The voice squad

A mother and daughter have found a healing experience singing with the Burbank Chorale.

Jenna Mathioudakis always sang in school choir programs while growing up in Burbank and started performing with the Bronx Opera Company in New York in 1999. But in 2001, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, ending her stint with the company and bringing her back home, said her mother, Dorothy Mathious.

Since going into remission in 2003, Mathioudakis began vocalizing and little by little started getting her voice back, she said.

In 2005, the mother and daughter auditioned and joined the Burbank Chorale and have been performing with the group ever since.

For the chorale’s upcoming concert, they said they have a lot to celebrate as Mathioudakis’ Nov. 28 MRI was tumor-free, her mom said.

“We want to inspire other people when they are stricken with an illness not to give up hope, Mathious said.

The duo share a love of singing.

Mathious was a voice major at Eastern Illinois University and has sang roles with the Lyric Opera House in Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

While her daughter was ill, all their time was focused on her recovery. But joining the Burbank Chorale has given them a chance to perform again.

“Here we are singing, and we’re healing,” Mathious said.

Last spring, they went with the chorale for a special performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. It was a triumph, she said, because the last time they had been in New York it was a somber experience.

“This time, it was a wonderful memory for us,” Mathious said.

Singing at Carnegie Hall was a dream come true for Mathioudakis, who had never gotten the opportunity while living there.

“I couldn’t believe we were going to sing in Carnegie Hall,” she said. “It was an exquisite experience to sing there.”

The chorale has been a healing experience for Mathioudakis. After her diagnosis, she was going through depression, she said, but a therapist told her she would heal through music and singing.

“I was so happy to hear that,” she said.

“I was told I might not get my voice back. To hear her say I will heal myself, that gave me a lot of hope.”

After she was in remission, she started vocalizing, and when she felt she was ready, she auditioned for Burbank Chorale musical director Misha Shtangrud.

“When I auditioned with the chorale, Misha said, ‘Where did you get that beautiful voice,’” she said. “I was elated. I tried out for solos this year, and I will keep trying. He’s good at encouraging me.”

Both mother and daughter are assets to the chorale, Shtangrud said.

“Jenna is a very talented singer and is supportive of the chorale,” he said. “It’s a joy to have her. Her voice was beautiful and full when she came to us, and she continues to sing beautifully.”

Mathious has also tried out for solos and is performing an alto solo in one of the movements of “Magnificat” by Antonio Vivaldi, the featured piece of the upcoming concerts.

“She has a very rich and full voice,” Shtangrud said. “It has this professional quality to it, polish to it. It sounds like a beautiful instrument.”

The song is very appropriate for the Christmas season, he said.

“‘Magnificat’ is Mary’s prayer to God, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord,’” he said. “That’s how the prayer starts.”

There are nine movements, and the chorale will be accompanied by a string orchestra on this piece and on the rest of the songs.

Another piece on the program is “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

“It’s a medley of carols, lesser known, that Williams put together,” he said.

Also on the program are two pieces by John Rutter, “Donkey Carol” and “Blow, Blow the Winter Wind,” which is Mathioudakis’ favorite.

“I sang it in high school, and I get to sing it again,” she said. “And I get to hear my mom sing the solo on ‘Magnificat.’ That means a lot to me.”