DOREEN VAN BREE
Born in Holland, Doreen studied classical piano and organ from a very early age, making her debut perfomance at the tender age of ten, playing Clemente's Sonata.
At the age of twelve, Doreen migrated to Austalia with her family, quickly becoming interested in the popular music of the day. During her high school years in Sydney, Doreen performed in many musical stage productions and was organist at St Joseph's Church Edgecliffe. She later moved to Gosford, on the Central Coast just north of Sydney, where she studied singing and formed her own rock 'n' roll band, playing piano and singing.
In 1961, Doreen entered the Miss Australia Quest and was crowned Miss NSW Charity Queen. Around the same time, Doreen made her first appearance on Australian television, on the popular music show "Brian Henderson's Bandstand". Doreen would appear on the show several times, even co-hosting at one point.
Doreen became a professional singer, performing in various clubs in Sydney and on the Central Coast. She began taking on singing students and her abilities as a gifted singing teacher started to become known.
Doreen's love of travel saw her travel around Australia, eventually settling in the northern New South Wales town of Murwillumbah where she was invited to be Musical Director in David Johnstone's musical, "Ghengis", with a cast of over one hundred performers and a fourteen-piece orchestra, which Doreen conducted.
Doreen taught singing at the nearby Tweed Music Academy and in her private studio at Murwillumbah for ten years. She also gained a diploma in Psychology before moving to Brisbane where she taught for a further four years.
Doreen moved back to the Central Coast in 2006 to be closer to family, where she continues to enjoy teaching her vocal techniques to a growing number of students at all levels, both locally and internationally.
Doreen's one hour workshop is designed to introduce non-singers to the art of singing and to give experienced singers a chance to learn something new and enjoy a good vocal workout.
Doreen will be explaining the various parts of the instrument within, and has designed breathing, as well as singing, exercises to strengthen the support system. This is vital for voice improvement and will 'tune' the vocal instrument as a result.
All you need to bring is enthusiasm and the willingness to learn. There will be time for individual attention and a Q&A session at the end of the workshop. |
