Julie Reames (she/her) is a vocalist, actor, conductor, writer, and producer. A 2021 graduate of CalArts with a B.F.A. in VoiceArts and a Creative Writing minor, Reames performs in a wide array of vocal music genres like art song, musical theatre, classical and contemporary choral music, cabaret, jazz, folk, pop, and theme park and video game music. Throughout her performance works, Reames recontextualizes pre-existing pieces to explore universal elements of the self. For instance, her Japanese ancestry inspired her BFA graduation recital The Cat Dreamed of the Jūnishi, a cabaret style show set in the round. The performance centered on the Japanese zodiac animals with each animal represented by music of different genres and original poetry.
Reames has performed in operas like Dada Din-Din and SWEAT, an a cappella opera, at CalArts as well as musicals like Nice Work If You Can Get It as Duchess and Little Women as Amy March. She has also performed in numerous choirs such as the Santa Clarita Master Chorale and the CalArts Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. In addition to vocal performance, Reames has conducted for various musical occasions like Gillian Rae-Perry’s album Lost Children, Zach Rosensteihl’s interdisciplinary graduation recital If You Leave These Woods. . . Remember Me, and Debatable Productions’ The Drowsy Chaperone as assistant music director, co-conductor, and percussionist. When she is not onstage, Reames is writing poetry or producing concerts, most recently, the three-day 2022 CalArts World Music Festival.