Berklee VoiceCast

In this episode of Berklee VoiceCast, Rene Pfister joins Charlie Christenson for a conversation about creating new work, collaboration, and building artistic community. Rene reflects on his work as Artistic Director of the Berklee Theater Arts Collaborative, the growth of original musical theater at Berklee, and the projects he is developing both locally and internationally. They also talk about what happens when students are given the opportunity to create together and bring their own ideas and stories into the work.

CREDITS
Produced and hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson and Aubrey Johnson, “Berklee Voice Ex. 1”

GUEST BIO
Rene Pfister is the Artistic Director of the Berklee Theater Arts Collaborative (BTAC), and  has played a central role in building and expanding original musical theater performances at Berklee. Working with the Performance Division, he helped found BTAC in 2014 and continues to lead its artistic programming, curriculum development, and long-term growth. Beyond Berklee, Pfister is a performer, director, composer, pianist, and educator who has worked internationally sharing his theater for young audiences and one person cabaret shows. Across his teaching and artistic work, he focuses on collaboration, community, and helping artists develop and share their own stories.

LINKS
Berklee College of Music
Berklee Voice Department: Web | Instagram 
Charlie Christenson: Site | Berklee

Rene Pfister: Site | Berklee | Instagram | Spotify

FURTHER READING
Directing in Musical Theatre by Joe Deer
Acting in Musical Theatre by Joe Deer
Audition by Michael Shurtleff

In this episode, Christiane Karam joins Charlie Christenson for a conversation about the relationship between the voice, the body, and our lived experiences. Drawing from her work in non-violent conflict resolution and somatic approaches, Christiane shares how experiences of conflict can shape the way we communicate and relate to our own voices.

They discuss what safety and agency can mean in the voice studio, how a singer’s experiences can influence the way they use and experience their voice, and why working with the voice means working with the whole person. Christiane also considers where the role of a voice teacher begins and ends, particularly when issues of trauma and healing enter the studio.

Professor Karam shares her perspective on embodiment, listening, and the importance of giving students meaningful choices in their own development. The conversation considers how singing can become a means of connection, expression, and finding greater agency in ourselves and with one another.

CREDITS

Produced and hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson and Aubrey Johnson, “Berklee Voice Ex. 1”

GUEST BIO

A native of Lebanon, Christiane Karam is a vocalist, composer, and educator who helps others find, claim, and express their full selves through voice, communication, and mind-body practices. A Professor of Voice, Songwriting, and Ensemble at Berklee College of Music, she has taught and performed extensively across continents and has appeared in the PBS documentary "The Music Instinct.” Drawing on her Armenian heritage and personal history with war and conflict, she is a dedicated advocate for cultural understanding and non-violent conflict resolution, and has founded and directs both the Berklee Annual Middle Eastern Festival and the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir. Through her method "Voices: Your Path To Embodiment," her published writing, and her holistic practice, she continues to guide people worldwide toward healing, wholeness, and creative freedom.

LINKS

Berklee College of Music
Berklee Voice Department: Web | Instagram 
Charlie Christenson: Site | Berklee

Christiane Karam: Site | Berklee | Instagram | YouTube

FURTHER READING

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.

In this episode, Clare McLeod joins Charlie to explore her philosophy of teaching and the role of the teacher in helping students become curious, independent, and engaged learners. They discuss meeting students where they are, understanding their readiness to learn and change, and recognizing that the most effective next step may not always be the one a teacher initially has in mind.

Clare also explores how we think about knowledge in voice teaching—where science, artistic experience, tradition, and personal understanding intersect—and how teachers can remain open to questioning what they think they know.

At the center of the conversation is every teacher’s favorite tool: the question. Clare discusses how thoughtful questions can create space for students to make choices, develop their own understanding, and become less dependent on their teacher over time.

CREDITS

Produced and hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson and Aubrey Johnson, “Berklee Voice Ex. 1”

GUEST BIO

Clare McLeod, has a Masters in Education and is an Associate Professor in the Voice Department at Berklee where she is the principal author of the Minor in Teaching Contemporary Voice and Berklee Online’s Essentials of Teaching Contemporary Voice. A certified Estill Master Teacher, Clare also trained at the National Center for Voice and Speech, and is a member of the Voice Foundation, the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Pan American Vocology Association.

