Amelia Mader
Musician / Composer / Music Editor / Audio Engineer

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I am a classically trained vocalist having performed professionally in solo settings (weddings, talent shows, competitions, music videos) and in multiple choirs (Ball State Concert Choir,  Evansville Philharmonic Chorus, Nashville Chamber Singers, Burbank Chorale, and VocArte). I also knew that I wanted to be able to record and produce myself having been inspired by Indie/Alternative artist Imogen Heap from the age of 15. I love being inspired by the blend of classical and electronic.

How did you first become interested in music?
I first became interested in music before birth. My mother is a pianist and singer and performed in a local folk band while expecting me. Music has always been a part of my life. There’s actually a photo of me as a child sitting on the piano bench and playing the keys as soon as I could sit upright. I embraced the technological side from my father who has the engineering and operative mindset.

How does art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
I believe embracing the arts allows a community to understand its people on an intellectual and even spiritual level. Artist expression is truly a universal language that can communicate many messages across time and space. We listen to certain songs when we’re sad, sing out loud when we’re feeling joy, paint when we’re speechless. Embracing the arts allows us to breathe and really experience life. It really is everywhere and necessary…especially during a global pandemic. I was working in a music retail store when the lockdown occurred and we were sold out of practically everything because people turned to music for entertainment and to keep engaged.

I would say getting involved with the arts in one’s community could be as simple as walking into an art gallery with your music playlist on shuffle. See if what you’re listening to works with what you’re seeing. Attend a concert with a friend, especially if it’s an artist or genre you aren’t familiar with. Look for a community theater show, or even better, audition for the community theater show! Take a dance class, a cooking class, buy an eyeshadow palette and experiment with color blends. Just create. It heals.

If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
Art increases our ability to grow and learn. When writing a piece of music to resolve with a certain chord according to music theory, we’re problem-solving. When analyzing the difference between two painters, we’re learning attention to detail. When marching in the school band, we’re working as a team. Aren’t these all the requirements on a job application? Prerequisite skills that are much more effectively taught through the arts. The arts should never be eliminated from schools because they are that vital and frankly much more fun. While I am one of those strange math lovers (and math, literature, sports, history, and science all are important subjects), I have many more fond memories of the school musical than I do of the quadratic formula.

In closing, anytime I think or write about how pertinent the arts are to life, I can only think of the line from Victor Herbert’s Prima Donna aria “Art is Calling for Me.” My very first voice lesson piece when I was 14. While the character is really only in it for the limelight, who doesn’t want to just express themselves? It’s fun!

To find out more about Amelia and her work, follow her on Instagram @ameliamadermusic or follow her band, THR3, on YouTube here.