Artist of the Month > 2024 Artists
ARTIST PROFILE
NAME: Rebecca L. Hargrove
LOCATION: New York, NY
ORIGIN: Columbia, MD
ART: Singer / Actress
MAIN GENRE: Opera / Theater / TV / Film
TRAINING: Mannes The New School for Music, MM. Oberlin Conservatory, BM.
ARTS AFFILIATIONS: YoungArts, The Artists Forum, The Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, AEA, AGMA.
Maryland native Rebecca L. Hargrove is an award-winning, classically trained operatic soprano and actress based in New York City. Most recently, Rebecca starred in The Mikado as Yum-Yum and Trial by Jury as Angelina with The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players. She previously starred in the Baltimore Center Stage production of Our Town as Mrs. Webb and in Berkshire Theater Group’s world premiere of Tara Wilson-Noth’s play, B.R.O.K.E.N Code B.I.R.D Switching as Katherine Morgan. Previous productions include In the Parlour (National Black Theater), Evita and Cabin in the Sky (City Center Encores!), Aquanetta (Bard Summerscape), The Garden of the Finzi-Contini (National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene), and The Mikado (NYGASP National Tour). She can be heard on Terence Blanchard’s soundtrack film score for The Woman King and The Grey Land a mono-opera studio album available on all streaming platforms.
As a member of The Metropolitan Opera Extra Chorus, she has appeared in their productions of Die Meistersinger (Wagner), Fire Shut up in My Bones (Blanchard), and Porgy & Bess (Gershwin). She is a two-time Grammy Award Winner for Best Opera Album for both Porgy & Bess and Fire Shut up in My Bones. In concert, Rebecca has performed at Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center, David Geffen Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Shanghai Symphony, and 54 Below.
Her TV/Film credits include The Wilsons pilot starring Reggie Hayes (UPN’s Girlfriends), House of Cards (Netflix), Random Acts of Flyness (HBO), My Asian Auntie (Amazon Prime), The Fix (Short Film), Jesus Saves! (Feature Film), Single Record (Revry), and host of the New York City cable show The Artists Forum Television. Rebecca is one half of KSRH Productions with fellow actress and friend, Kedren Spencer. Together the two have written, produced, starred in, and directed their first short film, Last Call. Last Call has been officially selected by the New Faces New Voices Film Festival (Audience Choice Award), The LA Black Film Festival (September 2024), and The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image: 2023 (Audience Award, Best Actress, Best Film Score).
You can follow her updates at RebeccaLHargrove.com and on IG/FB @RebeccaLHargrove and @KSRHProductions.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2x Grammy Award Winner for Best Opera Album (Metropolitan Opera: Porgy & Bess, Fire Shut up in My Bones). Featured vocalist on Terence Blanchard’s film score for The Woman King, starring Viola Davis. Featured soprano on The Grey Land – a Mono Opera album by Joseph C. Phillips & Numinous Music available on all streaming platforms. 2008 YoungArts Winner in Voice. Creator, producer, and star of the multiple award-winning short film Last Call.
LATEST WORKS: Film: Last Call – a short film
WORK SAMPLE: Performance: YoungArts Gala “How Fair This Spot” (2015)
WORK SAMPLE: Film: Last Call (Trailer) (2023)
WORK SAMPLE: Music: The Grey Land (Trailer 2) (2021)
AMBASSADOR – THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE: 2020 – Closing Night Awards Ceremony
AMBASSADOR – THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE: 2020 – Full Festival Sneak Peek
HOST – THE ARTISTS FORUM TELEVISION: EP 87: Films & Foundations (2019)
HOST – THE ARTISTS FORUM TELEVISION: EP 83: Published Women Poets (Extended Version) (2018)
HOST – THE ARTISTS FORUM TELEVISION: EP 79: Move(NYC) (2017)
HOST – THE ARTISTS FORUM TELEVISION: #theartistsforumtv 30 SECOND PROMO (2016)
INTERVIEW
Please describe your artistic themes
As a performer and filmmaker, I strive to set an example of excellence, particularly Black excellence, on all my projects. As a classically trained singer, I have found myself in an industry not created to support Black artistry. Whether performing in a traditional show at The Metropolitan Opera or making my own characters and narratives, I intend to put forth positive images of Blackness on stage and in film.
Please describe your creative process
When learning music or text I must be very detail oriented. It is tough to “unlearn” incorrect pitches or lines, so I must be meticulous. To feel comfortable in performance I must allow myself time to live with the music and/or the character for as long as possible. As one half of KSRH Productions, our writing process involves a lot of personal storytelling with one another. The inspiration for our joint writing comes from our very own lived experiences. Much of our early process involved many a late-night writing session on Zoom or FaceTime to get to our final production copy of Last Call.
What are your artistic goals? What do you need to achieve them?
My goal is to EGOT, even if only metaphorically, I want to express myself at the highest levels of television, film, recorded music, and on Broadway. To achieve this I need to develop my talents and nurture my gifts consistently. I don’t think I’ll ever reach the point where I feel like I’ve “mastered” any aspect of my artistry, but I know as long as I’m striving to be better than I was yesterday I’m on the right track. Thus far, I’ve found that being confident in what I do well and knowing when to ask for help, has led me to the right spaces for me to excel.
What are your views on the industry?
It’s hard not to feel hopeless with the residual effects of the pandemic and WGA/SAG strikes looming over the industry, but I remain positive that changes will be made to make it a better place for us all on the other side.
What advice would you give to emerging artists?
My advice would be to diversify your gifts as much as possible. Don’t pigeonhole yourself to one form of expression. Also, be collaborative in interdisciplinary spaces – I’ve found that artists of other genres have deeply inspired my work and artistic output.
WEBSITES: rebeccalhargrove.com
INSTAGRAM: @rebeccalhargrove
FACEBOOK: @rebeccalhargrove
YOUTUBE:@rebeccalhargrove
TIKTOK: @rebeccalhargrove
THE ARTISTS FORUM TELEVISION EPISODES: SPOT 30 & 60, 73, 76, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 95, 96, 97
THE ARTISTS FORUM MAGAZINE: Two Wings: The Music of Black America in Migration
APPLE MUSIC: The Grey Land (Grammy Award Winning Album – Features Rebecca L. Hargrove)
