Michelle
Jacobeen is a gifted and versatile mezzo-soprano who received a Bachelor's
in Music with a Major in Musical Theater and a Minor in Vocal Performance from
The Catholic University of America, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. She has
studied voice and acting with Carol
Schuster Yunkunis, Jane Pesci-Townsend and Thomas Pedersen. Strong classical
vocal technique has allowed Michelle to develop her large vocal
range and the ability to sing in a variety of styles. She has
also attended the London Dramatic Academy
in an intensive acting program and trained with some of the most respected
performers, directors, and choreographers in London. Some of her training
includes private acting tutorials, Stanislavski acting technique, Shakespeare
performance and analysis, Alexander technique, stage combat (certified),
unarmed combat, speech, voice, foreign dialects, physical theater, movement, acrobatics,
and historical dance. Michelle has also had master classes with famed
performers such as Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, and Brian Stokes
Mitchell.
She currently teaches voice and acting
lessons from her studio in Alexandria,
Virginia. Michelle enjoys working with
all levels of experience and finds great joy in helping others improve their
talents. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing
(NATS). In addition to private coaching and instruction, Michelle has
taught in several area programs. At the John
Robert Powers
Acting & Modeling School (JRP) in Baltimore,
MD, she taught acting and
auditioning classes to students of all ages and private monologue coaching. In
addition, she was an instructor for Creative Kids, an interactive drama
learning program through Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD.
Michelle taught groups of young students and directed different children's
plays each week, helping them bring the stories to life.
Michelle has experience performing
in a wide variety of settings. She has been a soloist for various
choirs and churches, jazz bands, weddings, and funerals. Michelle
has extensive a cappella experience as a group leader, singer, and arranger.
She has also performed in many area musicals and operas including Damn
Yankees (Meg), Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), Me and My Girl (Lady Jacqueline),
Jesus Christ Superstar (Veronica), The Secret Garden (Mrs. Winthrop),
Bernstein’s Mass (Kennedy Center Opera House), and Waging Peace: Souvenirs
(Soloist, Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center). Michelle also performs with "Voice, Wind, and Lyre", a vocal, flute and harp trio.
In her spare time, Michelle enjoys boating,
wake boarding, playing volleyball, and spending time with her husband.