“Soprano Chelsea Hollow shows how it’s done with her new recital program, Voice for the Voiceless.”
— SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Biography
Chelsea Hollow “has rewritten the book on the potential of musical activism” creating art that invites her audiences to think collectively and gain perspective. Hollow cherishes her mission as an artist to build capacity for empathy, harness a venue for community healing, and amplify marginalized voices. In 2019, she commissioned, curated, and toured with her feminist recital, Voice for the Voiceless. This work inspired a call for proposals in 2020 which brought together composers and librettists from around the globe to musically chronicle activist movements from the 20th and 21st centuries in eight different languages. In recognition of this project, Chelsea was invited to present a talk on Art and Activism (2021) for the United Nations’ Office of Human Rights in collaboration with Freemuse where she premiered one of these commissions, “I Could Not Allow That to Stand,” Jason Cady’s setting of a speech by his congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The remaining 2020 commissions received their premiere performance in Cycles of Resistance (2022), and will be released as a full length album with Aerocade Music in April 2023.
In addition to her solo work, Hollow was sought out by the San Francisco Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (RASOTA) Vocal Department to create a program for students to work on from home. Hollow created, The Young Activist’s Songbook (2021), commissioning song repertoire for young voices using texts by Bay Area high school students, The Kids and Art Foundation, and other anonymous community members. Highlights from the 21 commissioned songs include, “Being a Student in 2020” (Emily Shisko), “The Future Holds Water in a Wicker Basket” (Joel Chapman), and “I am Growing” (JooWan Kim).
The world is ever changing and Hollow looks forward to using her passion, training, and vision to create classical music that is impactful and personal, even beyond her solo projects. In traditional operatic productions, Chelsea has performed locally in the Bay Area, throughout the United States, and internationally. Known for her “soaring high range” and “stage panache,” favorite roles include Die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte/Mozart), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos/Strauss), Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail/Mozart), Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann/Offenbach), Lakmé (Lakmé/Delibes), and Marie (La Fille du régiment/Donizetti). Recent soloist appearances include Concerto for Two Orchestras (Gubaidulina) with the Berkeley Symphony, Carmina Burana (Orff) and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and Judas Maccabaeus by Handel with the San Francisco City Chorus.
As in-person performances return, Chelsea is thrilled to bring a depth of artistry to her more traditional performances as well as cultivating ever more opportunities in creating new works, challenging social norms, and updating her societal role as an artist with a mission.