Bio

Meghann is a multifaceted professional soprano whose creative work spans opera, country and blues, free improvisation, and contemporary and baroque chamber music. Within the eclectic world of new and experimental music, Meghann combines an intuitive and spontaneous use of the voice with operatic resonance and visceral emotion. Her own projects aim to create cinematic soundscapes using myriad vocal timbres that range from the familiar and intimate to those that are forbidding and sonically overwhelming. A fascination with the psychology of singing has guided her academic research as well as her teaching methodology. Rather than endorsing the common idea of “finding your voice” — implying a singular, identity bound sound — Meghann is interested in freeing the voice of identity’s constraints, and in turn, freeing the identity to expand and explore through the outlet of trying on many “vocal hats.”

​Performance highlights include Boulez’s Improvisation sur Mallarmé with the Palimpsest Ensemble under the baton of Steven Schick,  Micäela in Bizet’s Carmen under the direction of Nicole Paiement and Brian Staufenbiel, Elmire in Kirk Meacham’s Tartuffe, Socrate in Erik Satie’s Socrate with the Kallisti Ensemble, the soprano soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Shostakovich’s Seven Poems of Alexander Blok, and Vivaldi’s cantata, Lungi Dal Vago Volto with Agave Baroque. Outside of the classical music world, Meghann performed with Happy Traum and Jim Kweskin, jazz luminary Karl Berger, and the award-winning old-time group, G Burns Jug Band — touring the country and sharing festivals with the likes of Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Del McCoury Band. Occasionally she dabbles in theater as a composer, performer, and actor. A favorite engagement was creating and performing music for the world premiere of Suzette Who Set To Sea with The La Jolla Playhouse.

While working towards her doctorate in music at UC San Diego, Meghann had the honor of studying with Pulitzer Prize winning composer and pianist Anthony Davis, and Grammy winning New Music champion Susan Narucki. She has taught individual and group voice lessons, musicianship, and music history as a teaching assistant at San Francisco State University and UC San Diego.  As an associate instructor at UCSD, she designed and taught the first serious course on karaoke — a class that critically explored identity and social rituals.

Meghann earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of California, Santa Cruz (2002), her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from San Francisco State University (2009), and is working toward her Ph.D. in Music with an emphasis in Integrative Studies and Vocal Performance from the University of California, San Diego (ABD).

Teaching Info

Voice lessons begin with a vocal warm up and technique work before moving into repertoire and performance coaching. Technical exercises tailored to your voice’s needs and progress will be assigned to help you grow efficiently and healthfully. Alongside developing healthy and sustainable singing habits, you will gain the tools to analyze and adjust your voice during your own practice. My approach is to provide you with plenty of hands-on guidance while you develop a thorough understanding of your unique instrument.

• Build the foundation of good singing by learning correct posture, breath support, and tension-free voice production.
• Become familiar with the anatomy and physiology of the vocal mechanism.
• Develop more advanced technical skills including unification of registers, placement & resonance, agility, and more.
• Strengthen musicianship skills such as note reading, rhythm, phrasing, harmony, and dynamics.
• Exercise the skills necessary to perform as a soloist such as song interpretation, diction, projection, and stage presence.
• Learn to diagnose and correct vocal faults by recognizing bad habits and designing solutions.

Every singer needs individualized instruction and, unfortunately, there is no easy formula to train a voice or fix vocal problems. Because there is no single pedagogical approach to help a student become a consummate singer, I use a variety of teaching methods. Foremost, my teaching is influenced by traditional Bel Canto methods and body alignment and somatic practices such as The Alexander Technique. In addition, I strongly believe it is important to familiarize the student with the anatomy and physiology of the voice and its relationship to other systems of the body that are essential to good singing: our whole body is our instrument, not just our larynx alone!

Students are welcome to schedule lessons at their convenience using my online scheduler. A weekly commitment is not required. A regular routine of at-home practice is still expected of the student for healthy progress. I offer weekly group practice sessions and online resources to help the student maintain a schedule of intentional vocal use with tailored guidance. Practice is essential for progress.

Weekly lessons are ideal for timely results and being held to account for regular practice. If your schedule allows, I highly recommend regular weekly or semi-monthly lessons. I understand that most of our lives are chaotic with irregular schedules and want to find a way to help you sing regardless of the inconsistencies in your daily life. Let’s work together to find a regimen that is right for you and your goals.