Meet Our Teachers
Jeanetta Johnson – Commercial Voice
Jeanetta Johnson – Commercial
B.M. Southeastern Louisiana University
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Larissa Jones is a unique, contralto vocalist and arranger from Valdosta, Georgia. Her career began at the age of 4, leading songs in the church’s gospel choir. As a teenager, she actively performed leading songs for the Valdosta High School Chorus and Valdosta High School Jazz Ensemble. While attending Valdosta High School, Larissa went on to audition for the Georgia All-State Chorus in 2017 and proceeded with a perfect score. She attended Valdosta State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music in May of 2021. There, she performed with many ensembles including the VSU Chamber Singers, VSU Concert Choir, The Spotlighters, VSU Jazz Ensemble, and VSU Jazz Combos. In Spring of 2021, she was awarded the Outstanding Musician Award by the Valdosta State University Music Department.
Outside of school, Larissa performed with a few bands and groups. She led songs on the praise team at her church, Unity Church of God. She performed with The Answer Band, a wedding and party band based in Atlanta, Georgia where she sang lead and background vocals for various genres of music including Motown, Soul and Funk classics, and party hits of today. While visiting New Orleans in January of 2020, she had the opportunity to perform at the Café Beignet in French Quarters with jazz musician Steamboat Willie and his band. Over the course of her career, she has worked giving private lessons in both individual and group settings for a variety of voice students from ages 10 to 50.
Larissa currently resides in New York, New York where she attends Manhattan School of Music gaining her Master of Music degree in Jazz Voice.
Geoffrey Schellenberg
Voice
Degree: D.M.A. Université de
Montréal (Present) / B.M., M.M. University of
British Columbia
Praised for his “clarion tone” (Ludwig van Toronto) and “impressive vocal colour” (Opera Canada), Canadian-American baritone Geoffrey Schellenberg is a professional opera singer and voice instructor. On professional stages, he has been recognized for the roles of Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marcello (La bohème), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte). He has recently been seen in productions with Opéra de Montreal, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Portland Opera, and Calgary Opera. Additionally, he has sung as a soloist in numerous oratorio concerts, including A Sea Symphony and Requiem (Fauré) with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Messiah (Handel) with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, and Des Knaben Wunderhorn with l’Orchestre de l’Agora and Mississippi Valley Orchestra.
Geoffrey furthered his vocal training in a number of apprenticeships including the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal (2020-2022), Portland Opera Resident Artist Program (2018–2020), Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Development Program (2017–2018), and Music Academy of the West (2017). He holds master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia in opera performance, while simultaneously completing international vocal development programs including the European Music Academy (Teplice, Czech Republic), the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (Sulmona, Italy), and Accademia Europea dell’Opera (Lucca, Italy).
Geoffrey’s continued dedication to the study of music has also inspired a passion for teaching, which has lead him to work as a private voice instructor for the past ten years where he imparts his knowledge of technique to strengthen and enhance aspiring singers in all sorts of repertoire. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at Université de Montréal.
Classical Voice, Pop, Jazz, Musical Theatre
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Karina Valle is a versatile soprano with a Master’s in Music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and holds a Bachelor’s of Music from Loyola University New Orleans. Karina has performed in multiple productions as a soloist with the New Orleans Opera, as well as various other roles, including performances with Austin Lyric Opera, and toured the Italian countryside as a cast member of La Musica Lirica.
Karina has also performed roles as Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with recognition from the New Orleans Times-Picayune for representing Latinos in opera, Druscilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Mirette in Bluebeard’s Waiting Room by Milton Granger, and recently played the role of Woman IV in Lera Auerbach’s challenging a capella opera, The Blind.
Karina’s proficiency in Italian, French, German, Latin, and Spanish dictions allow her to specialize in, but not be limited to, such genres as classical, musical theater, jazz, and pop. She is passionate about creating a learning environment for all that is fun, educational, and free of judgment. Her teaching method is not “one size fits all”, but is instead personalized to each individual student’s needs, wants, and abilities to help them find their own healthy vocal style.