LINKS

Berklee College of Music
Berklee Voice Department: Web | Instagram 
Charlie Christenson: Site | Berklee
Clare McLeod: Berklee
Minor in Teaching Contemporary Voice: Berklee

FURTHER READING

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren

In this episode of the Berklee VoiceCast, host Charlie Christenson is joined by Emily Siar and Kayla Gautereaux, two members of the vocal pedagogy faculty at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, for a deep dive into how graduate voice teachers are trained—and evaluated.

The conversation centers on a new rubric Emily and Kayla developed to assess the teaching skills of graduate voice students; one that moves beyond musical knowledge and genre fluency to name something even more elusive: what it actually looks like when a teacher listens diagnostically, responds in the moment, and helps a singer understand their own instrument more deeply.

Together, they walk through the rubric's major categories—from functional listening and motor learning to social-emotional awareness and self-reflection—and discuss the values and assumptions embedded in each one. Throughout, they address what it means to design an evaluation tool that is a compass rather than a checklist—and how that philosophy shapes the way they mentor the next generation of voice teachers.

CREDITS

Produced and hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson

GUEST BIOS

Emily Siar is Assistant Professor of Voice and Associate Director of the Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she teaches studio voice to musical theater and classical voice students as well as graduate and undergraduate courses in vocal pedagogy. Empowering emerging voice teachers and students with knowledge is her greatest passion.

Kayla Gautereaux is Assistant Professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she leads the MM in Vocal Pedagogy and MFA in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy programs. A 2023 NATS Voice Pedagogy Award recipient, she integrates AI across research, teaching, and tool development with her graduate students and has authored and mentored over 22 singing voice research presentations at Voice Foundation, NATS, PAVA, and PEVoC.

Links from This Episode

The Voice Teaching Comprehensive Rubric: LINK

Emily Siar’s Website: https://www.emilysiar.com/
Kayla Gautereaux’s Website: https://www.kaylagautereaux.com/
BCB Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy: https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/vocal-pedagogy/mm-vocal-pedagogy

Berklee College of Music: berklee.edu
Berklee Voice Department: college.berklee.edu/voice
Berklee Voice Instagram: instagram.com/berklee.voice/
Charlie Christenson: charliechristenson.com

Further Reading

The Musician’s Mind by Lynn Helding
Hearing Singing by Ian Howell
Cornelius Reid on Functional Listening
A Systematic Approach to Voice by Dr. Kari Ragan

In this episode of the Berklee VoiceCast, host Charlie Christenson is joined by Michael Sean Harris for a practical conversation about one of every singer's biggest challenges: learning songs in a way that leads to confident, expressive performance. Drawing from his book Mike's Pocket Performance Pointers, Michael shares strategies that help singers move beyond memorization and build a deeper connection to the music.

Together, they explore techniques for learning lyrics more effectively, including writing them by hand, making them physical through movement, and using recordings and technology as tools for reinforcement. Michael explains how these approaches help performers internalize music so they can communicate more freely and authentically on stage.

The conversation also examines the unique challenges of performing music from cultures and dialects that may not be your own. Michael offers thoughtful perspectives on authenticity, respect, and the difference between cultural appreciation and appropriation.

Whether you're preparing your first recital or performing professionally, this episode is filled with practical advice for building stronger performances through intentional practice, cultural awareness, and meaningful storytelling.

Credits

Produced and Hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson and excertps from “Say Ladeo” written by Bobby McFerrin, Don Rosler, and Roger Treece, arranged by Roger Treece, and performed live (March 2024) by the Berklee Vocal Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Ned Rosenblatt.

Guest Bio

Michael Sean Harris graduated from Berklee College of Music in June 2000 with a dual major in music synthesis and contemporary writing and production. He has served as director of studies and dean for the School of Music at the Edna Manley College in Kingston, Jamaica. He earned a master's degree in music technology and innovation from Berklee College of Music’s Valencia campus and has worked as an academic consultant for the African Music Institute in Libreville, Gabon.

