Graduation Spotlight Series: Soprano Isabelle Knowles ’25 Hits a High Note with her UC Irvine Experience

Knowles graduates with a B.Mus. in vocal performance and professional recording credits

By Christine Byrd

Isabelle Knowles is graduating this June with more than just a bachelor of music in vocal performance. She already has experience working with a Grammy-winning producer and making a professional recording as a featured vocalist on the 2024 EP the UC Irvine Chamber Singers released.

“I thought the highlight of my music journey was performing in Carnegie Hall in middle school – until that EP dropped,” said Knowles. “I’m still blown away by the experience.”

Knowles first fell in love with vocals when she was just 5 years old and her grandma showed her The Phantom of the Opera. That passion persisted, bringing her to UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts to pursue both voice training and choir.

Working intensively with vocal arts lecturer Frances Young Bennett, Knowles improved her technique as a soprano, using breath work and her core muscles to more effectively send her voice out over the audience – a skill she used to perform in Puccini’s Suor Angelica this year at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

“The Barclay is a very special place because so many amazing artists have performed there over the years,” said Knowles, who played the nun Suor Genovieffe in the opera. “It was a great opportunity to use our technique to project our voices to the back of the hall without microphones.”

Image: Isabelle Knowles performing with UC Irvine Chamber Singers during Finding Light: Alzheimer's Stories. Photo by Jasmine Miranda

Knowles also honed her vocal performance skills with the UC Irvine Chamber Singers under the direction of Irene Messoloras, associate professor. This spring, she was a featured vocalist in a “Resilience and Renewal – Light of a Clear Blue Morning" part of a collection of songs performed by the choir at Finding Light: Alzheimer’s Stories by Robert S. Cohen. In preparation for the emotional performance, students met with the composer, an Alzheimer’s researcher, a caretaker and a patient.

“All of us were in tears on stage,” said Knowles. “It showed me how important it is to have a well-rounded view of every piece of music you perform. There’s always a story and a deep history to unpack.”

The group also released its first-ever holiday EP in late 2024, Winter Night. The mini album was produced by 25-time Grammy winner David Frost for Signum Records, and featured Knowles performing “The First Nowell” arranged by Ola Gjeilo. The choir had the priceless experience of seeing their song rack up plays across streaming platforms, and be included in a Spotify Christmas playlist.

Image: Isabelle Knowles performing Turn of the Screw, directed by Andreas Mitisek. Photo by Will Tee Yang.

After graduating, Knowles will participate in a three-month voice intensive and German language program with artist Barbara Bonney in Austria. While graduate school or professional singing may both be in her future, Knowles knows this: “I always want to keep solo voice and choral singing in my life.”

To learn more about the Department of Music, visit music.arts.uci.edu.