We recently connected with Cortney Costanzo and have shared our conversation below.
Cortney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I come from a family that sings “Happy Birthday” in three part harmony so singing has always been a part of my life. My mother and aunts took piano lessons starting at a young age and most of them didn’t enjoy it, but their mother wouldn’t let them quit. Because of my mother’s experience as a child she didn’t force me to learn piano. At the time, that was fine with me since I was a competitive dancer and had very little extra time. I didn’t realize how much singing would dominate so much of my creative outlet as an adult. Now in my mid-thirty’s I’m regretting not picking up an instrument sooner. As they say, it’s never too late! About 5 months ago I started acoustic guitar lessons. I wish I started 5 years ago but, better late than never.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a singer, dancer, actor and mathematics teacher from Buffalo, NY. My performing alias is Cortney Chyme, which is my middle name and my mothers first name. Growing up I was a trained dancer from Niagara Falls competing all around New York State and the country. Throughout High School and college I sang for various choirs but never thought to pursue anything as a solo artist. It wasn’t until one day, I was singing in the kitchen and the Country Club I worked at and the lead singer of the band that was performing at a wedding reception overheard me. It was like something out of a movie! He heard me singing, asked me if I was currently singing with anyone… to which I said no, and he said, “Great! I have a wedding who is requesting a female vocalist on New Years Eve, would you want to sing with my band.? From that point on I’ve met so many talented artists and have been lucky enough to have been provided countless opportunities that showcase my love of music. If you look at my website cortneychyme.com you’ll see it says, “Buffalo’s most versatile performer.” I pride myself in being able to adapt to any genre, style or group based on need. I’ve personally been nominated Best Female Jazz Vocalist for JazzBuffalo, Best Female Classic Rock Vocalist for the Nightlife Awards and the wedding band I sang in was nominated Best Wedding Band in Buffalo on Wedding Wire. In addition to singing with various entities I’m a live actor performer with a local character company. We embody the essence of various princesses and villains and make actual magic happen for children and adults alike. Teaching is on of my many passions and I love to share what I’ve learned from my performance opportunities to guide the next generation in their exploration of the arts. I am a performance coach for Matt’s Music Vocal Performance Team, a team of 24 aspiring singers ranging from 11-17 years of age. Me and the other coaches challenge our kids to take risks, make bold choices and explore various music genres so they have a versatile foundation to pull from. Though I do a lot with singing as a creative outlet, I still hold dance near and dear to my heart. I am a dance instructor a local dance studio teaching jazz and musical theater. I’m also part of Devi Bollywood Performing Arts, directed by Gaitrie Subryan, which is a dance group that pulls from the various dance forms from India to tell modern day stories. We recently performed “Find Your Beat” in June 2024 and are currently preparing the encore performances at various institutions around Western New York. Outside of all my creative outlets, my day job is being a Mathematics Teacher. I personally think teaching is like doing a 6 hour performance every day. My students often describe me as “the singing math teacher.” I always try to show them that you don’t have to give up on the artistic parts of your life, there are ways to merge the two together and create time and space for all parts of your life to exist.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I’m not sure it’s a mission or a goal but I enjoy the challenge of pushing myself to try new things. Regardless if I have experience with something or not, I always am pushing myself to say “Yes” to any opportunity that comes my way. This has led me to make some of my most treasured connections in Buffalo. If I never said yes I wouldn’t have joined a Bollywood dance company, studied trapeze arts, applied to be a character performer or even danced in front of 9,000 people!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
For years, one of my most treasured musical ventures was an all female group called GirlCrush. One of my closest friends, the ever talented Sara Rogers was my duet partner. We sang songs written by women or for women and it was our way to show that girls rule! She was a talented music therapist with a long list of clients that she helped grow, learn and heal. She was an actual angel on earth. Unfortunately, in 2022 she was struck by a car while riding her bike and passed away. Just like that hundreds of lives were changed, mine being one of them. There isn’t a day that I don’t think of her. Her patience and kindness will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life. It took me a long time to want to sing again after that and still and singing any song that we used to perform together tugs at my heartstrings. Love you Sara.
Contact Info:
- Website: cortneychyme.com
- Instagram: @cortneychyme
- Facebook: facebook.com/cortneychyme
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cccdancer44
- Other: Midnight Recovery Band: http://www.southerntierpromotions.com/midnight-recovery.html Matt’s Music Vocal Performance Team: https://www.mattsmusicinc.com/vocal-performance Devi Bollywood Performing Arts: https://devibollywooddance.com/
Image Credits
All images are by Paul Fanara from Living In The Buff Art Media