KATIE BULL vocal coach
917-754-2990
trained with the late Chuck Jones from 1979-1983 at SUNY Purchase, and then continued a relationship of training, interning, and co-teaching with Chuck after she graduated. Katie co-taught with Chuck at the Michael Howard studio and the CayMichael Patten studio, and often subbed for his classes. During this time she was also influenced by studies with vocal production coach Patsy Rodenberg, and neuromuscular trainer Irene Dowd. At Chuck’s urging when he went into retirement, Katie initiated her own classes which she has conducted since 1995. Katie has continued to expand her approach to voice, evolving with explorations in contact improvisation, Feldenkrais, Laban, and most recently Katie is a candidate for Certification as an Associate of Fitzmaurice Voicework
In Universities, she taught in the graduate program at Brooklyn College, and the Playwright’s Horizon Studio at NYU/TISH, and has been teaching advanced vocal production at the Atlantic Studio at NYU/TISH since 1999, where she has been the Head of Vocal Production since 2004. Privately she has coached numerous professional actors in film, television, and theater, most notably Felicity Huffman in her Golden Globe award winning (Oscar nominated) performance for TransAmerica, and Ms. Huffman’s film Phoebe in Wonderland; Eden Regal in her Emmy Winning season of All My Children; Mime artist David Shiner, as the Cat-In-the-Hat in Seussical; and Jonathan Cake in his critically acclaimed role as Coriolanus at the Old Globe in London. In 2010 Katie coached Bill Irwin in Waiting for Godot, on Broadway, hired by the Roundabout Theater producers of Godot to coach Mr. Irwin in the role of Vladamir. Also in 2010 Katie coached James Spader for his role on Broadway in RACE (Mamet), and Kerry Washington in that same production. Katie has coached numerous actors from the Atlantic Theater Company core ensemble in their ATC mainstage productions including Mary McCann (Spring Awakening), Jonathan Clem (Body Awareness) and Maggie Kiley (Scarcity). In 2011 Katie coached all the Atlantic Studio NYU Tish productions (which she has done since 2004); directed/vocal coached a Stageworks (Tish) Mainstage Cabaret at Joe’s Pub/My Sweet Edible You; coached Badley Fleisher in the Broadway production of Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo, and coached Eva Longoria, for film. In 2008 Katie initiated Whole Body Voice, a coaching team of voice and body workers in New York City.
Katie is a ’83 graduate of SUNY Purchase Theater Arts Conservatory (BFA) where she first met her mentor, Chuck Jones. She has not pursued an advanced degree, as she has been working in the voice, theater, and music field, since graduation. (This year she plans to apply to Naropa, as on-line study makes a Masters for a working professional a reality; Katie is aiming for a Masters in writing.) In addition to her professional work as a vocal production coach for the speaking voice, Katie is also a critically acclaimed jazz singer, composer (BMI), and recording artist with four CD’s on Corn Hill Indie released since 2003 having made the Jazz Improv, and Jazz Times Top 50 Indie Pick List; CMJ Top 10 Radio Charting, and AAJ-NY Honorable Mention (best albums) 2008 for The Story, So Far. Story (a CD/DVD dual release), and for that project Katie conceived, directed, and co-edited a short SAG jazz film with her vocal production students. In 2011 Katie signed with the Innova Label,. Innova just released Katie’s most recent album of original compositions, Freak Miracle. The label has submitted the album for a grammy nomination. “Bull is a vocalist steeped in tradition who fearlessly rocks the boundaries of the known.” Florence Wetzel, AllAboutJazz.com August 2011 CD Review.
Katie is also the Artistic Director of The Bull Family Orchestra since 1989, an inter-arts theater company, and has directed numerous productions that she wrote for BFO. She is a Co-Artistic Director of the Improvisational Arts Ensembles, Inc. a non-profit producing oranization for improvisational arts in New York City. As a playwright, Katie was published in 2005 in the NYTE Best Plays of 2005 (for The 29 Questions Project); in 2006 as part of the Best Women’s Monologues edition by J.L. Lapidus, and in 2007 by Applause Books in Best Womens Monologues of the New Millenium. Her jazz article on improvisation and politics in The Megaphone was published in All About Jazz –NY (March 09), and an essay she wrote entitled “The Jazz Mandala Voyage” published by the German Press Buddy’s Knife, is part of an anthology Improvisors Speak and includes other major jazz improvisors who write; the book was released internationally in 2010. For other professional affiliations: Katie is a member of The Voice Foundation and offered two lectures/workshops at The Voice Foundation Symposiums in 2010 & 2011: “Voice >Gravity: the Self-coaching Partner”. &”The Character Voice Arrives from the Whole Body”. Katie also wrote the Preface to the Backstage Books re-printing of Chuck Jones book Make Your Voice Heard (Backtage Books).