Jean S. Strazdes

Biography

"For me, singing is a daily discovery and personal journey. We use our bodies to create sound. There are times when outside elements can interfere with the voice. Learning to trust the process of vocal production, letting go of the fear, staying in the moment and just singing is the ultimate goal."

Ms. Strazdes knew at age 7 that music would be the focus of her life. She studied piano until her teacher asked her to sing along as she played — this was the “aha” moment, and singing became her focus.

Ms. Strazdes was a vocal performance major at the Hartt School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. She toured Greece singing the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and sang the role of Madame Flora in Menotti’s opera The Medium, in celebration of Catherine the Great’s theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ms. Strazdes’ other passion is musical theater, where she has performed numerous roles in summer stock and directed many productions.

In 1993 Ms. Strazdes founded Seaglass Performing Arts, a community-based chorale in Kennebunk, Maine. Under her leadership as artistic director and conductor for the past 25 years, Seaglass Chorale has performed not only in southern Maine, but also in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Most recently the chorale traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where they performed and helped raise funds for Hospice of Ireland.