Prof. Edrie Means Weekly

Edrie Means Weekly, "rock star of vocal crossover” (The Cultural Feed), is an internationally recognized expert in training singers in all vocal styles and an active professional singer. She is an adjunct associate professor of voice/voice pedagogy and Co-Founder of the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory. She is a reviewer for the Journal of Voice, Plural Publishing, Inc. and currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the Voice Foundation, National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Musical Theatre Competition, National Association of Teachers of Singing National Student Auditions, the Pan-American Vocology Association and the Musical Theatre Educator’s Association.

Edrie is the 2021 recipient of the Van Lawrence Fellowship Award. She was a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program in 2013. Edrie has presented numerous papers, countless workshops and master classes at national and international conferences. She regularly presents at the Voice Foundation Symposium, NATS National Conference, Pan-American Vocology Association, the Southeastern Theatre Conference, NATS chapters, and universities throughout the United States. As a leading researcher in functional voice training and healthy vocal production, she has authored research publications in The Journal of Voice and The Journal of Singing regarding the teaching of the Broadway voice, vocal health and singing in multiple styles. Edrie’s first publication in the The Journal of Voice (2003), led to establishing the Shenandoah University’s CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute. She is a contributing author for books including “Teaching Singing in the 21st Century” by Scott D. Harrison and Jessica O'Bryan, “The Vocal Athlete” (second and third edition) by Dr. Wendy LeBorgne and Marci Rosenberg, “The Voice Teacher’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for Teachers of Singing” by Brian Winnie and “Training Contemporary Commercial Singers” by Dr. Elizabeth Benson.

Current and former students have performed on Grammy Award recordings, The Voice, American Idol, Kidz Star USA, Broadway, Off –Broadway, National and International Tours, regional theatre, national television, recordings, cruise ships, theme parks, films, NYC and regional cabaret venues, Army chorus, Sea Chanters, Singing Sergeants, concert halls and Opera Houses worldwide.

As a performer with the ability to sing multiple styles, Edrie sings professionally in both musical theatre and opera. International Pedagogue and Operatic Tenor Richard Miller stated “Edrie is the one person I have heard who nicely sings in and out of each style effortlessly!” Edrie has sung extensively in leading roles of musical and operetta production, including Follies, My Fair Lady, Carousel, The King and I, West Side Story, Show Boat, The Sound of Music, The Merry Widow and Zorba. Edrie was standby for Patti LuPone in the title role of Regina at the Kennedy Center. Edrie was standby/swing for Broadway stars Linda Lavin, Elaine Paige, Rosiland Elias, Terri White, and Florence Lacey in the Kennedy Center’s revival of Sondheim’s Follies starring Bernadette Peters. Edrie returned to the Kennedy Center for the Gala production of My Fair Lady starring Jonathan Pryce and Cloris Leachman.

After hearing Edrie sing, Film/Broadway/TV stars Angela Lansbury and Celeste Holm stated "Edrie not only has a beautiful voice, but was very expressive and sensitive with the text." "What a Beautiful voice and Expressive singing - that's the way songs need to be sung. Songs need to tell a story and Edrie told the story!" respectively.

In addition to her musical theatre roles, Edrie has originated roles in world premieres of operas and works by Philip Glass, Dominick Argento, Jacob Druckman. Composer Stewart Wallace and lyricist Michael Korie wrote the role of Binah in the chamber opera “Kaballah” with her in mind. A CD recording was made with Koch Records. NPR broadcasts included many operas performed at Houston Grand Opera, Dominick Argento’s “The Dream of Valentino” (created the role of Jean Aker) and a PBS broadcast Philip Glass’ “The Making of The Representative of Planet 8”, (created the role of Klin). Nationally and internationally, she has appeared in leading roles with the Houston Grand Opera, Washington Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Cleveland Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Mid-Michigan, Opera Grand Rapids, Pittsburgh Playhouse, and the State Opera of Cairo, Egypt. Recitals in the United States and Canada include a New York City debut in the New York Festival of Songs Series with pianist Michael Barrett and Guest artist with symphony orchestras of Houston, Cleveland, Corpus Christi, Victoria, and the National Symphony. She was last seen nationally and internationally on PBS in the opera La Rondine, directed by Marta Domingo, which was released in 2009 on DVD by Decca. Her many performances have been broadcast internationally on NPR and PBS.

Edrie is a proud member of AGMA and AEA. Interesting fact; Edrie is the biological daughter of The King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin.