{"id":352,"date":"2020-04-10T19:55:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T19:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/?page_id=352"},"modified":"2025-01-27T22:13:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T22:13:38","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/?page_id=352","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Returning in May 2019 from sailing around the world with her family and teaching music in remote destinations (RIGNEYSKANDU.COM<\/a>), Dr. Rigney opened her private Calabasas music studio teaching voice and beginning to intermediate piano<\/strong>. Recently moving back to West Los Angeles, Dr. Rigney re-opened her Westchester studio in 2024.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Rigney has been teaching voice privately for 25+ years – beginning, intermediate and advanced students. Her music studio also includes teaching beginning and intermediate piano. She is a member of the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) and the National Association of Teachers of Singers (NATS). In 2023, Dr. Rigney was Chaparral Elementary School’s Music Teacher. By the City of Calabasas she was recognized for her “extraordinary achievements and contributions to the Chaparral Elementary School Choir group, the “Cubpellas”.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous to the RigneysKandu circumnavigation, in addition to her private students, Dr. Rigney taught young singers from the NATIONAL CHILDREN\u2019S CHORUS<\/a> during the 2012-2013 season, taught and directed the GOETHE INTL CHARTER SCHOOL Choir for 2 years and while living in the Marquesas for a year, taught students voice from the COLLEGE DE TAIOHAE Club Muzic<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Leslie Dennis Rigney holds a Ph\u2019d in Music from UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, a Master\u2019s in Music from CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE, and a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature and Economics from UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES. She sang 12 years for LOS ANGELES OPERA<\/a> and regularly sings often for the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living. She is a current member of the professional group: ARETE VOCAL ENSEMBLE<\/a> of Thousand Oaks and plays violin with SANTA MONICA COLLEGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA<\/a>. Her recording credits include Job\u2019s Wife on the 2009 world premiere recording of Job\u2019s Truth<\/em> <\/a>by Darius Holbert and Quinn\u2019s new age album, The Solemn Vow <\/a><\/em>available on amazon.com.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During her tenure at UCLA, she studied voice with Distinguished Professor Juliana Gondek<\/a>, Michael Dean<\/a> & Vladimir Chernov<\/a>. Dr. Rigney served as Vocal Department Teaching Assistant where she privately taught voice to UCLA Music Education Students. She created and taught the course: \u201cBeginning Voice for Non-Music Majors,\u201d first of its kind offered at UCLA. Currently in use, she also created \u201cThe Beginning Voice Teacher\u2019s Handbook\u201d for future voice TA\u2019s. Her performance record at UCLA includes singing Feu, Princess et Rossignol in Ravel\u2019s L\u2019Enfant et Les Sortileges<\/em>, and 3 recitals in which her \u201cViva la France\u201d entrepreneurial recital in combination with LA VALLEY COLLEGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA made the most money up to that time for a doctoral UCLA recital. She delivered an innovative multi-visual concert performance of Colombine in Song<\/em> at UCLA\u2019s Popper Theater debuting Daniel Lincoln\u2019s composition: \u201cCoquette \u2013 The Confessions of a Modern-Day Colombine.\u201d<\/em> Her publication, The Significance of the Soubrette,<\/a><\/em> stemming from her dissertation on the history of the soubrette voice and character type including best practical performance notes for Soubrette roles, is now available on amazon.com: ISBN-10: 3838333063.