It’s so nice to meet you!
My singing adventure started at the ripe age of 4 and hasn’t stopped since! Singing has been a core part of my life for as long as I can remember. I tried to deny my fate by choosing band in junior high, but once highschool hit I was a goner. Choir for the win! My formal training began at age 13 and continued through my undergraduate Vocal Performance degree and my Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy. While performing is a joy by itself, teaching is where my heart is.
Real World Voice Co (formerly Jen Burks Studio) was created to provide a space for people to work toward their singing goals without the pressure of perfection. After over 17 years of training, I understand how crushing those expectations can be. So far in my 6 years of private teaching I have been able to cultivate a studio that is inclusive of all experiences and genres, and communicates sustainable and recreatable vocal technique that is individual to each singer that comes through my door (or zoom room!).
The Basics
Over 17 years of formal training with a variety of teachers
Over 6 years of professional teaching experience
BM in Vocal Performance
MM in Vocal Pedagogy
My favorite non-singing activities are running, reading, and sailing with my hubby
Singing for me means creating joy for myself and those around me!
Artist Bio
Jennifer Burks, soprano, is known for her “lovely, gleaming soprano voice” and “effortless virtuosity”. She performs a wide range of repertoire and has a passion for early and chamber music. Jennifer has extensive choral and solo experience. As a soloist, Jennifer was a winner of the 2022 Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra’s Collegiate Vocal Competition and debuted as the Soprano Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the group in December of 2022. Jennifer was a Fellowship Artist with the Boulder Bach Festival (BBF) in 2019. She has competed in numerous competitions, including NATS (2nd place, 2021), and the Lois Alba Aria Competition (Semi-finalist, 2018). In 2018 Jennifer was a finalist in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild competition and was awarded Honorable Mention. In 2020 she won 2nd prize in the Vocal Community Category of the 1st ever World Bach Competition. Other notable appearance include opera choruses with the Boulder Symphony Chorus, Bach B Minor Mass with BBF, Puss in Boots with Boulder Opera, and the role of First Spirit with Arapahoe Philharmonic in their adaptation of The Magic Flute.
Jennifer has been teaching private voice since 2017. She currently owns Real World Voice Co, where she guides future professionals and later-in-life voices to cast aside perfection and sustainably sing with joy. Outside of her private studio she also teaches at New School of Music in Cambridge, MA and Tunefoolery, a Boston based non-profit. Jennifer is the incoming Auditions Chair and Treasurer of the New England Region of NATS and is a member of NATS Boston, PAVA, and The Voice Foundation.
Jennifer graduated from The New England Conservatory of Music in 2023, earning a Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy under the direction of Dr Ian Howell (with whom she currently studies) and Lisa Saffer. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Arkansas (2015). When she’s not singing, you can find Jennifer reading a good book, running on the Charles River Esplanade, or hanging with her husband.