About
Justin Montigne – voice teacher and countertenor – teaches workshops, classes, and private lessons in North Dakota and around the country. Dr. Montigne’s interest in the free and easy alignment of body and instrument led him to yoga, which helped revolutionize his singing and teaching. He received his bachelor’s degree in voice from Drake University, and his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota. Over twenty five years of solo and ensemble performance experience, as well as continuously directing and coaching choirs, have made Dr. Montigne a specialist in choral vocal technique. He hopes to share the embodiment and vocal tools he has developed with singers everywhere.
Dr. Montigne is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at University of North Dakota, and previously taught on the voice faculties of UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and Sonoma State University. In addition to teaching studio voice, he produced numerous recitals and staged concerts yearly with Vocal Repertory Class and Opera/Music Theatre Scenes, taught Vocal Methods and Musicianship, and stage directed the Opera and Music Theatre Production.
Dr. Montigne has presented SingAsana–yoga for singing–workshops for the San Francisco Conservatory, Seraphic Fire; Miami, FL; Studio Arsis, Tokyo, Japan; Sonoma County Bach Society–Sonoma State University; San Francisco Bay Area NATS Symposium; College of Marin; Chorus America Conferences in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.; Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR; and The Urban School, San Francisco, CA. He co-founded and co-directed the groundbreaking Bay Area Vocal Academy, throughout its highly successful four years training over 75 talented high schoolers in all the musical and pre-collegiate aspects of pursuing a career in solo singing. BAVA graduates have gone on to study voice at The Juilliard School, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, New York University, Vanderbilt University, University of Denver Lamont School of Music, Lawrence Conservatory, and many more.
Formerly the Director of Voice Studies for the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus, where he was responsible for overseeing the vocal development of all of its nearly 350 singers, supervised the voice faculty, and prepared soloists and small ensembles for San Francisco Opera, West Edge Opera, Opera Parallèle, and more, Dr. Montigne continues to specialize in individualized vocal training for youth and choral professionals, as well as dynamic vocal warmups for ensembles of all sizes and experience levels.
Throughout his twenty five years of teaching, Dr. Montigne's students have sung with Chanticleer, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Opera San Jose, Philharmonia Baroque, American Bach Soloists, Minnesota Opera, and New York City Opera. Former students are currently studying at the San Francisco Conservatory, NYU, Berklee College of Music, CCM, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, St. Olaf, Stanford, Northwestern, USC, and Oberlin, and Dr. Montigne's students are regularly accepted at top conservatories and universities in this country and abroad.
Dr. Montigne is an expressive countertenor fluent in many styles and time periods of music. He toured the world for three years as an alto with the Grammy Award winning “orchestra of voices,” Chanticleer, performing in venues from Carnegie Hall to Vienna’s Musikverein to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and appearing on several Chanticleer recordings. He as sung numerous alto and tenor solos in oratorios of Handel, Bach, Purcell, Mozart, and Haydn, as well as many contemporary choral works with the Des Moines Symphony, Exultate Orchestra and Chamber Chorus, Minnesota Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival, City Concert Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Girls Chorus, San Francisco Contemporary Players, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Seraphic Fire, EUOUAE, Conspirare and Volti.
Dr. Montigne was a founding member of the 9-voice Bay Area men’s ensemble, Clerestory, and was instrumental in curating thirty-six different concert programs over fourteen seasons, as well as appearing and co-producing Clerestory's two commercially-available recordings. He specializes in early music, but has premiered numerous contemporary works with orchestra and in recital, and enjoys programming French chansons, German lieder, and tunes from the the Great American Songbook alongside the works of Handel and Bach.
Body awareness, breath, and communication are central tenets of Dr. Montigne’s vocal pedagogy and his own singing. Learn more and contact Justin at justinmontigne.com.