Julia Rahm

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Julia Rahm has studied and performed repertoire from jazz to folk, and musical theater to opera. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Music and French from Sarah Lawrence College in 2014, and graduated with her Master of Music in Voice Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts in 2019. Her biggest reason for teaching is to help students uncover and unleash their own unique blazing fire of talent, expression, depth, charisma and creativity! She believes that music has the power to transform lives and is committed to working with each student not just on the technique and the practicing, but also on the inner challenges of cultivating confidence, trust and authenticity in one’s own singing or playing. Julia loves seeing her students’ lightbulb moments—when something that had been difficult suddenly “clicks!” It also gives her great joy witnessing the power that music has on students’ development and the happiness it brings them to be creative.

She is also currently developing vocal workshops, Collective Voice Healing, which bring people together in groups to experience their own voice as a mindfulness practice. Using collective improvisations, the group is led to release distracting thoughts and become more grounded in our own essential being. Julia serves on the Music Activity Council of the Inayatiyya, a multi-faith community of spiritual seekers who hold music as a central practice for connecting to the Divine. She is also a founding member of The Valkyrie Ensemble, a feminist opera company whose mission is to “empower and promote womxn in and through music” by changing the narrative of old patriarchal storylines, programming works by womxn composers and composers of color, and enlivening the operatic art form for the concerns of new generations. The Valkyries are now holding monthly or bi-monthly Zoom concerts, such as the upcoming “Birthday Girls” concert highlighting the centennial birthdays of composers Clara Schumann, Barbara Strozzi, and Pauline Viardot.

One of her most thrilling musical experiences was playing synth and singing harmonies for the French pop/variety band, Benjamin Swax in Paris, France. She currently is a Core Member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, is Alto Section Leader with the North Shore Baptist Church, and is working on her first self-published book of poetry! And for a more global musical perspective, she is presently taking an Indian raga class with composer Michael Harrison.

Website: juliarahm.com.