Liz Townsend is a vocalist, voice instructor, arranger, clinician, and adjudicator in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After spending several years specializing in classroom music, she shifted her focus to private voice instruction, working with vocal jazz ensembles, and performing. Liz is well-versed in many vocal styles including jazz, classical, musical theatre, and pop. She is on the voice faculty at Southwestern Michigan College and directs Gold Company II (GCII) at Western Michigan University.
Liz has had the opportunity to work with many esteemed musicians and pedagogues including Ben Folds, Marci Rosenberg, Tom Burke, Catherine Adams Walker, Lisa Thorson, and Matt Falker as well as the members of säje, New York Voices and the world-class faculty at Western Michigan University (WMU). She has Estill Voice Training and has completed all three levels of Somatic Voicework™ – The LoVetri Method.
Liz recently completed her Masters of Music in Jazz Vocal Performance at WMU where she studied with Greg Jasperse. During her time in graduate school she directed GCII, the beginning vocal jazz ensemble. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Choral Music Education from WMU where she studied classical voice with Dr. Rhea Olivaccé. Liz is a member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN), National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), The Voice Foundation, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
In her free time, Liz enjoys yoga, plants, good coffee, and spending time with her husband, Mike. Together, they love to travel, hike, and enjoy the lively music scene in Kalamazoo.