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Rocio Guitard

Whether belting out lyrics like a powerhouse or interpreting sensitive ballads, Rocio Guitard is a superb singer. Her latest CD, JazzDance, is a revelation for she reinvents standards in surprising ways, and shows that jazz can be both creative and accessible, danceable yet quite unpredictable.

Born in Germany and raised in Spain, Rocio remembers hearing Beatles songs in her parents’ car. She learned virtually every Beatles song by heart, sang along and, when she was bored with that, she harmonized. Rocio started playing the recorder when she was three, moved on to other instruments when she was six, and at eight began studying piano and music theory at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid, graduating when she was 13. She taught herself to play guitar at 15 and began writing songs of her own.

Rocio played piano in her high school band when she was 14. “The band had a singer who couldn’t read music and he had to learn a new song. I agreed to sight read it for him, and at that moment the bandleader walked in and heard me sing. He thought that I should do the song instead, and I have been singing ever since.” When she moved to Germany to attend college (earning a Masters Degree in Mathematics from the Ludwig Maximilian University), she started singing in professional a-cappella groups and choirs. Soon Rocio was singing lead and solos. “By the time I graduated college, I was making a living singing, so I decided to turn my passion into my profession. Unfortunately there was not enough exposure, enough genres, enough musicians, or enough everything in Munich. I decided to sell everything that I owned and come over to the United States, arriving in the San Francisco Bay area in 1998 with two suitcases and a phone number for a voice coach.”

Rocio opened a teaching studio soon after her arrival and became a widely respected vocal coach. “Some teachers had given me some bad habits and then there were others who gave me a lot of good habits. One way for me to give back to the singing community, especially the younger generation, was to compile the things that work. I am a working performer. I do voiceover work, I teach 4-6 hours a day, and then I go out and perform or record. I use my voice constantly yet I never lose my voice, so what I am doing is healthy.” Rocio is an international lecturer and is involved in seminars, workshops and private lessons. She visits Central Europe twice a year and has worked with hundreds of singers for the Jazz Academy in Graz, Austria, the Green Voice Institute in Munich, the Theater Academy of Krakow, Poland and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in San Francisco. “I work with beginners as well as seasoned and touring veterans from all genres. I teach them to sing in all ranges with power and no effort. The reward that I get is seeing a student’s face light up when they realize that high notes are a breeze to sing if you just know how.”

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“Few other singers could put on such a display so successfully. (…) Throughout JazzDance, Rocio Guitard shows that she is quite a powerhouse, one who has a wide range, a beautiful voice, and the intuitive ability to be a major jazz singer. This set is highly recommended.” Scott Yanow, author of ten books including The Jazz Singers, Swing, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76

“Rocio Guitard is an extremely creative and exciting vocalist on the jazz scene today. Her innovative arrangements and wide spectrum of expression stand heads above the army of typical jazz interpreters. Listen to her.” Jeffrey Wood, Fantasy Studios

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Primary Instrument

Vocals

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

See http://www.rgvocalstudio.com for detailed information.

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

JazzDance

Self Produced
2011

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Just Because

From: JazzDance
By Rocio Guitard

Videos

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