My teaching work over the last two decades has come in lots of forms: singing opera arias at 8 a.m. for gymnasiums full of elementary students as part of the Cincinnati Opera Education and Outreach Program, teaching junior high and high school students in cabins and open-air pavilions on the beautiful grounds of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, working with college students at the University of Dayton and Northern Kentucky University, and teaching people of all ages all over the world in my various studio locations, my students’ homes, and online. Although it’s a thrill teaching students at all levels, I’ve discovered that my particular passion is fanning the spark in the beginning student: the shy high schooler who wanted to gain the confidence to audition for her school’s musical and sing with her friends; the grandma who finally decided life was too short to not learn a skill she’d always envied in others; the child enthusiastically shaking his egg to the rhythm of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.
As a performer, I like to say I’ve sung everything from Carmina Burana to CATS. Growing up in Texas, I entered every singing competition I could find and earned a coveted spot in the Texas All-State Choir. I got a Bachelor’s Degree in Performance from the University of North Texas and a Master’s Degree in Performance from the University of Cincinnati. I apprenticed with some opera companies and sang some of the most beautiful concert repertoire in the world. I donned a unitard and yak-hair wig and performed the musical CATS in more than 400 shows across North and South America. I toured Asia as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, visiting Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Hong Kong (and meeting my husband, Michael).
After spending the last ten years living and working in the Washington D.C. metro, Michael and I have taken to the road again. This time, we’re out with our sons Cameron and Carson, exploring the world as a family.
