A Lifelong Love of Music

By Audra Levi Priluck (Alpha Psi, UCLA and Epsilon, University of Southern California) 

I am told I could sing before I could talk. Music, singing and performing have always been a part of my life. From my very first role as a daughter of the King in The King and I when I was 5 years old, I became conditioned to perform in a musical at least once a year. 

Growing up in Atlanta, there were wonderful opportunities for me, including four years of high school show choir and musicals, playing Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Rizzo in Grease and Nellie in South Pacific. When I was a freshman at UCLA, I was the Witch in Into the Woods. A school schedule was luxurious, allowing plenty of time for music and extracurricular activities, but “the real world” made it hard to continue performing on a regular basis.

Audra sang in the convention choir last July

1. Audra sang in the convention choir last July.

When I was a collegian at USC, I co-founded The SoCal VoCals, which has become the most accomplished collegiate a cappella group in the country. I was also a soloist on the group’s first album in 1997. My Alpha Chi Omega “grand little sis” was also a member of the group, which made our bond even stronger. I’m proud to have a played a role in the group’s founding and provide ongoing support. 

While attending my third Alpha Chi Omega national convention (Indy 2000), I traveled with a portable tape cassette deck (yes, tape cassette) and asked groups of collegians and alumnae to sing their favorite Alpha Chi songs for me. More than 20 years later, I still teach many of those songs to chapters in the Los Angeles area and all over the country in song workshops, even on Zoom. 

Let’s face it – only a handful of the world’s most talented musicians get to make music full-time – so I must make time for music whenever I can. During the 2020-22 COVID-19 years, I did a lot of songwriting, mainly writing poetry as an outlet from the daily grind. In 2022, I self-produced my second album, called Hopeless Romantic (available on all streaming audio platforms), under the name Audra Lee. 

Audra and her familyBuilding on what I did for my first album called I’m All In (released in 2012), I taught myself how to put a melody to piano chords and create an overall “sound” for a song. I’m already thinking about the types of songs I would like to record for my third album!

Most people have a “side gig,” and singing is mine. I hope to perform live again soon and look forward to participating in our 2024 National Convention choir. 

Check out Audra’s original song “Magnolia Girl” from her 2022 album, Hopeless Romantic.