In February 2020, Harris launched his podcast, Mike’s Moment of..., which serves as a platform for documenting and sharing the stories of some of the well-known champions and unsung heroes of Jamaican culture. He recently published his first book, Mike’s Pocket Performance Pointers, aimed at improving the stagecraft of vocalists.

Harris is a primary consultant with Digicel Rising Stars, acting as a performance coach, and he can also be seen regularly on television as one of the resident judges on the High School Choir competition TVJ’s All Together Sing. He continues to work on his lifelong project Folkbeats and Blipspeak, an exploration of the fusion of Jamaican folk music with electronic beats and textures. His latest innovation is the online school Reggae On-Line, an online portal to courses on Jamaican culture. At Berklee, Harris teaches the Musical Theater New Works Development Ensemble, Vocal Improvisation, Vocal Technique for Non-Voice Principals, private lessons and many other courses.

Links from This Episode

Berklee College of Music: berklee.edu
Berklee Voice Department: college.berklee.edu/voice
Berklee Voice Instagram: instagram.com/berklee.voice/
Charlie Christenson: charliechristenson.com

Michael Sean Harris Website: michaelseanharris.com
Harris on Instagram: @aelsean / @reggaeonlineschool

Further Listening:

Mundo by Rubén Blades (Sony, 2002)
Up! by Shania Twain (Mercury, 2002)

In this episode of the Berklee VoiceCast, host Charlie Christenson is joined by vocalist and educator Rebecca Shrimpton for a thoughtful exploration of the mind-body-voice connection. Drawing from her work as both a jazz vocalist and classical mezzo soprano, Rebecca shares how physical awareness, emotional state, and mental focus all shape the way singers experience and produce sound.

The conversation centers on how singers can move beyond purely technical approaches to embrace a more integrated, holistic understanding of the voice. Rebecca discusses how her own artistic journey led her to this work, and how she brings these ideas into the studio through practical techniques that help students develop consistency, freedom, and expressive depth.

Together, they explore how this connection shifts across styles—from jazz improvisation to classical repertoire—and why developing body awareness is essential for sustainable, versatile singing. Rebecca also addresses common misconceptions students have about vocal control and offers accessible ways to begin exploring these ideas in daily practice.

Credits

Produced and Hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson

Guest Bio

Rebecca Shrimpton, acclaimed for her rare melding of a highly eclectic approach with a sumptuous and agile voice, is an assistant professor of voice at Berklee College of Music. She is a vocalist for Boston's 19-piece Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, with whom she has recorded eight CDs, including Why Do You Ride?, named to DownBeat Magazine's best of 2015 list. She also is a vocalist for OddSong, whose debut recording, Jailhouse Doc with Holes in Her Socks, was on Cadence Magazine's top 10 list for 2016. Shrimpton has performed with Norm Zocher's Electric Strings Band, the progressive rock band David Zoffer Differential, and was a guest artist with the ensemble Tapestry.

Shrimpton received international praise in 2005 for her solo CD, Madman's Moon. Her 2009 release, Requited, featured songs by best-selling novelist Anita Diamant (The Red Tent), pianist Bert Seager, and a brilliant band, featuring Rick DiMuzio (tenor saxophone), Jorge Roeder (bass), and Richie Barshay (drums).

Shrimpton, who composes and arranges for her jazz ensembles, recently expanded her writing to the theater. She has been music director for three productions by the Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe, composing original scores, including eight songs using Shakespeare's lyrics from The Tempest. Her current project is a musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

She has performed at Cornelia Street Cafe and Somethin' Jazz Club in New York, New York; Regattabar, House of Blues, Ryles Jazz Club, the Beehive, Jordan Hall, and Berklee Performance Center in Boston, Massachusetts; and the exquisite Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts. She also was featured on two PBS/NPR concert broadcasts and recordings, performing with singer/actor Theodore Bikel.

