COCA Alum Christian Hamilton was 20 years old when he first came to COCA to further his vocal training. He joined Allegro, COCA’s vocal company under the direction of Dr. Phil Woodmore; participated in dance classes with Ms. Lee Nolting; and performed in COCA’s Summer Musical productions of In the Heights, Ragtime, and Bring It On.
“COCA disciplined me. Working with Phil taught me a lot with the voice. Being in COCA productions taught me about being grounded, staying focused, and being more vulnerable in music and not holding back.”
Christian earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Lindenwood University and has continued to chase his dreams as a vocalist. Music has been an important part of Christian’s family. His mom was a singer—and he wanted to follow in her footsteps. Christian is a dynamic vocalist who has performed pop, R&B, opera, musical theatre, and more. He enjoys a variety of musical styles and doesn’t want to limit himself.
Since his time at COCA, Christian has performed with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and toured with Antigone in Ferguson in New York City and Phoenix. Most recently, Christian sang the National Anthem to a sold-out crowd at the SLU Billikens game.
Christian also worked with Montina Cooper, singer/songwriter and background vocalist for Beyoncé, to record and release his EP which features pop and R&B tracks. He landed the opportunity to collaborate with Montina on this project after he had seen Montina perform and had the courage to introduce himself. Together, they recorded five songs in seven days—and the experience working in the studio environment has been a highlight of his career. His 5-track EP, Symphony, is available to stream/purchase on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
Christian is a firm believer in not giving up, following your dreams, and not limiting yourself. It’s some of the best advice he’s ever received from his family, mentors, and friends who have encouraged him along the way.
“Never give up. Never take no for an answer. Go out there and get it…It gets hard. People think this is easy. It’s not. It’s very discouraging. You must have the drive, determination, and faith to keep going and do what you love to do.”
When reflecting on his days at COCA, Christian has fond memories of the summer musical productions. He wasn’t a technically trained dancer and found that Distinguished Alumnus Christopher Page-Sanders’ choreography challenged him. He recalls the choreography for In the Heights and being cast in dance numbers with experienced dancers: “I kept up, and it inspired me to dance more. With every musical, Chris pushed me.”
Christian continues to follow his passion in music. He plans to pursue his master’s degree in vocal performance at Berklee College.
