Bristol Voice Studios is buzzing with talent, but it’s not just our amazing clients that shine in the spotlight. Guiding our students every step of the way are the highly talented, uber fabulous staff of vocal coaches here at Bristol Voice Studios. Meet the newest members of the Voice Department, find out how each coach got involved in the music world, why they love what they do and some fun facts!
Kelly Riley is thrilled to be a vocal coach here at Bristol Voice Studios! Riley studied Composition, Arranging, Recording, Production and Voice at the legendary Berklee College of Music in Boston. While at Berklee, she began the steady process of gaining more knowledge and experience as a singer and songwriter and performed with bands across the genres of Pop, Rock, Jazz and Dance. She is an experienced singer/songwriter who has performed in a multitude of settings including clubs, cabarets, theaters, weddings and cafes. Kelly has shared the stage with many notable musicians including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Patty Griffin. Songs from her first CD, “Live and You Learn” have been featured nationally and internationally on TV programs such as “The Young and the Restless” and “One Life To Live”. Riley has performed throughout the US and abroad and just released her second CD, “County Line” to a sold-out audience at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Connecticut. In her work as an accomplished vocalist, songwriter, guitar, bass and piano player, Kelly Riley has become a polished and recognized musical tour de force and Riley’s career continues to blossom.
Chantal Ambroise is one of our newest vocal coaches here at Bristol Voice Studios. Chantal was formally trained by program director Ric Poulin under Bristol’s Pop/Gospel method after she auditioned for The Voice through Bristol this past spring. She says training at Bristol has helped take her vocal abilities to the next level! She has a wide range of musical influences, but is really drawn to soul/R&B/jazz singers including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, Sharon Jones, Jill Scott and Mariah Carey to name a few. When she’s not teaching, Chantal is a full-time frontwoman for multiple bands that perform around the New England area. In addition to performing and writing her own original music, Chantal loves being a voice coach because she’s inspired by sharing her knowledge to help other artists and she gets to constantly fine tune her own abilities by working with others. “Since becoming a voice teacher, my ear training has gotten so much better because I have to pick out melodies to teach my students. Sometimes I have to learn ten new songs a week, so that really helps me to absorb the melodies quickly.” When Chantal isn’t wrapped up in music, she’s busy being a fabulous makeup artist, or you can find her at the beach exclaiming her famous catchphrase, “Shazam!”
Myles Bennett, our incredible Voice Coordinator is responsible for mapping out all our clients’ performance schedules, voice and artist development and dance lessons, and ultimately their careers! As an aspiring artist herself, she has enjoyed singing her whole life but only recently began pursuing it as a career. Bennett began taking voice lessons with April Forrest at Bristol two years ago, and then she had the opportunity for an internship at the studio. A few months ago, she was offered the job of Voice Coordinator. Bennett is buzzing around the studio all day long, but on her off hours, she works as a cosmetology educator and she’s a fantastic hair stylist! Bennett cites Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys as her musical idols and influences. When she isn’t at the studio, you can find her spending time with her cat Pip, whom she absolutely adores!
Dan Steinbrink, another new member of Bristol’s voice department, began his career in music when he was only eight studying classical voice and piano. From there he moved on to guitar, the drums, ukulele and any other instrument he could get his hands on! Steinbrink started his tenure at Bristol Studios as a student in the Audio Engineering Program. After graduating the program, he was offered an audio internship at the studio, which he completed in record time and was immediately offered a position as a freelance engineer. He studied the Bristol Voice Method with Senior Vocal Coach Brent Barlow to further himself as a performer and to gain more insight when recording singers as an engineer/producer. This year Steinbrink began a new kind of training with director Ric Poulin; how to teach Bristol Studios’ pop/gospel vocal method! Steinbrink is excited to be teaching voice, as it’s always been one of his passions. An interesting fact you may not know about Steinbrink is his military background. He spent four years at military school, and one of his responsibilities playing with the military band was to perform at the docks of brand new cruise ships. He is proud to have “christened” many Carnival cruise ships. Steinbrink is also very proud to be a longtime and loyal Red Sox fan.
Krista Tietjen, our lovely promotions director, got involved with Bristol Voice Studios two years ago when she recorded an album here with her co-ed college a cappella group, The Boston College Dynamics. Shortly after The Dynamics participated in the first annual A Cappella Armageddon last fall, Tietjen began taking voice lessons at Bristol Studios and formally trained under the Bristol Pop/Gospel method. She recently graduated from Boston College, joined the staff at Bristol and the rest is history! Tietjen started taking piano lessons when she was five and has been playing for most of her life. While in high school, she had some classical voice training, participated in chorus and joined the all-female a cappella group The Hilltrebles where she realized her true passion for singing. She knew that she wanted to share what she had learned under the Bristol voice program with others. She is thrilled to be a vocal coach here and loves working with Bristol’s many talented artists. When Krista isn’t at the studio, she loves to sing and record with friends and she’s currently (re)learning how to ride a bike. Some things you may not know about Ms. Tietjen: She has three goats and two dogs, she loves to cook and is fluent in French, and she went to middle school with Taylor Swift (look for her in T. Swift’s E! True Hollywood Story Segment).
Welcome to the Bristol Family! Come on down to Bristol Voice Studios and say hi to our talented new team members! A free introductory voice lesson or artist career consultation is waiting for you!
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