Praised for her “pure-toned focus” by the Boston Musical Intelligencer, American mezzo-soprano Jamie Chelel is a versatile soloist, chorister, and educator. Her interest in storytelling through choral works, staged drama, and song informs her regular appearances with opera companies and choruses. 

Jamie holds a Choral Fellowship at Old South Church in Boston, and serves as a cantor at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of the West End. This season, she is engaged in Artist Residencies at Berklee College of Music, and The Boston Conservatory. Jamie is a member of Cappella Clausura, Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, and The Boston Cecilia, and has collaborated with ensembles including Walnut Hill School for the Arts Music Department, Boston University Opera, Kadence Ensemble, Church on the Hill, Olde Towne Carolers, and Zamir Chorale of Boston. Recent stage appearances include Don Carlo (Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra) La damnation de Faust (BYSO), La Bohème (Boston Opera Collaborative), and Don Giovanni (NEMPAC). Last season, she debuted the role of Otto in The Good King, a micro-opera with music by Leo Sowerby (Old South). In 2023, Jamie was awarded a Grant for Creative Individuals by the Mass Cultural Council.

Recent solo engagements include Gounod's Requiem (Old South Church), A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (Nightingale Vocal Ensemble), Liszt's Via Crucis (Old South), Ravel’s Trois Chansons (Nightingale Vocal Ensemble), Talbot’s Path of Miracles (Boston Cecilia with ODC/Dance), and Paul Rudoi’s Our Transcendental Passion (Boston Cecilia), among others. Frequently tapped for chamber music collaborations, Jamie’s small ensemble features in recent seasons include J.M. Bach’s Halt was du hast, J.C. Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude, Walker’s O Praise the Lord (Boston Cecilia), and Schulz-Widmar’s Autumn Carol (Old South). In January 2024, she sang the fourth movement trio in the world premiere performance of When Peace Was Far Away, a cantata by William David Cooper.

Jamie holds a degree in Vocal Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Off stage, she is engaged in the work of modernizing education as part of the K-12 Maker Lab at the MIT Edgerton Center. There, she creates resources and devises educational experiences that bring hands-on, impactful learning into K-12 classrooms. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar, attending ballet class, and listening to Taylor Swift.

drop me a line at jcmezzo at gmail dot com