Twenty years old and performing on big stages

At only 20 years old, Ella Vaughn is taking the classical music stage by storm.

Vaughn only started her singing career 10 years ago. A mishap at circus camp resulting in a broken wrist forced Vaughn to take a break from playing guitar and piano. Vaughn begged her mother for voice lessons.

Vaughn said she was originally focused on musical theater, but in the 8^th grade she changed voice teachers, which led to her focus of classical music.

“I really liked that it wasn’t an innate skill because I felt like musical theater came more naturally to me, and classical was just something that I never explored,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn said it was luck that brought her to this November’s Opera for Peace academy in D.C. The academy allowed Vaughn to participate in masterclasses with professional opera singers and to perform at the French Embassy.

Opera for Peace is a nonprofit, international academy that works with top opera singers through masterclasses.

The D.C. academy was cosponsored by the Denyce Graves Foundation and featured a masterclass led by D.C. native Graves. Renee Fleming, a worldwide known opera singer, also led a master class. The academy took place in November for a week at the French Embassy.

Julia Lagahuzère, the co-founder and general director of Opera for Peace, said the organization operates on six of the seven continents. The program works to inspire artists across the world, including those from underprivileged communities, to reshape the future of opera, she said.

“Our mission is to empower emerging artists from all over the world to become not only exceptional performers, but also ambassadors for positive social change. Through mentorship, training, cultural diplomacy, we believe opera can be a force for dialogue,” Lagahuzère said.

Vaughn said she applied to the Denyce Graves Foundation Shared Voices program early this year and was accepted into that cohort. This past summer, Vaughn got to know Graves on a more personal level through the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory.

Vaughn said Graves had recommended her for the program, which led Vaughn to apply. Vaughn said she believes the Opera for Peace program took a chance on her because she was the youngest singer at this program.

Terry Eberhardt, the executive director of the Denyce Graves Foundation, said the foundation was more than excited to collaborate with the academy.

“Two things the world needs, lots of opera and peace,” Eberhardt said.

Vaughn said she is learning a lot from the program and the more mature singers.

“Hopefully I’m fitting in enough,” Vaughn said.

She said Fleming’s masterclass was her favorite part of the program, adding that she was nervous but excited to sing for the world-renowned soprano.

Just like the rest of the singers, Vaughn had to tell a little backstory about the piece she would be singing for Fleming. This speaking part was the hardest part of that masterclass, Vaughn said.

“And then once I started singing, I was like, okay, this feels natural, this feels like what I’m supposed to be doing,” Vaughn said.

Although Vaughn is presented with great opportunities, she has no set goal for her future. She said she is “going with the flow.” Vaughn said there are a lot of singers and not enough jobs.

“There are so many singers, you have to be so multifaceted, you have to teach, and then you also need to be able to do musical theater, and so you can’t really just strive for one singular path because that only works for one percent of people,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn said that she would love to be singing opera on a professional stage, but she also loves musical theater. Ultimately, Vaughn wants to be performing and sharing her talent.

Vaughn said she has had many mentors throughout the years, with the first being Colleen Beucher who was her teacher until 8^th grade. The next teacher that Vaughn said she is grateful for is Karl Resnik, who was her teacher until the end of high school.

Vaughn is now learning under Katherine Jolly at Oberlin. Vaughn said Jolly has been instrumental in her growth in the past two and a half years.

Vaughn has a special interest in certain artists and songs. One of the common themes of the artists is that they are people of color. One of those artists is Margaret Bonds. Vaughn said that being a person of color herself, she is able to connect to these artists better.

“I mean, I’m learning in all of my classes like black people have had a space in classical music for so long from its origin and I think that’s kind of forgotten. So, to be able to sing this music and program it and actually research it in an academic setting has been really amazing,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn said she is beyond grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to her.

Vaughn said the best place to see her perform is on her Instagram.

“I strive to be like some of these amazing opera singers, but I also hope that I can forge my own path,” Vaughn said.