The CAIC Vocal Chamber Music Fellowship provides educational, performance, and entrepreneurial opportunities to select classically trained Chicago-based singers and pianists. Each season, up to four singers and up to two pianists will be chosen for this 30-week residency with Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago.
Vocal Chamber Music Fellows will receive weekly individual coachings and will work closely with CAIC artistic and administrative staff to gain first-hand experience in the inner workings of the arts organization. Additionally, Vocal Chamber Music Fellows will participate throughout the year in sessions (as individuals and in ensemble) with CAIC’s visiting artists, to include participation in the annual Winter Workshop and Spring Master Class. The Vocal Chamber Music Fellowship serves as the ambassadorial arm of CAIC, with participants appearing regularly at fundraising and outreach events in programs guided by CAIC’s educational and artistic staff. Residency begins in mid-August, and lasts for one full performance season, with the option to renew for a second season.
Vocal Chamber Music Fellows will receive weekly individual coachings and will work closely with CAIC artistic and administrative staff to gain first-hand experience in the inner workings of the arts organization. Additionally, Vocal Chamber Music Fellows will participate throughout the year in sessions (as individuals and in ensemble) with CAIC’s visiting artists, to include participation in the annual Winter Workshop and Spring Master Class. The Vocal Chamber Music Fellowship serves as the ambassadorial arm of CAIC, with participants appearing regularly at fundraising and outreach events in programs guided by CAIC’s educational and artistic staff. Residency begins in mid-August, and lasts for one full performance season, with the option to renew for a second season.
23 / 24 SEASON FELLOWS
ELIZABETH SHUMAN, soprano
Soprano Elizabeth Shuman is relishing an increasing number of live concert appearances after years of pandemic performances for her backyard chickens. An enthusiastic networker, she especially enjoys collaboration with other composers, musicians, artists, and community organizations to craft unique and innovative productions. Her audiences are often treated to world premieres.
Recognized for her compelling art song interpretation, Elizabeth is currently featured as the Vocal Chamber Music Fellow with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago.
Recent appearances include a solo recital at Chicago's Fourth Church and a musical comedy night where she was featured as "Annie" in the Chicago premiere of Annie and Joshua by Robbie Ellis. She also recently enjoyed a debut performance at The Green Mill premiering the newest baroque aria, "Express Lanes" written for her by Ellis, celebrating the highs and lows of life on the Kennedy. She is excited to join Chicago a cappella for the 2023 Christmas season.
Other performance highlights include the role of her doppelganger, Senator Patrick Leahy, in The Gonzales Cantata. She has also enjoyed solo performances at Early Music at the Barn, Friends of the Windows recital series, the Schubertiade festival, Liederstube and early music festivals in Boston and Berkeley.
Her recent choral credits include the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Choral Artists, and Camerata Chicago.
Elizabeth was raised in rural Colby Kansas, a beautiful small town boasting the only Starbucks in 173 miles, and a motto, “The Oasis on the Plains” which seemed more fitting of the resourceful community before someone installed giant aluminum palm trees at the truck stop.
Elizabeth is an advocate and educator on refugee issues. She lives with her family in Chicago and delights in her orchids, outdoor adventures, and crying at a good organ concert.
JENNIFER ALLOR, piano
Jennifer Allor is a pianist and vocal coach in the Chicago area and has recently completed her second year in the Chicago Opera Theater/Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University Professional Diploma and Young Artist Program. This summer, she will join Chicago Summer Opera as pianist and coach for their production of Le Nozze di Figaro.
During the 2021-2023 seasons, she worked on productions of Carmen, The Cook-Off (Shawn Okpebholo), Becoming Santa Claus (Adamo), The Beekeeper (Wang Lu), Król Roger (Szymanowski), and the world premieres of The Life and Death(s)
of Alan Turing (Justine F. Chen) and Quamino’s Map (Errollyn Wallen) with COT. She has also been an apprentice coach with Prague Summer Nights (Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte) and served as pianist and coach for Soo Opera Theatre (La Traviata, La Bohème).
She holds a Professional Diploma in opera from Roosevelt University, a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
During the 2021-2023 seasons, she worked on productions of Carmen, The Cook-Off (Shawn Okpebholo), Becoming Santa Claus (Adamo), The Beekeeper (Wang Lu), Król Roger (Szymanowski), and the world premieres of The Life and Death(s)
of Alan Turing (Justine F. Chen) and Quamino’s Map (Errollyn Wallen) with COT. She has also been an apprentice coach with Prague Summer Nights (Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte) and served as pianist and coach for Soo Opera Theatre (La Traviata, La Bohème).
She holds a Professional Diploma in opera from Roosevelt University, a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
2023-24 Vocal Chamber Music Fellow Project: Considering Peace
A concert of poetry set to music for solo voice and piano, Considering Peace, which has been curated by soprano Elizabeth Shuman, guides the audience through an exploration of peace and what it means in various aspects of our lives. This program features string quartet, and includes songs by Chicago based composers Eric Malmquist and Myron Silberstein. Languages represented include English, Arabic, Hebrew, German, and even a vocalise or wordless song.