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. 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 has enjoyed performing ever since her first living room variety show as a little girl. Prior to moving to San Francisco, she performed in a diverse array of bands throughout the Boston area and upstate New York. In addition to voice coaching and running OpenVoice Studios, she continues to write music and perform locally.
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.
Molly Kozma:
Head Teacher
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.
Sarah Ennis:
Voice Coach
Sarah cannot remember a time when music wasn’t an enormous part of her life. Prior to embarking for college on the west coast, she studied under a number of different coaches in Chicago, including John Komasa, incorporating contemporary, musical theater, and classical technique into her vocal style.
Her passion for singing led to a BA in music from Santa Clara University in 2010, where she also developed a strong foundation in music theory. At SCU, she performed in a number of operas, musical theater reviews, and recitals, in addition to founding an a cappella group called Vocalicious.
Her influences include Regina Spektor, Florence and the Machine, Talking Heads, Rilo Kiley, Paul Simon, Kristen Chenoweth, Dirty Projectors, Belle & Sebastian, Arcade Fire, and many, many more.
Jasmine Pritchard:
Voice Coach
Music has always been part of Jasmine’s life, and she has been singing since she was 5 years old. She grew up listening to musical theater and old 50’s and 60’s tunes, then developed her own tastes in pop, R&B and more recently, folk and bluegrass. She considers her favorites to range from Elvis and Neil Sedaka to Adele, Mariah Carey, Bon Iver and even Tupac. She has dabbled with many instruments, including the violin, cello, guitar, and flute, but is most comfortable on the keyboard. She has performed musical theater since high school in the Philippines, and participated in theater showcases in Berkeley, San Mateo, and San Francisco since moving to the Bay Area in 2009.
When she is not herself performing, Jasmine is very active behind the scenes in the local music industry. She works for 5 local musicians, a live music production company and manages an island rock band named SAGE. She has always considered herself a people person and is happiest when she is helping others realize their passion, whether it be in music, poetry, acting or the fine arts. Her favorite quote comes from Eleanor Roosevelt, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
Amy Obenski:
Voice Coach
Amy has been writing, performing and recording her own songs for ten solid years. She has released four albums, toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, and has had a song placed on the TV Show, Grey’s Anatomy.
Her musical experience began at age five, when she began singing in her elementary school choir. She continued studying voice and music intensively throughout her youth and into her adult life. After college she began writing songs and performing, eventually becoming what is now a fruitful career as a singer-songwriter.
Though voice is her main passion, Amy also has many other musical talents, including classical piano, acoustic guitar, and audio engineering. Amy is excited to bring her diverse experience to OpenVoice Studios. Her basic singing philosophy is to “just relax, breath, and let your natural voice flow!”
Kacie Finance:
Voice Coach
Kacie started singing after attending her first Broadway show at age 4. She trained in opera for 10 years as a Mezzo Soprano under Mildred Coleman and transitioned into musical theatre and jazz for another 4 years in New York City. While in NYC, she attended New York University where she founded the musical performance group Diversity and was a member of the All University Gospel Choir. Kacie has dabbled in acting and has a particular fondness for musical comedy.
Her favorite performances include a showcase for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in 2006 and singing with Les Paul on his 90th birthday at the Iridium Jazz Club. Her influences range from classical to country to pop and everything in between. When Kacie is not teaching, she is walking uphill or trying to perfect the art of sandwich making. She is excited to be a member of the OpenVoice Studios teaching staff and hopes to share all of the confidence and passion she’s found through music with everyone she meets.
Erin Haney:
Voice Coach
Erin discovered her love of singing after being placed in a kindergarten music class. As a child, Erin performed in show choirs and musicals and began playing piano and reading music at the age of seven. She then began studying voice privately and began teaching voice lessons when she was just 16 years old. Throughout her adolescence, she continued to perform and was featured in her high school’s advanced choir. One of Erin’s proudest accomplishments is that she was hand selected for the California State High School Choir, which performed in Sacramento.
In 2002 Erin moved from her hometown of San Diego to Los Angeles, where she studied vocal performance at Musicians Institute of Hollywood. This was where she honed her passion for contemporary music styles. While in school, Erin performed at dozens of venues in the Los Angeles area and sang in numerous bands and groups including a five part female a cappella group called Funk Divas. Erin continued her private studies under the direction of Dena Murray, an accomplished author in the field of vocal technique. She then began working in the business side of the music industry at artist management and marketing companies.
Erin’s musical journey then led her to Nashville, where she met and worked with many talented musicians. In 2010, she returned home to California – this time San Francisco – and began teaching voice lessons again. She is thrilled to be a part of the OpenVoice family.
Erin’s musical influences include Brandi Carlile, Adele, Heart, Bonnie Raitt, Celine Dion, Sara Bareilles, Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette, Queen, The Beatles, Bette Midler, and more.
