Samantha Gibson: Owner, Voice Coach
Sam trained privately for many years in contemporary singing at a voice instruction and recording studio in Boston. She also studied performance, recording and music business there. After several years as a student, she was hired to manage the studio’s voice department which involved the scheduling of 4 teachers and 130 students, as well as sales and workshop coordination. She began researching and teaching voice privately in 2007. She continues to enhance her techniques through work with a private voice and piano coach, as well as attending classes in acting, music theory and musical theatre. She thoroughly enjoys helping others explore their own capacity for singing and to find their own voice, as well as creating opportunities for all singers to perform and participate in music at all levels of experience.
Sam is also a prolific performer, having previously been in several bands in the Boston area and upstate New York. She recently moved to San Francisco where, in addition to voice coaching and running OpenVoice Studios, she continues to write music and perform. She is heading into the studio this November to record new material, and she is preparing her new music website for a November (hopefully!) launch. Stay tuned!
Sam’s musical influences range include Sarah Bareilles, Melody Gardot, Etta James, Ani DiFranco, Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, Gwen Stefani, Sade, Norah Jones, Mary J. Blige, P!nk, Erykah Badu and many more.
Diana Domingo: Head Voice Coach, Saratoga Springs
Diana began belting out tunes at the young age of five, singing along with Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson, and performing in musicals under the direction of her father Buck Monari. While in Los Angeles, she studied with many amazing musical talents, including Grammy-award winning vocalist Darlene Koldenhoven, Annette Warren and Bob Remstein. She performed locally with good friend Carl Schuster, as well as with the Golden Bridge Choir, a group built on the ancient tradition of community building through the exploration of rhythms, harmonies, chants and songs from around the world, under the direction of Maggie Wheeler and Emile Hassen Syer. Upon arriving in New York, she was immediately drawn to the musical team and offerings of Sam Whitehouse Music and the ‘Demystifying the Art of Songwriting’ Workshops with Nancy Walker, Michael Jerling and Bob Warren. She also began writing her own music and is currently working on a compilation to be released and performed soon. Diana believes that “there has to come a point in our lives when we realize it would be worse not to get up and sing than to risk looking bad. People connect with people who take risks. If you want to sing, sing!”
Her musical influences include Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Shirley Manson, Alicia Keys, Adele, Madeleine Peyroux, Sara Bareilles, Avett Brothers, Bjork, Fleet Foxes, Tool, Soundgarden, Leonard Cohen, Kings of Leon, Cee Lo Green, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera, Flaming Lips, M&M, Massive Attack, Wu-Tang Clan, Florence and the Machine, TV on the Radio, and Beyoncé.
Betsy Cannon: Voice Coach, Saratoga Springs
With more than twenty years experience performing pop, rock, classical, and sacred music, Betsy Cannon brings an eclectic vibe to Open Voice Studios. She is the founder and lead singer of the popular local band “Betsy and the ByeGons”, performing at prestigious local events such as First Night Saratoga, Fall Fest, the Congress Park Summer Concert Series, and Hats Off, among many others.
She is excited to be a part of Open Voice Studios, bringing her warmth, enthusiasm, and “can-do” attitude, encouraging her students to “just get up there and sing!”
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–Chantal Kurchner: Voice Coach, Saratoga Springs
Photo and bio coming soon!
Molly Kozma: Operations Coordinator, Voice Coach
Molly began dancing and singing when she was a toddler, and hasn’t slowed down since. Her love for Tap and Jazz dance opened her eyes to Musical Theater, which led quickly to Jazz, R&B, and Pop music. She studied Musical Theater at Young Performers Theatre Arts Academy here in San Francisco as a teenager, and went on to study at Blue Bear School of Music, and most recently studied privately with Katie Guthorn. While earning her degree in Dance at Oberlin College, Molly sang with the female a cappella group Nothing But Treble, and was a featured soloist with The Obertones. She had the honor of working with vocal coach Rona Leslie in New York City, where she pursued her Broadway dreams and recorded her first contemporary solo demo. After a few years as a backup singer in Nashville, she made her way back home to San Francisco, and is thrilled and inspired to be a part of OpenVoice Studios!
Molly’s musical influences include Aretha Franklin, Rickie Lee Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Patty Griffin, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, Whitney Houston, Allison Moorer, Jill Scott, and so many more!
In addition to teaching, Molly will be contributing to the overall growth and function of the business, from accounting and scheduling to streamlining the way information is coordinated across all studios, and handling about a billion other things so that the business runs smoothly.
Joya Jones: Voice Coach
Joya began her voice training by listening to her mother, a gospel songstress, in the womb. Since birth she has never stopped singing. Humble choir beginnings at 4 years old led into a life filled with opportunities to join groups varying from one-off duo performances and larger team trios, to 70-member choirs, and practically every combo in between. Her solo debut came at 11 years old, and she has performed various styles across the country including, but not limited to, Jazz, Soul, R&B, Pop, Alternative, World, Musical Theatre and (of course) Gospel.
Joya ‘s teaching tools were honed during her time as co-director of the University of Pennsylvania gospel choir and as an academic jazz ensemble vocalist. (Her B.A. in Psychology from the University has also been immensely helpful in forming her soothing, yet powerful approach.) She continues regular study with a fabulous San Francisco based voice coach who has studied and performed with the greats for decades, including Harry Belafonte, Gregory Hines and Dee Dee Bridgewater, to name a few. Outside of individual coaching, Joya enjoys delivering energetic and engaging music performance and gospel workshops.
Joya is fast approaching her most passion-filled dream: to establish herself as a well-known independent solo artist. She hopes that sharing her vast musical experiences through studio instruction and co-creation will help to remove the tethers holding all singers back from realizing their own unique greatness. Some of her biggest influences are: Rachelle Ferrell, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Jill Scott, Luther Vandross, Celine Dion, Adele and Katy Perry.
Read some testimonials about our voice lessons!
