Hello Friends,
I'm glad you found your way to this space, and I'm excited for you to begin or continue your music journey. Mine has been an exciting one so far, and I have a lot to share with you that I've learned along the way.
I've been a professional singer for over 30 years. I began singing at home, in school and in church choirs as many singers do. Although I didn't think it was anything unusual at the time, I also had the additional advantage of having an extraordinarily talented mother who was a fine professional soprano, an intuitive voice teacher and an accomplished pianist.
I learned French chanson, German lieder, light Italian opera and complex oratorio works such as Handel's Messiah soprano solos. I was also singing as a youth chorister with Murray and Hazel Somerville at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando. Mr. Somerville ended up being the choirmaster at Harvard following his tenure at St. Luke's.
I sang in middle school and high school choirs, performed for Solo and Ensemble and sang in All-State choir. Each of these opportunities encouraged the joy of performing fine art at a high level. These programs are the cornerstone of preparation for college auditions and those educational opportunities.
My next adventure was receiving my Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University in Vocal Performance. I sang in operas, music theater productions and every single ensemble available (I think 6 at once.) I won both the Giffen Competition and the Concerto Competition where I had the privilege of performing Samuel Barber's beautiful, "Knoxville: Summer of 1015" with the Stetson Symphony Orchestra. I auditioned for graduate schools, was accepted at Manhattan School of Music in New York for my Master's degree, but decided instead to take a much needed deferred gap year to rest. As an industry, we're all more aware now of the importance of balancing our physical and mental health with our careers.
That year, and many following, I transitioned into the acapella, pop, rock and corporate musical scene, including the beautiful Voices of Liberty at Epcot, many local acapella groups at the Disney parks and Universal Studios and some emerging experimental groups such as Toxic Audio (now Vox Audio) and Orlando XIII, a classical chamber ensemble. We performed at the Spoleto Festival. I sang with rock bands. I found out that having a 'good ear' all my life meant I could also do vocal impressions... Gwen Stefani, Billie Holiday, Blondie... you name it.
Over the years, I fell in love with the lyrics and complex harmonies of jazz standards and would sneak them into my corporate rock sets on gigs. Finally, after working for other bandleaders for years, I started my own jazz quartet project. I worked with the best players I could find who would keep me on my toes changing the style, meter, harmonies and melodies of the songs. They taught me the language of improvisation and how to reinterpret a piece and 'make it my own'.
Eventually, I was calling the style changes and had a book of hundreds of songs, a collection of jazz, pop, folk and even classical songs, reinterpreted to reflect the influenes which had shaped me thus far. I hired excellent arrangers, bought and learned how to use all of my own sound and lighting, wrote my own contracts and learned the business of music. I've been a part of the local and international jazz community with my own quartet and as a featured guest artist. I've recorded in the studio for my own projects and for others. I've sung with opera companies and theater groups, toured as a backing vocalist with Michael Bolton for the past ten years and as a duet partner with Engelbert Humperdinck. There have been some peak experiences performing at the Perugia Jazz Festival, Royal Albert Hall and The Hollywood Bowl. It's been a wild, beautiful ride so far and there is still so much to experience and learn!
I LOVE teaching and work in a variety of styles - pop, classical, jazz and music theater - each one requiring solid technique and style training specific to each genre. All ages are welcome in my studio. We're each on an artistic journey which is wide open in front of us! We'll work on singing technique, body alignment, health and performance coaching. We'll also focus a lot on the 'inner work' we need to do in order to express ourselves fully.
Please email me directly at LocheedEntertainment@gmail.com. Let's go!
Yours truly,
Ashley
Training and Experience
