Mezzo-soprano, Elizabeth Buckley, wears many hats. She is the Director of Music at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Urbana, an arts advocate and fundraiser, recording artist, educator, conductor, and organist who loves to cook big meals for family and friends. Buckely, who calls herself “a Midwestern girl at heart” has sung all over the world and has recorded her own albums. Her most recent CD, “Must the Winter Come So Soon?” will be available on iTunes in October. Buckley, who received her doctorate in vocal performance from the University of Illinois, is also proud mom of 5-year-old Elise and 4-year-old Ronan. The family lives in Champaign.
Q: How did you discover your love for singing — and your talent?
As for my true début into singing, it began in fifth grade. I had a small solo in a musical number, and after belting out a few lines, it was declared that I could sing. Many solos at church followed with leads in high school musicals, a vocal scholarship at Capital University Music Conservatory, a Masters in vocal performance from the University of Illinois, and the eventual completion of my DMA in vocal performance from the U of I.
Q: You are passionate about further strengthening the local arts scene in Champaign-Urbana. What do you envision?
So, at this point in life I feel called by a mission to go beyond simply singing, and the following vision is what I would like to share with as many people as possible. I feel called to reach out in a role of advocacy and outreach for education and the arts. I have experienced the transforming, inclusive, and healing ability of music where differences melt away as we come together through song, art, dance, poetry, and free expression. I also am expressly interested in the unification of the human experience brought out through the arts and the unique ability of human beings to create and improvise. These are the very attributes and skills that I believe we must now cull out of people, our educational system, and our educators as we prepare our students for the coming world, and we provide nourishment for their creative souls.
Q: Tell us about your vision for an arts incubator.
In our community of Champaign-Urbana, I also see amazing potential for an arts incubator culture where we wed technology, innovation, science, and the arts together in a culture of innovation and creation. I would love to see a community performing arts facility for our local artists and students that compliments and feeds our nationally recognized Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and Krannert Art Museum. I also would love to see the Champaign-Urbana community awarded an Our Town Grant from the National Endowment of the Arts that would seed funding for the myriad of projects our community needs to unify our best qualities of art and innovation.
Q: Have you found the community supportive of your efforts?
Fortunately, in my quest to find others who feel the same, I have found overwhelming support. So many passionate and extremely bright and involved people in our C-U community are ready for great unification in our arts and technology scene. We are the Silicon Prairie, blessed with several great music festivals, a major film festival, home to one of the best research universities, an award-winning community college and parks districts, and our gallery scene and flourishing slow food movement is amazing. We simply need to now fully own it, promote it, and grow it with our children, educators, community leaders, citizens, and businesses leaders in a collaborative mission.
Q: Why do you think this can happen here?
All one has to do is travel outside of C-U, which I have done frequently for performances and auditions, and it becomes obvious that our community is extremely special. Personally, I have chosen to live here and raise my family because I believe in this community and I know that the very best is yet to come. More than ever I am excited to see where we go with these initiatives and I hope that we can collaborate in new and inventive ways with the myriad of wonderful organizations and people that live here, and truly make this community a wonderful place to live and raise children with a national presence. The will and passion are here amongst our people.