If you’ve been captivated by the soundtracks of Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, or Harry Potter, you’ve heard Jacqueline Barron’s vocal prowess. These are just a few of the hundreds of films for which Barron has performed studio work. Beyond the film world, she’s toured with the international vocal group the Swingle Singers, taken center stage as a soloist for the BBC Concert Orchestra, and played the lead role of Christine in Phantom of the Opera in the West End.
Barron joined the Ithaca College London Center (ICLC) faculty just over 20 years ago amidst juggling studio work, touring, and motherhood. “I love my job!” says Barron, who started working with IC students in 2003. “I can’t believe how long I’ve been here. I remember that Bill Sheasgreen was the director at the time I started. He sent an email to students saying, ‘Jacqueline’s time is precious. She has a three-year-old.’ Now, my daughter's 24, so that’s how I work out the math!”
Melodic Mentor
Jacqueline Barron (far right) poses with her students during the Spring 2024 London Center semester.
Semester Serenades: ICLC Concerts to Remember
Each semester, Barron organizes a concert that her students perform.
Throughout her tenure at ICLC, Barron has been instrumental in the evolution of the center’s vocal program. “Initially, I worked with students once a week, but then I proposed we start organizing concerts to motivate students even more.” A tradition was born.
Barron recently celebrated her 37th ICLC concert. Every semester, each concert begins and ends with a group piece, fostering teamwork among the students and providing them with experience to tackle multiple parts of performances. In 2012, inspired by the London Olympics, Barron began organizing concerts around a chosen theme, which was immediately embraced. “The students love the research process. Working towards a theme really draws everything together,” reflects Barron.
Actor and singer Jeremy Jordan ’07, currently starring in The Great Gatsby on Broadway, was one of Barron’s vocal students during his semester at the Ithaca College London Center.
During the Olympics, they incorporated sport-themed songs—a mix of solos, duets, and trios—and focused on music either by British composers or with a London connection. That cohort of students included Ryan MacConnell ’13 (Wicked) and Megan Ort ’13 (Sweeney Todd), among many others, all of whom are now enjoying successful performing careers. A few other notable ICLC alumni include Kathryn Allison ’14 (Aladdin), Olivia Donalson ’15 (Six, the Musical) and Jeremy Jordan ’07 (Newsies, Great Gatsby). “So many successes!” says Barron. “It’s wonderful to see how students develop as artists over the semester and to get to know their voices.”
When the pandemic struck in March 2020, their Beatles-themed concert preparations took a digital turn. Students, all of whom had to return home, received piano accompaniments and backing vocals that Barron—along with her daughter, Eleanor Grant, a professional singer and bassist—had recorded. Students added their vocals remotely, forming part of their grade as the concert couldn’t take place in person. One standout was Ali Bourzgui ’21 who recorded “Lady Madonna.” He’s now playing the lead in Tommy on Broadway.
Barron offers students a valuable perspective for navigating their careers in the industry she knows inside and out. For instance, when it comes to studio work, she knows firsthand how vital it is that students master sight-reading and timing, so they’ll be ready for anything.
“My students take the information I provide and fly.”
“The main thing is to be versatile and feel what’s going on around you,” says Barron, noting that studio work has dramatically changed. Whereas it used to mean performers would record with a live orchestra, it now requires working remotely and collaborating from different locations.
Barron encourages her students to be so thoroughly prepared that they can enjoy the process and take some risks along the way. She hopes she nurtures the kind of deep confidence that cultivates each student’s greatest work. “If you don’t have the courage, you’ll never reach your potential,” Barron advises. “My students take the information I give them and fly.”
In 1972, the first group of adventurous Ithaca College students traveled to England. Today the Ithaca College London Center—among the longest-standing U.S.-based study abroad programs in London—continues to welcome students for a semester or summer of learning and exploration. Over the years, thousands of Ithaca College students, faculty, and staff have called the IC London Center “home,” while creating a special bond that now spans five decades.
We’re currently counting down the days until the IC London Center’s 50th anniversary reunion celebration, June 28–30, 2024! Along the way, we're chronicling some of our adventurers and trailblazers—students, alumni, and faculty who have found and guided transformation in IC’s signature study abroad program.