Check Out Rebecca Sjöwall’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Sjöwall.

Hi Rebecca, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My road to becoming a professional musician was a winding one. I sang in choir throughout high school and college, where I also started taking voice lessons. I was even cast as the lead in the opera my senior year. But I graduated with a degree in political science and planned on going to law school. I wanted to see some of the world first, though, so I accepted a job teaching English in Japan.

While living outside of Kyoto, a co-worker asked me to give a concert to raise money for The Friendship Foundation. It was a big success. Over the years, many musicians had asked me why I wasn’t pursuing a career in music. That night changed me. After completing my teaching contract, I returned to the U.S. to study music.

However, coming from a working-class family, I could not afford to immediately return to school. I worked full-time, first at Harvard Business School and then at Rolex, taking music, language, and drama classes at night. Seven years later, I completed a master’s degree in vocal performance from UCLA. I have been a professional musician ever since.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not.

The struggles have been intense. The financial challenges of being a household run by two professional musicians, childcare and not having our extended families nearby, ageism, to name a few.

But one big challenge is finding an emotional balance. Recovering from the highs and the lows, of which there are many, is not easy. You need a skin thick enough to ignore rejection but also thin enough to bare your soul in a public way, onstage. It is a fine line to traverse.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a classically trained singer and have performed over 30 roles in opera houses across the country. I absolutely love bringing a character to life on stage and the exchange of energy with an audience in live performance. I’ve been doing more concert work lately, though.

Most recently, I premiered a show called Mother’s Word, with music by Christina Thomas and lyrics by Marian Lamb. In October, I will give my first solo recital in a decade with pianist Victoria Kirsch at UCLA. It will feature the music of Mark Carlson.

But I am probably most known for my work on video game and film scores (BioShock, Barb & Star Go to Vista del Mar, Annette) as well as my collaborations with the band Sparks. I absolutely love working with Ron and Russell Mael (the brothers who are Sparks) and am very proud of the music we’ve made together. They taught me a lot about what it means to be a working musician. They taught me about perseverance. They also taught me how important it is to be true to yourself.

But I am most proud of my work with my husband. It’s not easy, collaborating with your life partner, with a small child in tow, and during a pandemic. Yet, somehow, we created, recorded, filmed, edited, and produced several music videos together. And we still like each other!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Be sincere. Treat everyone with kindness, whether you think they are in a position of importance or not, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because you never know where people might end up later in life. And celebrate your colleagues’ successes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rebeccasjowall.com
• Instagram: @rebeccasjowall
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaSjowallSoprano
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/RebeccaSjöwallSoprano

Image Credits
Dennis C. Olson