Ms. Colao performing with Kinnara Ensemble in Princeton, NJ.
Mezzo-Soprano, Jocelyn Colao, is a graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance as a student of Sharon Sweet. While at Westminster, she sang roles such as Connie Sue in the musical Smile, and Soeur Antoine in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites, in addition to performing in scenes from Mozart’s Die Zauberflote. In 2008, Ms. Colao was selected to attend the Crittenden Opera Studio, where she performed in scenes from Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, Delibes’ Lakme, and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Ms. Colao’s solo professional debut was in the Spoleto Music Festival’s production of Charpentier’s Louise. Ms. Colao has been seen in other roles such as Buttercup in Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, Tessa in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Gondoliers, Kate in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, and Pitti-Sing in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. At Westminster, Ms. Colao appeared as a soloist with the Westminster Chapel Choir, Schola Cantorum, Williamson Voices, and the world-renowned Westminster Choir, and was a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir who performed with world-renowned orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and the Staatskapelle Berlin, under the direction of legendary conductors such as Kurt Mazur, Ton Koopman, Gilbert Kaplan, Pierre Boulez, and Christoph Eschenbach. Ms. Colao continued her love of choral singing after graduation and has sung with professional ensembles such as Anam Cara, under the direction of Dr. James Jordan, Princeton Pro Musica, under the direction of Frances Fowler Slade, Juneau Vocal Alliance, under the direction of Thomas Juneau, the Kinnara
Ms. Colao performing in the recital series When in Rome… Songs of Love, Beauty, and Tragedy in Princeton, NJ
Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. JD Burnett, and Brevitas, under the direction of Dr. Matthew Nielsen. From 2010-2018, Ms. Colao was a member of the All Saints’ Choir in Princeton, NJ, where she performed as an alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. Ms. Colao has also been seen as the alto soloist with Princeton Pro Musica in Schnittke’s Requiem, with the Colby College Chorale in Mozart’s Mass in C, with Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Handel’s Messiah, with The Continuo Arts Foundation in Schubert’s Magnificat, and, most recently, with the Kinnara Ensemble in Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music. Ms. Colao is a seasoned recitalist and has performed in Cleveland, OH, Princeton, NJ, Long Island, NY, Long Branch, NJ, and performed and orchestrated the successful recital series When In Rome… Songs of Love, Beauty, and Tragedy. Ms. Colao’s album credits include The West Wind with Brevitas, Provenance with Kinnara Ensemble, Innisfree: Choral Music of Hope, Dreams, and Living with Anam Cara, Visions Eternal with the Juneau Vocal Alliance, and Flower of Beauty with the Westminster Choir. Ms. Colao is proud to have been a driving force in the creation and execution of The Minuetto Music Festival, produced by The Continuo Arts Foundation, where she created and implemented The Milton Cross Young Artist Program, and also performed in the Festival Finale Concert Chorale, as well as scenes from Delibes’ Lakme. Ms. Colao has also sung internationally as a member of the choruses for The Festivale Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, the International Festivale per Giovanni Musicisti, and the Concerto Capella Sistina Idyllic Ireland tour, where she was a member of the first American Choir to give a private performance in the Sistine Chapel. Ms. Colao was also featured singing on Irish National television while representing Philadelphia in the 2009 Rose of Tralee International Competition.
Shortly after graduating from Westminster, Ms. Colao started her teaching experience, and, before moving to the Chicago area, maintained an active music studio of more than 40 students of both voice and piano. Over the course of Ms. Colao’s 9+ years of teaching, she has orchestrated numerous recitals and performances, as well as recording sessions for her students, and has worked for studios such as Music & Arts (Princeton, NJ), Spirit Wind Music Studios (Lahaska, PA), and Spotlight Music (Flemington, NJ) as well as conducting her own private studio, the Colao Music Studio. Being the oldest of five girls, she has always loved working with children, as well as adults, in a collaborative way, and inspiring creativity through music. Ms. Colao’s goal as an instructor is to not only teach the basics, good technique, and an appreciation for all genres of music, but to leave her students excited and eager to continue their studies and practice after every lesson.
Along with performing and teaching, Ms. Colao is a highly experienced office administrator with an emphasis in arts administration and non-profits. Ms. Colao started my administrative experience as an employee of the University of Pennsylvania as a Receptionist/Administrative Assistant and truly enjoyed gaining the experience needed to work in a fast paced office setting, while strengthening her organizational and operational talents. She continued her administrative experience, while combining her love for music, as Executive Assistant for the Continuo Arts Foundation, a musical non-profit based in New Jersey. Along with helping to develop this fairly new organization through promotional work and marketing, her duties as executive assistant were: office and administrative work such as communicating with all foundation members, handling member registrations and tuitions, scheduling, planning and execution of performances, oversight of all box office operations, general bookkeeping, co-creator and artists’ liaison for the Minuetto Music festival, oversight and management all foundation volunteers and interns, etc. Ms. Colao then moved on to become the Parish Administrator for All Saints’ Church in Princeton, where she instituted and executed weekly newsletters and promotional materials, and designed and updated the parish website, along with other administrative duties mostly pertaining to the church’s members.
Most recently, Ms. Colao has been filling the position of Audience Development Coordinator and Operations Manager for Citadel Theatre Company in Lake Forest, IL. She oversees all marketing including social media and email campaigns, as well as assist with the planning and implementation of all fundraising, interact with donors on a regular basis, oversee all box office and ticket sales operations, and provide other administrative support to the Managing Director and Artistic Director.
In these positions, Ms. Colao has learned to develop extraordinary communication and interpersonal skills and has gained a huge attention to detail with the ability to multi-task well. She is personable, responsible, enjoy working with others, hardworking, and disciplined.