Summary
CJ Greer joined the Music and Musical Theatre faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno to develop and implement a new BA Musical Theatre degree program. An active performer as well, CJ recently completed touring with the Broadway National Tour of Stephen Sondheim’s Company.
Greer found her passion in vocal performance and instruction. She possesses both an MFA and MM in musical theatre and classical performance and pedagogy from Penn State University and a BME (instrumental and choral education) from the University of Illinois/Champaign-Urbana. She has performed around the world, from theme parks to Broadway to Carnegie Hall. She is a singer, actor, teacher, and conductor with an undying love for storytelling through music. She has received national acclaim for her a cappella vocal arrangements and has arranged and developed revue shows for cruise ships and cabaret shows, including her own one-woman cabaret/concert show - Lost and Unknown Tunes of Kander & Ebb.
CJ frequently presents at regional, national and international conferences (NATS, MTEA, Nuova Vocal Arts/Canada, Trentino Music Festival/Italy). Her research interests explore where singing and science can heal - fusing a dance-based tension-releasing method Open Source Forms (OSF) with singing and incorporating meditation techniques addressing the nervous system with vocal and performance training of all genres, or incorporating theatrical intimacy principles into the voice studio – “HOW” – Bringing ‘Hands-On Work’ into the Vocal Studio.” Greer’s article “Finding Grace – A Singing Teacher's Journey with Her First Transgender Student” (available upon request) was published through Routledge’s Voice and Speech Journal and was recently selected as a chapter in a book published through Routledge, Voice Identity.
Pedagogically, CJ strives to redefine vocal performance expectations by passionately teaching singers awareness of their body (OSF, Laban), breath (Fitzmaurice), and speaking voice (Berry, Rodenburg, Lessac) in order to more fully connect with material in auditions and on the stage. She maintains a private studio offering lessons and workshops, in person or Zoom, on various topics relating to music theatre voice pedagogy, vocal technique and performance, auditions, progressive repertoire selection, etc. She is a frequent guest instructor at universities and regularly serves as a mentor for voice teacher peers exploring the differences between musical theatre and classical voice pedagogy.
Greer has been an invited guest for the nationally recognized podcast, The Visceral Voice with Christine Schneider, as an expert in vocal cross-training, and again as a panelist for Broadway singers and teachers addressing vocal injuries. Greer has been highlighted in Classical Singer Magazine in various articles, From Mamma Mia! To Mozart - as a flourishing cross-training performer, and in Christy Turnbow’s “Crossover Corner” comparing Musical Theatre and Operatic performance and preparation requirements; “Acting for the Singer: Opera vs. Musical Theatre, Volume 1 – Before Rehearsals Begin”, and “Volume 2 – Rehearsals and Performances”. She recently penned with a 6-series column about life on the road as a touring performer (Keeping Company on the Road).
In performance, she has been described as “warm, lovely, powerful, emotional,” and “her beautiful voice makes her big numbers…worth the ticket price alone.” CJ performs regularly with the Bonita Springs and Naples Concert Bands in Naples, FL and was a recent guest of the Shoals Symphony Orchestra and Reno Philharmonic on their Holiday Pops concerts. Internationally, she spent a year in Japan performing in both English and Japanese. Broadway/National Tour credits: Company, Sister Act, Les Misérables, The Producers, Ragtime, I Love A Piano, The Buddy Holly Story; Opera: La Bohème (Mimi), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina), Die Zauberflöte (First Lady); Regional Credits: Mamma Mia (Donna/Casa Mañana), Annie* (Grace Farrell/Olney), Chess (Florence/NC Raleigh), Camelot* (Nimue/Olney), Grease (Rizzo/Casa Mañana), The Happy Time* (Laurie Manon/Signature Theatre), Saving Aimee / Scandalous (Signature Theatre), Crazy For You (Arvada), She Loves Me (Ilona Ritter), The Addams Family (Morticia), Into the Woods (Witch, Baker’s Wife), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), West Side Story (Maria), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza), The Secret Garden (Lily, Martha), and more. *Helen Hayes Nominee
CJ is a member of the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA), the New York Singing Teachers Association (NYSTA), the Voice and Speech Teachers Association (VASTA), and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
Education
- MFA, Penn State, 2016
- M.M., Penn State, 2016
Professional certifications
- OSF Teacher Certification, 2022