Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Slawson.
Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am born and raised in STL and very proud to have returned after being away for many years.
I’m the daughter of an opera singer and vocal coach, so I can’t remember a time in my life that wasn’t centered around music. To walk in my mom’s footsteps and live a life that honors her legacy while also forging my own is something I do not take for granted. She is a huge part of my story and I wouldn’t be the singer and educator I am today without her.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, a life in the performing arts is anything but smooth. Ha!
To be honest, a life in the arts can be brutal. It can be beautiful. And most of the time, it’s everything in between. Nothing is predictable, and yet you have to train your body, your voice, and your mind like you know exactly what’s coming. That’s exhausting work at times.
But the thrill of being onstage is indescribable. The joys of working with fellow singers and helping them explore the many facets of their voice is the honor of a lifetime. A great coaching session where the singing and storytelling just flows in an intimate environment between you and your coach is a gift. All of this makes the madness more than worth it, at least for me. As I grow older, I am more and more committed to singing for myself first and foremost, because singing feels so good. The vibrations are healing. Why would I wait for someone to give me “permission” to do it? I’m grateful to have arrived at that thought.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kelly Slawson Voice Studio?
When I was a baby (literally), I would take naps under my mom’s beautiful grand piano while she taught voice lessons. By the time I was 6, I was telling my mom what I observed in a singer’s singing, and correctly diagnosing what I heard in their sound. (I vividly remember the day she said “Shhhh! You cannot say those things in front of them, Kelly.” — oops.)
So the ear and intuition I have regarding the human voice has literally culminated from almost four decades of experience.
In college, a few of my fellow voice majors began paying me to work with them in addition to the voice lessons they were enrolled in at the University. I learned so much from teaching them and looking back, it’s still so wild they wanted to learn from me. Then again, I inherited my mom’s ear and her knack for explaining complicated things in a way that makes sense, and if a singer doesn’t feel they are getting that from their “formal” voice lesson, it absolutely makes sense to seek it out elsewhere. Of course the University did not know…
Years and years later, my voice studio has grown immensely, through no paid advertisement or real social media presence. The growth is 100% attributed to word of mouth through the results singers experience from our work together. I’m incredibly proud of that. And thanks to the internet, I’m able to work with singers all over the world! China, Japan, the UK, the Mediterranean, and of course the US and Canada. I’m lucky to work with many professional performers while still maintaining a small number of singing “enthusiasts” — I love that my work includes singers from different backgrounds and levels of experience.
The word “lucky” keeps coming to mind as I write this and I realize I really do feel very, very lucky.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
After an almost 7 year hiatus from the operatic stage, I made the wild decision to throw my hat in the ring and jump back into the field. That was definitely a risk — and an expensive one at that — but I didn’t want to look back years from now and have regrets.
The risk ended up paying off!
I booked the first audition I went in for.
And please know, that is NOT normal.
The odds of that happening after being away for so long are so, so miniscule.
But it happened and I still remember the feeling of seeing that email offer. It was surreal.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.kellyslawson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyslawsonsoprano
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kellysmithslawsonsoprano357?si=iWFlmxclksJmruV3
