Beth Rohde has had a wide-ranging career in music as a performer and educator. She began her professional career in Boston singing jazz and Brazilian music as a solo artist and with the band Beijo do Brasil. She moved back to her hometown of Minneapolis in 1993 and worked as a jingle singer for Radio Concepts and headed the vocal department at McNally Smith College of Music. She performed and recorded as Liz Forester during that time.
In 1994, her career went on hold after she was the victim of gun violence in Brazil. After a lengthy recovery she moved to Southern California in 1997 to complete her studies at USC with a full scholarship awarded by the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation. Since then, she has performed on 5 different continents as a solo artist, with Les Brown’s Band of Renown and most recently with Pretzel Logic.
In addition to her career as a performer, Beth is an experienced educator, arranger and music director. She has directed ensembles and taught at some of the nation’s leading institutions including the University of Southern California. She is the founder and music director at Coast Music and she also directs vocal groups Storeytime and m6. She has coached talented up-and-coming and established performers including Keke Palmer, Aikinishi-Jin, BoA and she has coached singers on TV shows such as Fix My Choir and American Idol.
MENTIONS:
- Beth on Instagram
- https://bethrohde.com/
- https://coastmusicrocks.com/
- https://calaprep.com/
- Beth’s mom’s book Divine Betrayal
SINGING LESSONS:
- A great musician can be a great musician, but they can’t always teach. They have to have a passion.
- Teaching is always a two way street. It’s a commitment on both sides. It’s got to be the teacher committed and the student committed, as well.
Thanks for listening!
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Special thanks to Beth for joining us this week!