Critically acclaimed by virtually every major outlet covering classical music, American opera singer Jamie Barton is increasingly recognized for how she uses her powerful instrument offstage – lifting up women, queer people, and other marginalized communities. Her lively social media presence on Instagram and Twitter serves as a hub for conversations about body positivity, diet culture, social justice issues, and LGBTQ+ rights. Jamie has recently brought her perspective to The Guilty Feminist, Slate, Studio 360, Front Row Live, The Times, Observer | The Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, and cover stories in Opera Now Magazine, Classical Music Magazine, and BBC Music Magazine. She was named 2020 Personality of the Year at the BBC Music Magazine Awards and received the Opera Magazine Readers’ Award at the 2021 International Opera Awards. Her album Unexpected Shadows earned a 2022 Grammy® nomination for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. One of the great joys of singing is collaboration — working with beloved colleagues on exciting projects that matter and make a difference. I am a die-hard feminist, so work by and about women is very important to me. When the possibility to make Unexpected Shadows with my dear friend Jake Heggie presented itself, we decided to bring together voices of the powerful women represented in many of Jake’s songs and operas. Recording sessions at Skywalker were a total joy. We had the rare luxury of TIME! Time to explore the many nuances of the poetry and music and find what felt authentic and true to us. It was a memorable, fun, and deeply meaningful collaboration — and I’m very excited to share it on this recording. Behind-the-scenes video of “The Slow Seconds” from The Work at Hand
