Cathy Compton (’08 music education) has enjoyed a multi-faceted music career that almost didn’t happen. Compton grew up surrounded by music. Her parents, Randy and Sara, met as music majors at Iowa State, married, and remained in Ames. Both are still active in the Iowa State and Ames music communities.
Compton became involved in the Ames music scene in 6th grade as part of the Ames Children’s Choirs. During high school, she excelled in music and theatre activities and took voice lessons from Donald Simonson, Morrill Professor emeritus of music and theatre. It seemed Compton was laying the groundwork for a music career.
But she chose an unexpected college path.
Compton enrolled at Arizona State University and dabbled with a communications major. Eventually, though, her heart called her home.
“The whole time I was there, I was jealous of my friends at Iowa State,” Compton said. “I really wanted to continue studying voice with Dr. Simonson. I wanted to be in the Iowa State Singers, and I was looking for that smaller music department for my undergraduate experience.”
After one-and-a-half years at Arizona State, Compton transferred to Iowa State.
Home again
At Iowa State, Compton declared a music education major, but she craved experiences beyond teaching.
“Even before college, I’ve had a multi-pronged approach to music. I’m interested in education, administration, and performance,” Compton said.
“There are a lot of really wonderful threads from my Iowa State experience that have stayed with me. Dr. Simonson is one of them.”
One of her favorite university experiences was student teaching in Norway.
“It was incredible. It was music education, but the school was interested in having native English speakers there … so there was a little bit of English teaching and a lot of learning wonderful Norwegian folk songs and dancing. It was a great cultural experience,” she said.
Musical mentor
Several people positively influenced Compton while she attended Iowa State, but Simonson stands out.
“There are a lot of really wonderful threads from my Iowa State experience that have stayed with me,” Compton said. “Dr. Simonson is one of them.”
Simonson is a fan of Compton, too.
“Cathy is perhaps the best example of what can come from the College of LAS at Iowa State University,” Simonson said. “Cathy was also blessed with an incredible talent that she developed to the best of her abilities and works to develop to the best of her students’ abilities.”
Varied career path
Following graduation from Iowa State, Compton enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder where she obtained a master’s degree in voice performance and pedagogy in 2011. She then earned a Fulbright Fellowship and studied in Leipzig, Germany, where she sang with the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra at the Gewandhaus; the Mendelssohn House Museum; and the Leipzig Bach Festival.
When Compton returned to Colorado, she was unsure of her next career move until a unique opportunity arose.
“I knew I was enjoying performing and teaching, so I worked with a local church and established a community music school,” she said. “We called it the Off Broadway School of Fine Arts.”
The school reinforced Compton’s desire to teach, so when she was offered an opportunity to manage a performing arts series at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, she happily accepted.
“I ran the series for about a year and then a position on the voice faculty opened up, so I started teaching applied voice and an opera workshop,” she said.
While in Texas, Compton decided to pursue a doctorate in music, which led her to Indiana University Bloomington. As part of her doctoral studies, Compton accepted an assistantship with the university’s prestigious Jacobs Opera and Ballet Theater. After earning her doctorate, the university hired her full-time as the theater’s operations manager. She quickly moved into an interim managing director role, which became permanent a year ago.
“The creativity comes in the bigger-picture planning. It’s about empowering the students, the guests we bring in, and the resident faculty to do their best work.”
Compton’s typical workday includes managing the day-to-day operations of the theater along with hiring guest directors, choreographers, conductors, and creative teams to produce the theater’s operas and ballets.
“That’s the exciting part about it,” Compton said. “Every day is different; every production is different.”
There is a significant creative component to Compton’s job as well. One recent highlight was a collaboration Compton helped lead between the Jacobs Opera Theater and the Metropolitan Opera for the world premiere at Indiana University of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Mason Bates and Gene Scheer.
“The creativity comes in the bigger-picture planning. It’s about empowering the students, the guests we bring in, and the resident faculty to do their best work,” Compton said.
As she continues to navigate her music profession, she is grateful for her Iowa State undergraduate experience. “Iowa State prepared me well. I really felt supported and valued as a student,” she said. “I remember having a feeling that with dedication and a good plan, I could make whatever I wanted happen. Those are the things I’ve carried forward.”
Sidebar: A real showstopper
Cathy Compton is enamored with the beautiful facility she works in every day.
The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University comprises multiple recital halls; over 170 practice rooms, choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms; and more than 100 offices and studios. The jewel of the music campus is the Musical Arts Center, where Compton works.
“The Musical Arts Center has the second largest performing arts stage in North America. The Metropolitan Opera is only bigger by one square foot,” Compton said.
The center boasts unique features, including an adjustable orchestra pit that seats 100 musicians, three stage wagons – mobile platforms that move sets, and a turntable in the rear wagon.
“We think of it as a learning laboratory for both the students on stage who are performing and all of the other facets of the opera house,” Compton said. “It’s the ultimate collaboration of all these different elements – costumes, lights, sets, language, and dance.”