Tamar Simon
Voice
Degree: M.M. University of British Columbia /
B.M., University of British Columbia
Heralded for her “clear vibrant tone” (Opera Canada), Tamar Simon is an Armenian- Canadian soprano based in Montréal, Québec. Tamar has over ten years of experience teaching voice in a variety of styles from classical to pop. When she is not teaching she has been featured in many leading roles including Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Musetta (La bohème), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) which she performed in Highlands Opera Studio’s 2021 production.
Tamar has sung as a soloist with Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Toronto City Opera, and Burnaby Lyric Opera. Tamar has also been seen on international stages, including appearances as Zerlina (Don Giovanni) in Kona, Hawaii and as Calisto (La Calisto) in Sulmona, Italy. This year she sang the role of Clorinda (La Cenerentola) with the Lunenburg Academy of Music and reprised the same role later that summer with the Brott Opera Music Festival.
Tamar is a District Winner and an Encouragement Award Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and she is a graduate of University of British Columbia’s Master of Music program. Tamar continued her vocal and art song studies in Austria after receiving the Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship, which sponsored study at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum.
Jess Kerber is a songwriter who hails from just outside New Orleans, LA. Picking up the guitar at age 12, she quickly learned the instrument on an atypical path. Heavily inspired by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Susan Tedeschi, she primarily gravitated towards alternate tunings, leading her playing to take on a color unlike most other musicians. Her musicianship developed quickly as playing and writing music became an obsession within the isolation of small-town Louisiana. However, by the time she was a teenager she began cutting her teeth playing solo shows in and around New Orleans. Her voice grew to attain a deep purple heaviness, which enchanted her early recordings, all backed by the tasteful intricacy of her guitar playing, melodic and captivating enough to stand on its own.
Before long, she found herself at Boston’s Berklee College of Music as the 2018 Berklee Lollapalooza full scholarship recipient. The environment challenged her tastes and songwriting style, leading her to take on a more subdued and lyric-driven approach, influenced by the indie-folk of artists like Andy Shauf and Adrianne Lenker. As her sound evolved, she became entrenched in the burgeoning folk scene of Boston, centered around Cambridge’s historic Club Passim. Shortly before the emergence of the pandemic, she crossed paths with fellow New England based songwriter Will Orchard, who became her partner and collaborator. The pair spent much of the early days of the pandemic producing what would become Kerber’s eponymous full length record, which marked a sharp turning point in her sound.
Arranged with a cosmic blend of instruments ranging from drum machine to pedal steel, the record is rooted in Americana but takes the genre several steps forward. To contrast the greater depth of the arrangements, her songwriting simply and intimately provides snapshots of self-reflection. Mixed by Charlie Dahlke of rising indie-rock fixture The Brazen Youth, the record has moments both gently uplifting and serenely heartbreaking. Kerber debuted many of these songs in acoustic duo form on a month long self-booked European tour with Will Orchard in late 2021. Having released her self-titled album in May of 2022, she now resides in Nashville, TN with her cat.
Musical Theatre, Pop, Gospel, R&B
Originally from Maryland, Jessa earned her Bachelor’s in Film, theatre and Video from Stevenson University. At Maryland’s prestigious Toby’s Theatre, Jesse performed as a singer, dancer and actress for a variety of shows, including The Buddy Holly Story (Apollo Singer), Ragtime (Sarah), Hairspray (Dynamite), and The Color Purple (Nette).
She has taught vocal lessons in Maryland at Drama Learning Center and, while living abroad in Tokyo, Jesse taught vocal/ voice for Youth Theatre Japan and Artista.
Her professional singing career has provided opportunities to travel the world performing as a lead vocalist for Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships and, in 2018, through the Actors’ Equity Association, Jessa joined the cast of several Walt Disney World shows, including Move it! Shake it! Mousekadance it!, and her current shows Finding Nemo the Musical (Peach) and Festival of the Lion King (Kibbi).
Jessa’s wide ranging professional and educational background provides extensive expertise in teaching a variety of vocal genres such as musical theatre, pop, R&B and contemporary worship music.
Justin Daley is a Chicago-based singer, actor and voice teacher. Justin is equally at home on the stage, or in the classroom. He is a former adjunct faculty member at New York University, where he taught voice to a diverse array of students, from pop to opera. He holds a master’s degree in classical Vocal Performance and an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU Steinhardt, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Millikin University. There, his education ranged from directing theatre programs, performing in main stage operas, and singing with the Millikin University Choir.