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In LOS ANGELES OPERA\u2019s production of Il Trittico<\/em>, she sang the comprimario role of 3rd<\/sup> Sister from Suor Angelica<\/em>, 1st<\/sup> Noble Page <\/em>in Tannh\u00e4user<\/em>, <\/em>and in Le Nozze di Figaro<\/em> she sang the soprano role of the Bridesmaid Duet. Dr. Rigney has performed with the LOS ANGELES OPERA Chorus in more than 30 productions including Don Giovanni, Nabucco<\/em>, Bach\u2019s B Minor Mass, Turandot, Tosca, Peter Grimes, Il Trovatore, La Boh\u00e8me, La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein, Grendel,<\/em> Don Carlo, Tannh\u00e4user, Otello, Nozze di Figaro, Suor Angelica, Verdi Requiem, Don Giovanni<\/em>, Jenufa<\/em>, The Fly, G\u00f6tted\u00e4mmerung, Die Gezeichneten, Lohengrin, Il Turco in Italia<\/em>, L\u2019Allegro<\/em>, Eugine Onegin, Romeo et Juliette, Simon Boccanegra, I due Foscari, <\/em>and Flying Dutchman.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Rigney, a NY Metropolitan Opera Regional Finalist, has sung lead roles with numerous California opera companies and orchestras garnering rave reviews. She has performed many times with longstanding LA regional REPERTORY OPERA COMPANY,<\/a> most notably as Violetta in two productions of La Traviata<\/em>. Other ROC roles include, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, <\/em>Adina in Elixir of Love, and <\/em>Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing her performance in Los Angeles\u2019 INTIMATE OPERA COMPANY\u2019s version of Cosi fan tutte<\/em>, the Ventura County Star<\/em> wrote, \u201cVery personable and accomplished as the saucy Despina.\u201d In reprising that role for Capitola\u2019s BAY SHORE LYRIC OPERA<\/a>, the Metro Santa Cruz<\/em> wrote, \u201cDennis skillfully exaggerated her assigned role into an appealing character and delivered the best vocal display of the entire cast.\u201d Singing for LYRIC OPERA OF LOS ANGELES\u2019s L\u2019Elisir d\u2019amore,<\/em> she performed as Adina and as Konstanze in Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail<\/em> where the Beverly Hills Outlook wrote \u201cShe portrayed Konstanze as a tragic figure. The coloratura passages and lyrical lines showed Dennis\u2019 warm agile voice to its best advantage.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner of PASADENA OPERA GUILD\u2019s Vocal Achievement Award, Dr. Rigney has been intimately involved with several operatic outreach programs. As part of ORANGE COUNTY OPERA<\/a>\u2019s outreach program, she became their Spotlight Artist enthusing child audiences as Marie <\/em>in Daughter of the Regiment.<\/em> With her success as Gretel<\/em> in THE GUILD OPERA OF LOS ANGELES<\/a>\u2019 Hansel and Gretel<\/em>, The Guild asked Leslie to return as \u2018Little Red Riding Hood\u2019 <\/em>in their outreach production of Little Red Riding Hood<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other companies she has sung principal roles with include San Francisco\u2019s POCKET OPERA<\/a> as Diana in Orpheus and the Underworld<\/em>, Modesto\u2019s TOWNSEND OPERA<\/a> in The<\/em> Merry Widow <\/em>as Sonia, and as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro<\/em>.  She has also performed <\/em>with Palm Desert\u2019s WEST COAST OPERA THEATER in Hansel and Gretel,<\/em> as Gretel; <\/em>with SOUTH BAY LIGHT OPERA in HMS Pinafore,<\/em> as Josephine,<\/em>and with SANTA MONICA OPERA THEATER in The Crucible, <\/em>as Mary Warren<\/em>.  She reprised the role of Nathalie<\/em> in The Merry Widow<\/em> with THE PALISADES SYMPHONY<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opera, Dr. Dennis-Rigney has appeared as a featured artist several times with THE ST. MATTHEW\u2019S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA<\/a>. She has soloed with THE ANGELES CHORALE, with Lin White\u2019s LOS ANGELES MUSIC THEATER COMPANY, CAMERATA OF LOS ANGELES, with Anne Marie Ketchum\u2019s VERDI CHORUS<\/a>, THE PALISADES SYMPHONY, MYSTERY EVENT THEATRE OF LOS ANGELES and THE LOS ANGELES CHAMBER SINGERS<\/a>.  She sang Mozart\u2019s Requiem<\/em> with THE CALIFORNIA DESERT CHORALE and was invited back to sing Handel\u2019s Messiah<\/em>. Dr. Dennis Rigney was featured regularly in Palm Desert with Derrick Lewis\u2019 popular MUSICAL CHAIRS singing highlights from musicals such as Westside Story, Candide, Sweeney Todd<\/em> and Phantom of the Opera<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Returning in May 2019 from sailing around the world with her family and teaching music in remote destinations (RIGNEYSKANDU.COM), Dr. Rigney opened her private Calabasas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-352","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":544,"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352\/revisions\/544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesliedennisrigney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}