COURTENAY ENNIS
1. What are you reading?
Ooh! A lot. Just finished reading Vocology, which talks a lot about the clinical side working with vocal cord function. It also has some chapters at the end that cover fairly groundbreaking new concepts regarding the science of register shifts in singing. I’m also slowly getting through Practical Vocal Acoustics, by Ken Bozeman, and Your Voice: An Inside View by Scott McCoy, which are also about register shifts.
2. What are you listening to these days?
What are you listening to these days? Hmm. There are a couple things on YouTube that have been blowing my mind, lately. Most recently, it is Jessie Mueller singing Mister Snow from the Lincoln Centre production of Carousel. Also mindblowing are the recordings of Mariah Carey’s (2010) and Josh Groban’s (2002) respective live versions of O Holy Night.
Less mindblowing, but still informative, are the latest Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift tunes—I love hearing the strategies famous singers employ to negotiate challenging parts of songs, and listening for signs of training (e.g. astute vowel modification) and/or crutches that I can point out to clients.
3. Where and what do you teach?
I teach at my in-home studio in East Van—PNE area. I teach all manner of contemporary music, so: pop/rock/indie/R&B and musical theatre, mainly.
4. What are your favourite websites, mobile tools, favourite singers?
John Henny has a great blog for singers. So does Guy Babusek.
Mobile tools? Actually, there is an app called the Amazing Slow-Downer, that’s great for slowing down and looping tricky R&B-style riffs.
Favourite singers? Ah, so many. Judy Kuhn, Kelli Oh’Hara, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, Donny Hathaway, Steve Perry, Bobby Kimball (Toto).
5. Do you have a particular repertoire expertise, and suggestions for members to explore?
I have tons of performance experience in pop and musical theatre, via leading cover bands, playing on cruise ships, and musical directing many musicals. No particular suggestions. I keep a database of songs in pop and theatre genres, indexed by level of skill required, and I will suggest songs to clients that I feel are just challenging enough to help them attain the next level of skill in their singing, without overwhelming them.
6. What are your recent and upcoming performances?
I recently was the substitute pianist and conductor for Avenue Q at Arts Club. I can also be found in various casinos with my cover band The Famous Players.
7. What is your experience with NATS (volunteering, conferences, competitions, judging, etc.)
I’m brand new! I’ve been to one meeting.
8. What are your professional affiliations?
I’m also a member of IVA, ITVOM, and NYSTA (various other voice teacher associations), an on-and-off member of AFM, and I was with Speech Level Singing for six years.