Justin has performed numerous roles with Portland Opera, Lakeland Opera, Victor Herbert Renaissance Project, Chicago Drama Group, The Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and Chicago Summer Opera. Of note was his time with Portland Opera, where he taught group classes at dozens of schools across Oregon and Washington. He is also an established vocal clinician, giving masterclasses at Washington State University as well as for the student actors at Street of Dreams Theater in Mokena, IL. He aims for authenticity in everything he does, whether it be his teaching or performing.
Amberly Winfrey is a performing and recording vocal artist, arranger, and teacher based in Nashville, Tennessee. Amberly holds a M.M. in Commercial Voice from Belmont University and specializes in commercial vocal styles like funk, soul, gospel, and rock. With a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Northern Kentucky University her diverse musical experience has also included the study, performance, and teaching of jazz, blues, art song and arias, musical theater, and country.
During undergraduate study, Amberly was a scholarship student, a member of NKU Vocal Jazz, Chamber Choir, R&B Combos I & II, and a junior instructor with the NKU Music Preparatory Department. Her time at NKU also included roles in the NKU Opera Workshop, membership in experimental vocal ensembles, and attendances and performances at JEN (Jazz Education Network), ACDA (American Choral Directors Association), KMEA (Kentucky Music Educators Association), and OMEA (Ohio Music Educators Association) conferences.
While attaining her masters degree, Amberly was a scholarship student and graduate assistant for Jazzmin, Belmont’s vocal jazz ensemble, and also led student performance seminars. Outside of school, Amberly has kept a studio of private voice students, and has performed and recorded for several artists in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. She’s a member of the band Brother Smith, and maintains a regular performance and touring schedule.
As a professional voice teacher, Amberly has worked with singers of all experience levels from ages 5-55 since 2011.
Amberly’s goal is to help singers find and cultivate their own unique sound with healthy vocal function as a foundation for authentic style. Amberly believes in balancing voice science with personalized practicality, and uses her professional experience to help learners develop a personal relationship with their voice.
Liz holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from San Jose State University. Liz continues her education by attending seminars and conferences in vocal pedagogy and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) workshops keeping up with the latest in teaching techniques and nerding out on voice science. Liz loves to teach pop and rock vocal techniques and styles, that help vocalists sing styles such as gospel, R&B, pop, rock, jazz and other Contemporary styles!
A founding member of the Community Opera Workshop, which was ultimately to become Opera San Jose, under Irene Dalis; she studied and performed leading roles there including Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Carolina (Il Matrimonio Segreto), Mimi (La Boheme) and Cio Cio San (Madama Butterfly). She also played Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) with West Bay Opera. Preferring to perform in intimate settings, Liz has created several solo recitals featuring German Lied, French Chanson, Spanish and Italian Art Song as well as operatic arias.
Liz has a strong background in education having taught in elementary and music classrooms for over a decade, as well as directing choirs and serving as vocal director for children’s musical theatre productions.
After taking a hiatus from performing to raise two daughters, she started performing with local musical theatre companies as well as performing in solo recitals and small ensembles. Some of her favorite performances have been in Ragtime, Billy Elliot, Hairspray, and Guys and Dolls. She has also performed as a featured soloist in several musical revues produced by JB Presents in San Francisco which included works by Sondheim, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and other Broadway composers as well as the film Broadway Covered in which she sang “As We Stumble Along” from The Drowsy
Chaperone. Performing with the San Jose DanceCo singing Nina Simone’s arrangement of “For All We Know” was a highlight in her jazz experiences.
She recently moved to Los Angeles and is looking forward to finding new performance opportunities. In 2016, Liz was a participant in the Lied Studio Program at American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria fulfilling a lifelong dream of studying and performing in Europe.
Chicago native, mezzo-soprano Olivia Gronenthal, combines her career in opera performance with a passion for new cross-disciplinary works that resonate with contemporary life. She recently made her Indiana University Opera Theater debut portraying Suzy in La Rondine. Her other roles include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel (Lyric Theatre at Illinois), Bianca in the Rape of Lucretia (Lyric Theatre at Illinois), the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte (Toronto Summer Opera Workshop), and the Third Spirit in Die Zauberflöte (Vancouver Summer Opera Workshop). With IU Opera Workshop, she was featured as Baba the Turk (The Rakes Progress), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), and Zerlina* (Don Giovanni).