Shrimpton has taught voice for nearly 20 years, including at New England Conservatory Preparatory, Longy School of Music, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Links from This Episode

Berklee College of Music: berklee.edu
Berklee Voice Department: college.berklee.edu/voice
Berklee Voice Instagram: instagram.com/berklee.voice/
Charlie Christenson: charliechristenson.com

Rebecca Shrimpton Website: https://rebeccashrimpton.com
Social Media: Facebook | LinkedIn

Further Reading: We Are What We Listen To by Patricia Caicedo

In this episode of the Berklee VoiceCast, host Charlie Christenson sits down with vocalist, songwriter, and educator David Thorne Scott for a deep dive into the art of musical prosody—the subtle but powerful relationship between lyrics, melody, and meaning.

Together, they explore how great singers and songwriters align the natural rhythms of speech with musical phrasing to create performances that feel authentic, conversational, and emotionally resonant. From interpreting existing repertoire to crafting original songs, David shares practical strategies for making musical choices that serve the text and connect more directly with listeners.

The conversation highlights how strong prosody can transform a performance from technically accurate to genuinely expressive, and why marrying the singing voice to the speaking voice is key to compelling storytelling. Drawing on examples from artists like Mel Tormé and Carmen McRae, this episode offers insight into both the craft and artistry behind meaningful vocal performance.

Whether you're a singer, songwriter, or educator, this episode provides actionable ideas and listening strategies to help you bring more intention, clarity, and emotional impact to your music-making.

00:00 Intro
01:22 What is Prosody?
07:16 Fixing the Composer’s Mistakes
08:25 Writing with Prosody in Mind
14:09 Exercises for Developing Prosody (Jazz Ballads & Rubato)
14:50 Recommendations and Final Thoughts

Credits
Produced and Hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by David Thorne Scott, “Lunar Landing,” and Charlie Christenson

Guest Bio
David Thorne Scott is a singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who performs in jazz, pop, and classical styles. He is also a composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher. He often accompanies himself on piano and electric bass.

Cadence Magazine said, "He phrases like a saxophone player and is as slippery and hip as the young Mel Tormé," and Herb Wong wrote, "I haven’t been this moved by a performance of 'For All We Know' since Carmen McRae."

His most recent album is “Thornewood,” featuring Grammy winners Paula Cole and Sara Caswell. His current project is a new musical, “Animal Spirits,” which explores the life and work of economist John Maynard Keynes. He teaches Survey of Vocal Styles, among many other things, at Berklee College of Music.

Links from This Episode
David Thorne Scott Website: davidthornescott.com
David Thorne Scott on Spotify and Instagram

Berklee College of Music: berklee.edu
Berklee Voice Department: college.berklee.edu/voice
Berklee Voice Instagram: instagram.com/berklee.voice/
Charlie Christenson: charliechristenson.com

Carmen McRae on Jazz Casual (1962): YouTube Link

Songwriting Resource: Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison (Berklee Press, 2010)

The Berklee VoiceCast is your all-access backstage pass to the vibrant, ever-evolving world of the Berklee College of Music Voice Department. Hosted by Charlie Christenson, the podcast features thoughtful conversations with faculty, guest artists, and students exploring vocal pedagogy, performance, creativity, and the many paths singers take in today’s music industry. With nearly 1,800 voice students studying each semester with close to 100 faculty on Berklee’s Boston campus, the show offers a behind-the-scenes look at a dynamic community of artists and educators shaping the future of singing across jazz, classical, and contemporary music.

00:00 Sound Check
00:09 Introducing the Berklee VoiceCast
00:50 Hosted by Charlie Christenson
01:40 Excerpts from Future Episodes
02:12 Coda

Credits

Produced and Hosted by Charlie Christenson
Music by Charlie Christenson and Aubrey Johnson, “Exercise 1”
Excerpts of Future Episodes with David Thorne Scott, Rebecca Shrimpton, and Michael Sean Harris

Links from This Episode

Berklee College of Music: berklee.edu
Berklee Voice Department: college.berklee.edu/voice
Berklee Voice Instagram: instagram.com/berklee.voice
Charlie Christenson: charliechristenson.com