Rising Stars: Meet Kathleen Riggs

I grew up in a musical family. My father Seth was a vocal coach and my mother Kathleen was an Opera singer. Together they had six kids. From very early on, I had a gift and a passion for singing. Both of my parents caught on quickly and started to develop my voice at the age of eight years old. I sang Pop/R&B with my father and classical/Musical Theatre with my mother.

Because I started training my voice so young, I had already cultivated a solid handle on the why and the how the vocal technique I learned worked so quickly and effectively. I could sing anything I wanted in my voice without my voice getting tired. This worked so well for me that I was eager to share it with other singers. I started training to teach at 15 years old.  At 17, my father sent me my first client and I haven’t stopped for the last 22 years. I absolutely love what I do, I sing what I teach and I find that to be able to make a difference in singers’ voices is why I’ve been able to have incredible success in my career.

The only obstacle I’ve had in my teaching career is starting so young. For example, my first client who was in his 50s thought he was seeing my mother as we share the same name. At first, he was caught off guard but as soon as we started to work, he could feel what I was talking about within minutes. He could feel the right vs the wrong way. From there, he took up taking lessons with me 2x a week for many years.

I teach a vocal technique that works for all genres of music. I am a vocal balancer. I teach a singer how to sing from their low notes (chest. voice) to their high notes (head voice) with a blended mixed voice responsible for making the sound connected and smooth from one register to the next. There is no tension, no yelling, no strain, no breaking. That is why I can teach anyone better vocal technique because I just make the notes all available.

What sets me apart as a singing teacher is that I am able to sing what I teach very well. I can give example after example of what exactly it is that I’m developing in the singer. I’m also very open and fun. I understand that the client needs a space that feels safe to be vulnerable. You want to be able to show your voice come apart and I help to put it back together.

I am proud of my ability to transform voices and have the client gain confidence where it didn’t exist before. I am proud my clients feel safe and able to express what’s in their hearts knowing they’ll be greeted with warmth and understanding.

I define success as being able to be of service to others and enjoy life. It’s to stay open-hearted and willing to keep learning and growing in my own personal world and creatively.