Meet Micah Gleason | Conductor / Vocalist / Collaborative Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Micah Gleason and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Micah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Honestly, once I was dropped into the world of music, I knew I could never leave. I am one of those very lucky people that had a very obvious aha! moment with my career / calling in this life and there are few things I’ve ever been more certain about – this is what I want to be doing forever, and this is a way I can contribute that is special and meaningful and specific to who I am.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a conductor and mezzo-soprano currently living in Philadelphia where I am a conducting fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music and a freelance singer and conductor. I am so lucky to be able to work across several sub-genres of “classical” music (which is a broad and ever-expanding definition of music), including symphonic music, opera, chamber music, and choral music.

As a musician, I am most passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and community building. I am curious about the most effective ways to disrupt the stasis and comfort of the modern concert hall; and how artists across disciplines, activists, and researchers can most effectively collaborate. I am a co-founder of LOAM, an artistic partnership creating semi-immersive musical experiences combining poetry, dance, and chamber music. I’ve been lucky enough to conduct and collaborate with ensembles including The Orchestra Now, Eastern Festival Orchestra, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Curtis Opera Theater; and collaborate on chamber music projects for presenters including Chamber Music Northwest, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, 92nd Street Y, Phoenix Chamber Music Society, and the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago.

Something I think has been and continues to be very important to me as I find my way in this world / industry / environment is always staying connected to art and artists and core principals that make what I am doing feel meaningful to me. It’s very easy to get caught in the race of trying to gain approval from certain people or institutional gatekeepers that we lose the why behind what we are doing. It’s quite hard to make a living in this field, even harder to do so without institutional support, but my early and greatest artistic loves so far in my life and career are things that have at least started as very DIY projects – ideas born from conversations with friends that blossomed into deeply personal artistic output.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I currently live in Philadelphia which is a truly wonderful city! I love two things most in the world and that’s eating and art, so I’d take a friend to a lot of that – One day perhaps…pastries from the Machine Shop and a flea market at the Bok Building, followed by Gabriella’s Vietnam in South Philly for dinner followed by a show at the Kimmel Center and drinks at Harp and Crown…another day catch whatever DIY music or comedy is happening at Abyssinia in West Philly while you chow down on some of the best Ethiopian Food you’ll ever have! Another day perhaps a day at the art museum followed by a yummy dinner in Fishtown (I personally love Pizzeria Beddia especially in the summer!) and a line dancing night at Ortleib’s!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
SO many people and things deserve a shoutout! I’ve been so lucky to receive mentorship and support from many wonderful people throughout my education who deserve a lot of credit in the development of who I am and who I’m becoming. I was very lucky to begin my musical journey at Interlochen Arts Camp / Academy, an arts school in northern Michigan where students are steeped in a deeply creative, collaborative environment from a young age. I made so many friends there that continue to be a huge part of both my personal and professional life, and I feel like being really stirred this hunger in me for collaborative, innovative ways to present art in its many forms.

I would be remiss without shouting out Emily Dickinson’s poems, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Esperanza Spalding and Joni Mitchell’s singing, Brene Brown’s podcast, people who dare to be really vulnerable on stage, Alondra de la Parra’s conducting, and a really special home cooked meal – all creative people or acts that have inspired me onward!

Website: micahgleason.com

Instagram: micah__gleason

Image Credits
Micah Gleason / David DeBalko