Her opera chorus credits include Falstaff (Indiana University Opera Theatre), Xerxes (Indiana University Opera Theater), Little Women (Indiana University Opera Theater), Don Giovanni (Lyric Theatre at Illinois) an L’incoronazione di Poppea (Lyric Theatre at Illinois). An avid fan of new works, Gronenthal was a member of the 2020 Song Genesis Project, pairing singers, composers, and poets to generate an entirely new work. Her team’s piece, Abaude on Cold Moon premiered in 2021. She also performed the role of Electricizer 3 in Elizabeth Gartman’s New Motive Power in its premiere at the Kohler Performing Arts Center.
She earned her Master of Music from Indiana University and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a Performance Diploma student at the Jacobs School of Music, studying with Peter Volpe.
Amanda Singh is a Toronto-based Soprano, who from a young age, has had a passion for all types of music. Throughout high school, she performed both musical theatre and classical repertoires. She gained her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Magna Cum Laude) majoring in classical voice before obtaining her Master of vocal performance from the University of Toronto.
Currently, Amanda is an active member and founder of the Octava Vocal Ensemble which performs a variety of acapella compositions from jazz to pop. She is also a current member of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto as an Emerging Canadian Voice.
Other notable credits include the Bach Chamber Youth Choir, York University Chamber Choir and Concert Choir, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, as well as the Ellison Canadian Honour Choir. Amanda has participated in competitions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Vocal Showcase and the Newmarket Voice Festival obtaining gold rewards in her categories. In 2019, she was one out of the four winners of York University’s Concerto Competition.
From pop to classical, Amanda works on creating a collaborative and welcoming environment that focuses on storytelling and healthy vocal technique for all her students.
Massachusetts-born tenor Nathan Krishnaswami completed both his Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, as well as attending IU’s musical theatre program for two years.
While at Indiana University, Krishnaswami studied with Wagnerian soprano Jane Dutton and performed the roles of King Ouf (L’Étoile), and Arnalta and Nutrice (The Coronation of Poppea), as well as gaining extensive experience in concert and opera choruses during his time at IU. Outside of IU Krishnaswami has performed as Alfred (Die Fledermaus), and Monostatos (The Magic Flute). In addition to vocal training, Krishnaswami is highly experienced in stage performance from straight theatre to musical theatre to opera theatre, as well as an intermediate understanding of body movement.
Nathan has already helped many people find and solidify their voice through enthusiastic, individualized lessons that incorporate musical fun, vocal technicality, and overall goofiness in equal measure. Whether a student is looking to find their voice for singing, or simply gain confidence and support through the ever fluctuating transition that is life, Nathan steps into the task fearlessly, ready and excited to help anyone and everyone who is taking on the brave task of voice lessons!
Classical, Musical Theatre
Julia Ragusa is a Boston based coloratura soprano, actor, and dancer with her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Theatre Arts from Gordon College. Additionally, she studied at Fordham University’s Summer Musical Theatre Intensive in Lincoln Center, NYC. Professionally and in college, she has performed a variety of leading roles including The Baker in Witch Cakes: The Musical (Providence Fringe Festival), and Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Most recently, she worked as a vocal company member for the College Light Opera Company’s virtual 52nd season. Julia has been teaching private lessons for just over two years, and her mission is to provide a safe, challenging, and fun environment for students to explore and grow! She teaches a technique that utilizes body mapping, and vocal acoustics to set students up for success in resonance and expression. Her specialties include classical and musical theatre genres.
Jeanetta is a seasoned vocalist and educator with over two decades of training and experience, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a concentration in Voice. Her diverse background includes vocal pedagogy in various styles such as classical, musical theatre, pop, r&b, soul, and gospel. Using a combination of scientific knowledge and empathetic listening skills, Jeanetta tailors her teaching methods to suit each individual student.
Beyond her musical pursuits, she is a devoted mother to her 5-year-old son, Greyson, and enjoys cooking. Jeanetta has a deep appreciation for all things green, from nature to her fashion accessories.
Her mission is to empower students, instill confidence, and guide them in expressing themselves through music in a safe and supportive environment. She is excited to join you on your musical journey and to aid in the realization of your potential.
