We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Michelle Latour recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Michelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

A little over a year ago, one of my avocational adult voice students, Katy, and I launched the Rehart Gesner Fund. This is a scholarship fund for private voice lessons for Las Vegas public school music teachers. Our mission is to provide assistance to music teachers who would like to explore their own voices, but have not been able to manage the cost of lessons.

At its conception, the Rehart Gesner Fund was born from a place of inspiration. Inspired by the similar relationships we had with our grandmothers, we decided to name our cause after them.

Ruth Rehart, my grandmother, was always there to encourage me in my musical endeavors. We shared a love of fashion and baking chocolate chip cookies. Lorraine Gesner, Katy’s grandmother, was her advocate in life and in music. She paid for private piano and voice lessons and attended every performance. We wanted to honor the memory of our grandmothers by advocating for singers the way our grandmothers advocated for us. Offering assistance to those who want to grow and nurture their talent, when they otherwise might not be able to, is the heart of our cause.

This culminated in the First Annual Rehart Gesner Benefit Recital last April. Although our initial fundraising goal was $5000, we raised over $35,000.

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 have been teaching private voice lessons for over 33 years. I caught the music bug early on- learning flute in the fourth grade and piano the year after. I did not discover my voice until I joined middle school choir and after that, I was hooked. I continued with flute, piano and voice, participating in middle school and high school band and choir. By my sophomore year in high school, I knew that I would pursue music as a career and even knew that I would complete my doctorate in voice (both my parents had their masters degrees, so in my mind, I had to outdo them!).

I completed my bachelors (CSU Fresno) and masters degrees (Boston University) in Voice Performance within six years- a feat not easy to achieve. As a result, I was completely burned out with singing and school and needed a break. I moved back home to my small, central California town, even moving back in with my parents. Like many aspiring singers without a lot of job prospects, I turned to teaching private voice lessons. I quickly discovered that I really loved teaching voice and that I was good at it.

I spent the next four years teaching high school English (at the same high school I had attended and where my mom was also on the English faculty), teaching private voice lessons and being on the adjunct voice faculties at two junior colleges.

Once I realized that I was not put on this planet to teach high school English, I went back to school, this time earning my doctorate degree in Voice Performance from the University of Southern California. Because of my teaching experience, I also landed a coveted graduate assistant position, which meant that I walked away with a degree from a highly regarded university without owing a dime in student loans.

Upon graduation, I relocated to San Diego and became a ‘freeway flyer,’ juggling a fledgling singing career with adjunct teaching positions at four different colleges, waiting for that elusive tenure track position in academia to plop into my lap. Eventually this California native found herself in a full-time academic position at Bluffton University, a small private liberal arts Mennonite college in Bluffton, Ohio.

Moving from San Diego to Ohio was a bit of a culture-shock, but I loved my time teaching at Bluffton. Working at only one institution and being able to build relationships in the community is something I greatly appreciated. I also learned to enjoy a slower pace of life. After four years in Ohio, it was a no-brainer to accept a position at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, as I wanted to be closer to west coast family and friends.

I relocated to Las Vegas in 2009 and have been here ever since. I left academia in 2014, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself. I had always envisioned a career in academia, but in serving at numerous institutions, I discovered that I am much happier being my own boss. I formed the LATOUR voice studios, LLC, in 2016, and have had the pleasure of sitting at the piano all day singing with clients, with my dog sleeping under the piano.

One aspect of academia that I began to miss, however, was the camaraderie of collaborating with others. In 2016, along with fellow singers Emily Kurcan Stephenson and Stephanie Redman, we started an Opera On Tap-Las Vegas Chapter, who’s mission is to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form and to support the developing artists who continue to keep the art form alive. Opera On Tap (OOT) is a nonprofit organization with over 20 chapters internationally. Basically, we sing in bars and bring some fun to a genre that many people regard as stuffy, elitist and boring.

My latest passion project, the Rehart Gesner Fund, grew out of a collaboration between Katy, one of my adult voice students, and myself. What started as a “Hey! We should do a recital at your house and invite some others to participate,” somehow evolved into, “You know, we should do a benefit recital.”

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Rehart Gesner is not really a business, but rather a scholarship fund for private voice lessons. However, when Katy and I were planning the First Annual Rehart Gesner Benefit Recital, there were a plethora of start-up costs in order to guarantee a successful event and to ensure that the benefit was beautifully presented and executed. Katy and I spent our own money- from hiring the catering company to securing a photographer to printing programs to paying the artists who performed on the recital.

A last-minute decision was to add a silent auction to the event. Neither one of us had any experience in curating a silent auction, so we quickly became versed in how to develop a successful one. Katy and I raided our personal stashes of gift cards, spa experiences and wine and spirits. We also found enormous support from friends, family and colleagues who generously donated items such as a racetrack driving experience, a custom line drawing, acting lessons, Italian diction coaching and social media packages. And our efforts were worth the investment as we raised over $7000 from the silent auction.

Katy and I did this willingly because we believed so passionately about what we were doing and as a result, others shared our enthusiasm and stepped up to help. Spring Mountain Motor Sports generously provided all event beverages and tables, chairs and linens, and one of Katy’s relatives created our website and social media accounts.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

100% word of mouth. I am very fortunate to have built a solid reputation in Las Vegas as a voice teacher for singers who are serious about exploring the possibilities of their voices. I have very few students in my studio who just stumble upon my website, although that does happen on occasion. I mostly gain new clients from current students telling others about me, and I have some amazing high school and middle school choir and theatre directors who recommend me to their students.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rehartgesnerartists.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rehartgesnerfund/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rehartgesnerfund
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/thelatourvoicestudios/ https://www.facebook.com/TheLatourVoiceStudios https://www.drmichellelatour.com

Image Credits
Desiree Nicole (event)
Tomasz Rossa (branding photo)