Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Crumley.
Hi Anna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started my musical journey with classical piano lessons at the age of five years old. My mom, who is a choral Soprano, would always be practicing for her concerts, and I would learn the Soprano lines along with her. I came to every one of her concerts and was always an usher. I knew every single note, and word to each of her songs that she was singing on stage. This really sparked my love for choral music and especially crossing over jazz into the classical world as well. I was heavily influenced by Take 6 at young age, as well as Eric Whitacre. I remember loving the sound worlds that each of them created with their music but not fully understanding what I was listening to. I continued playing piano as I got older, and eventually joined the Sacramento children’s chorus, where I ended up touring to China. At the age of 13, I was so sure That I wanted to be a choral Director, and this eventually evolved and changed as dreams often do. Through high school I was the Director of the a cappella group on campus, sang in the choral ensembles, did classical voice competitions all while exploring my love for jazz music as well. I ended up at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music as a double major in jazz studies and choral music education in the fall of 2017. I had an incredible experience at CSULB with the best mentors I could’ve ever asked for. Throughout my undergrad, I started to sing in Tonality, which is a Grammy award winning choir based in Los Angeles. I also was gigging and writing my own music as well. Now, almost 2 years after graduating, I am a full-time freelance musician who identifies as a music Director, a touring singer, and writer.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My biggest struggle has been, and still is, my perfectionism. It keeps me from diving into projects because I create too many ideas and scratch all of them or because I don’t think they’re good enough. Or I hyperanalyze every note that comes out of my mouth, which takes away from the meaning of the music.
One of the most challenging things about being a vocalist is the lack of separation between person and instrument. As a vocalist, you are literally your instrument, and so there’s a lot of upkeep, mentally, physically, and spiritually, that you have to do to maintain your instrument. This is something that I try to work on daily and often fall short on, but I am trying to be aware of how I can best support my body/instrument.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a freelance vocalist, music Director, vocal coach and writer. And the genres that I tend to find myself the most in are choral music, Neo, soul and jazz. Currently I am in a professional touring 6 voice women’s ensemble called Lyyra and many of us in the ensemble (including myself) write arrangements for the group. I also have a Neo-Soul band with my best friend Paul called DeissMarie, and we released our first EP this last summer! I also just sang on a Grammy award-winning album with Tonality and Carla Patulo! I also teach private voice lessons at Citrus College.
I would say that I am most proud of my versatility as an artist. I really enjoy so many different genres of music, and I love merging them together to create new experiences. I have a strong desire to learn from other musicians, especially musicians with different cultural backgrounds than myself.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I was very lucky and found my biggest mentor when I was in my undergrad. When it comes to finding a mentor on your own, I think it’s best to find people that are doing the things in their career that you want to do someday. Remember that success leaves clues and that there is a trail of success and steps that you can follow to achieve similar results. Of course, everyone’s journey is different, but it makes the journey bit less daunting when someone else has paved the way or part of the way that you might want to go on someday. Find the individuals that inspire you and reach out to them via email or social media, whatever seems most appropriate. In most cases, people want to help you and tend to be more than willing to grab a coffee with you to talk.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lyyramusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annacrums/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/CVHn6VemILA?si=Uq8UkYfxVMatki3C
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/track/10GfbabiD77ZpL4GiSaffw?si=Ujsj1_0cR9y6V4Y4gPbNIg
