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| Gabrielle Reed being crowned Miss Indiana |
"Gabrielle Reed is not a typical beauty queen. This past weekend, January 15, Reed and 52 other women competed for the title of Miss America, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Reed has a desire for promoting domestic violence awareness, and a passion for opera singing. She got involved in pageants for scholarship money, but soon found that she gained much more than money for school. 'I found more than just scholarship. I found an avenue to cultivate my voice as a classical singer, and as a domestic violence advocate,' Reed said in a video about her experiences. She studies opera with The Jacobs School of Music, Senior Lecturer in Music, Alice Hopper, and currently is taking this year off of school because she travels 3 to 4 days a week doing appearances around Indiana.The first night
Reed competed in an evening wear competition, where she wore a Juan Carlos, red strapless silk dress, with no beading. The second night was the talent competition, which Reed won for her opera performance, which counted for 35 percent of her total score. Her hands moved from her side, further up into the air as she sang, while wearing a white strapless gown. Third night was an on-stage question. 'I have explored many other majors and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. That’s really the kind of position you need to take if you’re going into something like music because it is hard and it really has to be the only thing you can see yourself doing.'"
Reed competed in an evening wear competition, where she wore a Juan Carlos, red strapless silk dress, with no beading. The second night was the talent competition, which Reed won for her opera performance, which counted for 35 percent of her total score. Her hands moved from her side, further up into the air as she sang, while wearing a white strapless gown. Third night was an on-stage question. 'I have explored many other majors and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. That’s really the kind of position you need to take if you’re going into something like music because it is hard and it really has to be the only thing you can see yourself doing.'"
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| Reed belting out "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel |
"Reed, a Jacobs School senior studying voice with Alice Hopper, won a preliminary talent award for her performance of 'You'll Never Walk Alone.' 'The greatest thing about Alice is that her students are her No. 1 priority. She really helps them achieve whatever goals they want to reach,' Reed said, adding that Hopper's positive but realistic attitude helped her gain the confidence she needed to succeed in the pageant. 'Without the training I've been immersed in at the Jacobs School, I wouldn't have been able to walk on stage or sing as confidently. You have to go into that school with confidence everyday to be successful.' During her studies at IU, Reed was a part of the opera chorus for The Magic Flute. The highlight of her college career came when she was accepted to the Jacobs School, an achievement that took her more than one audition to accomplish. 'I came from a very non-musical background and didn't have any musical training until my first year of school at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne,' said Reed, who transferred to IU after one year at IPFW. "I was playing catch-up with my vocal ability when I got here, but now I'm in the School of Music and on the same level as my peers.'"
Meet Gabrielle Reed, Miss Indiana 2010
Name: Gabrielle Lee Reed
Local Title: Miss Southern Heartland
Hometown: Bloomington, Indiana
Education: Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Junior, B.M. Vocal Performance
Bluffton Harrison High School
Platform: “Empowerment from the Start” Communities Preventing Domestic Violence
Scholastic/Career Ambition: Obtain a D.M. in Voice and perform professionally
Talent: Vocal Presentation – “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical Carousel by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
Scholastic Honors: Recipient of Bluffton High School’s Music Scholarship.
Leadership Roles: Musaid Volunteer; Producer for the annual production of the Vagina Monologues, in conjunction with the V-Day Campaign; Committee chair for the annual “Take Back the Night” vigil and speak-out; Middle Way House, “Building Healthy Relationships,” Educator.
Accomplishments: Named Student Leader, Hoosiers for Hillary; nominated for chair of “Relationship Violence Issues on Campus” by the IUB Advisory Board of the Office of Women’s Affairs; Co-Coordinator for the Crisis Intervention & Prevention Services, Middle Way House Inc.
Interesting Facts: First person in my family to formally study music; I live a near vegan lifestyle; “Movement Actress” for The Luminescence Project; my childhood home was a dome-shaped house on a mountaintop in Tehachapi, CA.
Employment: Weekend Staff Member & On-Scene-Advocate Volunteer, Middle Way House Inc.
