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  • Tislam Swift

Staff Spotlight: Tislam Swift

Monday, August 31, 2020

Position: Vocal Coach, African American Choral Ensemble (AACE)

A Native of Brooklyn, New York, Tislam Swift has performed on a wide array of concert stages, theaters and opera houses. In 2007, Mr. Swift was a background vocalist for Elton John’s 60th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden. He was also a member of the 2013-2014 season of the Atlanta Opera chorus, under the direction of Maestro Walter Huff. In 2014, he participated in the Princeton Opera Festival’s production of Porgy and Bess. He has made Indiana University Opera Theater appearances in La Boheme, South Pacific, The Barber of Seville, Die Fledermaus as Dr. Blind, as the Comic Marcellus Washburn in Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man and as Scaramuccio in Strauss’ Ariadne Ariadne Auf Naxos. He is a frequent performer in Hamilton Bermuda where he has performed the tenor solo in John Stainer’s Crucifixion at St. Paul’s AME Church. As a Young Artist, he has spent a summer at the Utah Festival Opera Musical Theater performing in productions of Ragtime, Porgy and Bess and Peter Pan. Mr. Swift has been a World-Premier Artist with the Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Morehouse College and a Masters of Music from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Q: What do you love about being a part of the African American Arts Institute?

A: I love getting to be part of a village of people who care about the preservation of Black ART!

Q: What are you looking forward to this year as the AACE Vocal Coach?

A: I am looking forward to sharing my love and experience of singing with singers of all backgrounds. As an opera singer, it's not often I get to have this kind of space, so I'm grateful for this experience!

Q: You were a member of AACE in 2014 to 2016. Do you have a favorite memory or story from your time in the ensemble?

A: My favorite memory was of course getting to go to Germany with my AACE family. It's always been my dream to travel the world sharing music, and that tour provided me an amazing opportunity to do just that. We even got to sing in a church where Dr. King once spoke!

Q: Anything else you want to share?

A: Let's make some music! The world needs it.

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