MEET RAZ KENNEDY
In the realms of vocal performance and singing instruction, Raz Kennedy has created a legacy for over 40 years that rivals the music industry’s finest. Acknowledged as “the premiere vocal coach in the Bay Area” by Narada Michael Walden (multi-platinum Grammy and Emmy winning producer and musician), Raz Kennedy is a veteran music educator, producer, and vocalist devoted to the pursuit of excellence. His eclectic performance credits include serving as a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra and performing as a background vocalist on recordings for many legendary artists, including Whitney Houston, Al Jarreau, and Kenny Loggins, as well as on stage for Sting, Rebeca Mauleon and Mickey Hart. As an accomplished vocal coach and producer with numerous Gold and Platinum records to his credit, Raz Kennedy has gained the rich experience of working well with thousands of singers.
Considered a maverick in the field of voice, Raz Kennedy is resolute in his quest to master a profound range of singing methodologies. Through advanced study with distinguished vocal coaches, such as Seth Riggs and Jane Sharp, traveling through Latin America to perfect his command of rhythm, and his most recent pursuit, obtaining a teaching certificate from Denmark’s famed Complete Vocal Institute, Kennedy’s command of vocal mechanics is sublime. This depth of knowledge and expertise has positioned Raz to instruct a culturally diverse roster of musical luminaries, from members of Metallica, to Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind, Hilary Duff, Davey Havok of AFI, members of Los Tigres Del Norte, the late Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and many more.
Raz Kennedy places sincere emphasis on developing the next generation of talent, making his methods for vocal success available to all singers. In addition to his thriving private practice, Raz is an active faculty member at Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco, one of the Bay Area’s most prestigious music study institutes. Throughout his career, Raz has served as a guest instructor at SF Jazz, Jazz Camp West, Stanford Jazz, GRAMMY in the Schools, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, West Coast Songwriters, Ruth Asawa San Francisco School for the Arts, and various music education programs in Latin America and Europe. On July 19th of 2016, The City of Berkeley formally proclaimed the date to be “Raz Kennedy Day”, in recognition of his decades of artistic excellence, community service, and social activism. Above all, Raz Kennedy’s mission is to advocate for and assist anyone who desires to experience the liberating power that can be attained through singing as artistic expression.
