week we chat with soprano Madeline Ross.

What are some of your first memories of performing music?

photo by Tom Lupton

When I was little, around 4 or 5, my dad was away on a business trip and my mom and my baby sister and I decided to make him a home video of Snow White where we played all the parts. I remember bringing in a flower box from the back yard to make the set and singing my heart out! 

What do you love about singing?

Music has an amazing way of cutting right to the emotion of a situation. I love being able to tell a story with not only the text I’m singing, but also the melody and harmony in which the text is set. I particularly love embodying a character in my performance and allowing the goal not to be “musical and vocal perfection,” but simply effective storytelling. I get to say,  “How can I use this music and these words to get across the desires and emotions of this character? Can I sing this with more abandon? Can I add some whimsy? How can I get the audience to buy in?” Those are the questions that I love to explore in my performances. 

What impact has music had on your life–not just professionally, but personally?

“Music can be a powerful tool for community building, and Resonance Ensemble is absolutely harnessing that power for good.”

Photo by Rachel Tine

Music has always been a place where I felt I could express myself and challenge myself. It is so gratifying to see your hard work pay off; from researching a piece, to hours in the practice room exploring the singing of it, to performing it for an audience, the process of creating a performance has taught me a lot about the value of hard work, perseverance, flexibility, and bravery. Being a student of music has made me a better student of life and has given me the tools to do hard things and trust the process! Music also creates community, especially when you’re making music with an ensemble. The bonds you create making music with friends last a lifetime, and I am lucky to say I have many wonderful musical friends all over the globe that I wouldn’t have found if it wasn’t for our music-making!

Who has been your biggest musical influence?

Photo provided by Maddy Ross

I’m not sure I have one that I could pinpoint. I loved 1990s/2000s movie musicals growing up and Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, and the voices of Anastasia, Belle, and Ariel (Liz Callaway, Paige O’Hara, and Jodi Benson) were huge influences. I remember watching the VHS of Anastasia and rewinding again and again to try and sing the final long note at the end of Anastasia’s big song. I think that may have been the first time I “practiced” a phrase of music. Later in my education as a singer I joined a vocal jazz ensemble and fell in love with the music of Esperanza Spalding. When I was first learning to sing operatically I listened to Diana Damrau (Queen of the Night) and Beverly Sills (Ballad of Baby Doe) among many other wonderful singers. I’ve had many influential teachers over the years in choirs, private lessons, and theatrical productions and their emphasis on community building and storytelling sticks with me to this day.

Maddy and Cecille in rehearsal for An African American Requiem 2022 — Photo By Rachel Hadiashar

If you could collaborate with any artist or ensemble, who would you pick?

This is a hard one! I so enjoyed working with the Oregon Symphony on African American Requiem singing in the ensemble. It would be fabulous to get the chance to perform with them again in an ensemble or as a soloist.

Can you tell me a little bit about how you came to Portland?

I was born in Portland. I grew up in SE Portland, attended Portland Public Schools, and got my undergraduate degree in music at Willamette University in Salem, OR. I moved to Boston, MA for my masters degree, but I knew I wanted to make my musical career in Portland, so here I am!

What do you love about being a performer in Portland?

I feel uniquely lucky to have such a rooted community of longtime friends, colleagues, and music lovers here in Portland that is growing and changing as new creators come to town and others leave on adventures. I’ve been able to do so many varied things as a performer in Portland, I’ve also created a new non-profit music organization here in town, Renegade Opera. Our mission is to create immersive and interactive operas that serve the community and expand our idea of what “opera” is and can be. I love being able to perform larger operatic works as a chorus member with Portland Opera, choral works with Resonance Ensemble, and create new avant garde works with Renegade Opera, as well as solo work in the area. It’s a big exciting puzzle of communities and musical challenges.

Maddy (second from the left) performing with Portland Opera at the Keller Auditorium. May 2022 (photo provided by Maddy Ross)

What groups do you perform with currently? (And if you have anything nice you want to say about them!)

Portland Opera (they are doing amazing work to present not only the opera classics, but also new works). This spring I am making my role debut with Portland Opera as First Woodsprite in Dvorak’s Rusalka!

Renegade Opera (we are premiering a new work this season and devising an outdoorsy bird watching recital featuring the best known opera arias). 

Photo by Tom Lupton

I also sing with In the Pocket, a small vocal ensemble that really got going during the lockdown. During that time we were putting out a weekly acapella video filmed in our homes and edited together. (click here to watch In the Pocket)

I have been fortunate to perform with many other ensembles and companies, but those are the ones I’m working with currently - and Resonance of course!

What does your typical week look like as an active performer?

I have a few puzzle pieces that make up my week. I am an administrator for Historic Alberta House in NE Portland, I work with my team at Renegade Opera, I have rehearsals for whatever performance is next, I teach piano and voice lessons, and I practice my own individual repertoire for auditions and competitions.

Do you have interests outside of music?

I love to go on hikes, play board games, ride bikes, and drink tea. 

How did you become involved with Resonance Ensemble?

I had heard about Resonance Ensemble and had performed at other events with folks who had sung for Resonance. I met Damian Geter when we performed in The Little Prince with Opera Theater Oregon in 2018 and auditioned for African American Requiem just before the pandemic hit. After that I did one of the Under the Overpass videos and have continued to sing with the group whenever I can!

What experience with RE has resonated with you the most in the last year or so?

Resonance Ensemble’s focus on community is something that really resonates for me. Music can be a powerful tool for community building and collaboration, and Resonance Ensemble is absolutely harnessing that power for good. 

Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re preparing for Dirty, Stupid?

I’ve decided to perform this wonderful art song called “Je t’aime” by Isabelle Aboulker that is absolutely ridiculous. It has lots of fast high notes (something I love to do as a coloratura soprano) and lots of character. I think it fits perfectly in the category of ‘stupid’ music, because it’s incredibly difficult to execute and on the surface has a very manic and silly energy, but I’ve been having a blast exploring the dramatic possibilities and I hope the audience will enjoy it! It’s a little different than everything else on the program! 

Single tickets for Dirty, Stupid Music—showing twice on January 15th at Curious Comedy—are on sale now. CLICK HERE to visit the event page for more information, or CLICK HERE to learn about the rest of our season.