Copyright Alliance

Southern California has a lot of great singers, but not many with the versatility of Elizabeth Tatum. A soprano soloist and a member of AFTRA and AGMA, she has performed opera and theater, classical recital work, gospel, jazz, studio work, you name it.



She’s performed on television (including game shows!) and has been recorded on prestigious sound recordings. She’s won multiple music scholarships, has a degree in voice from University of the Pacific (a school known for its music department), and is a paid soprano soloist in the Canterbury Choir in her church in Pasadena, All Saints Church.

The church looks straight out of Canterbury Tales, a classic ivy-colored stone beauty. It is in the heart of downtown Pasadena, and thus is surrounded by a city hall, court building, parking garage, condominium complex, and the obligatory mall, all of which feature varied but predictable forms of L.A. “architecture.” Still, All Saints is holding its own amid the cacophony.

I enjoyed meeting Elizabeth at her church, which has a long history of activism and community involvement. She began singing at her church when she was four, encouraged by her mother, who to this day remains a source of strength and support. It was a beautiful May morning, the birds were chirping, and flowers were abloom around the church. It was a place where I wanted to stay awhile and find a little inner peace. Unfortunately, after our time together I had to hop back in the rental car and go off to another appointment, but I wouldn’t mind finding my way back there some time.

In the interview, you’ll hear her discuss her varied career, her ventures into new media, and her strong feeling that artists should support each other’s rights. And she shares with passion her joy in connecting with an audience: “You could do [your art] in a vacuum. You can just walk around your house and sing, and it can mean something to you. But I really enjoy it when I’m participating in that with other people.”