Atlanta — For mezzo-soprano Madison Chambers (B.M. Music Performance, voice, ‘26), her journey at Georgia State’s School of Music has been shaped by performance, perseverance and a deep love of storytelling through voice.
Originally from Social Circle, Georgia, Chambers says her path began long before she ever stepped onto a collegiate stage. “I always loved to sing,” she shares. “My parents said I would hum myself to sleep when I was little.” They enrolled her in community theatre and from there her passion for singing and acting quickly grew. Though no one else in her family is a musician, their support has remained constant. “They came to every choir performance and every musical. When I said this was what I wanted to do, they made sure I had voice lessons.”
While Chambers initially focused on musical theater, her introduction to classical singing came during the Georgia High School Literary Competition, where she was required to perform an aria. Singing “Che farò senza Euridice” from Gluck’s Orfeo et Euridice became a turning point.
“I discovered I was actually really good at it and I fell in love with opera,” she says. “I love how these really old stories can still feel new and how each singer brings something different to a role.”
At Georgia State, Chambers quickly became one of the most active performers in the School of Music. She has appeared in every opera production with the GSU Opera Theatre and performed on nearly every student vocal showcase, allowing faculty and audiences to watch her growth semester after semester.
One of her most meaningful campus performances came in 2024, when she starred as Julia Child in Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit with the GSU Opera Theatre. The demanding one-woman opera recreates an episode of Child’s famed cooking show and requires continuous singing while baking a cake onstage.
“It was by far the hardest music I’ve ever had to learn,” Chambers says. “But doing it and doing it well felt really rewarding. It was also just so fun to play Julia Child. Now I have twenty minutes of a cake recipe memorized!”
In 2025, Chambers was featured as a soloist during the School of Music’s Holiday Gala Concert, performing “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Gustav Holst alongside graduate jazz studies major Brandon Reeves, solo guitar.
Alongside her solo work, Chambers remained deeply involved in ensemble singing. She performed with GSU choirs in major works including Handel’s Dixit Dominus, traveled with the ensemble to the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference and sang with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus in music by Gustav Holst,.
Beyond campus, Chambers steadily built professional performance credentials. Since 2024, she has been a regular member of the Atlanta Opera Chorus, appearing in five to six mainstage productions including Verdi’s Macbeth and Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“Being part of the opera chorus showed me what professional life really looks like,” she says. “It’s hard work but it’s exciting and fun. It makes you realize what it takes to build a career in opera.”
Her work has also been recognized in vocal competitions. In 2025, Chambers won the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Tennessee District. In 2024, she earned first-place awards from both the Opera Guild for Atlanta Scholarship Competition and the Tommy Trotter Competition as well as second prize from the Atlanta Music Club Competition.
Summer programs have played a major role in her artistic development. Following her freshman year, she attended the Festival of International Opera (FIO ITALIA) in 2023, the international training program founded by GSU voice faculty member Prof. Kathryn Hartgrove.
In 2024, Chambers portrayed Tolomeo in Handel’s Giulio Cesare with Chicago Summer Opera. In 2025, she was selected as a Studio Artist with the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, a fully funded program recognized for training rising professional opera singers. During that same summer, she also trained at the Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Vocal Academy, working with singers from across the country under leading professional mentors.
At Georgia State, Chambers studied privately for four years with Prof. Kathryn Hartgrove, whose mentorship she credits as central to her development. “If she hadn’t been my teacher, I probably wouldn’t have known about a lot of the opportunities out there,” she says. “She always pushed me to try new things even when they felt out of reach.”
Academically, one of Chambers’ most influential courses was Vocal Literature taught by Prof. Rick Clement. “We listened to a different composer almost every day,” she recalls. “I’d go home and keep listening because I was so interested. It really opened up my love for discovering new music.”
Looking back, Chambers describes the GSU opera program as both driven and caring. “There are always opportunities happening and everyone is pushing themselves to grow,” she says. “But it’s also a close-knit group. We support each other and show up for one another. It feels like a family.”
As graduation approaches, Chambers plans to compete in the School of Music spring Honors Recital Competition and hopes to continue her studies at the master’s level, pursuing advanced operatic training.