Hello hello!

My name is Chez and I am entirely delighted to join Bristol Voice Care as a Vocal Massage Therapist.

A little about me and my path into this work

• Performing in theatre and circus for 20 years
• Directing and choreographing youth theatre and circus
• Facilitating creative community projects locally, nationally and internationally
• Touring in folk bands, most recently my own project, PictureFramers
• Fooling with Beyond the Ridiculous
• Practising holistic, remedial and sports massage for 10 years

Connecting body and voice

The umbrella to my work is connection, play and responding in the moment to what is happening in the space. I have used voice in all of my work, but it wasn’t until the last few years, when I started to have problems, that I realised the voice needed looking after. After some sessions with Jenna, founder and Director of Bristol Voice Care, I applied to Arts Council for a Develop Your Creative Practice grant to support my musical and vocal practice beyond ‘doing enough for the next show’.

It has been such a privilege to have time to develop this connection between body and voice, to allow time for deep connection to process without needing to devise a performance. What has been an extraordinary treat is to have dedicated support and accountability for my practice. I was so fascinated by the hands-on laryngeal, jaw and tongue work that Jenna offers as part of voice care that I decided to go and train with Stephen King’s organisation, Voice Care Centre.

Bringing together my embodied vocal experience with my bodywork expertise to offer Vocal Massage feels like a joining of worlds and entirely congruent with my development as a practitioner.

My approach to working with people

In all of my one-to-one and group work, I am passionate about supporting people on their journey to health, both physical and mental, for they are inextricably linked. I believe in holding a space for people to work out what they need themselves, with supportive guidance and a safe container to explore and discover. My background in Fooling and Clown training supports this approach to being present with people: audiences, participants and clients alike.

My musical life

My musical life started with watching my big sister at piano lessons with the amazing Rosemary Lewis in my home area, the Forest of Dean. I was amazed that you could press a key and different sounds came out! Growing up in this area, brass banding was a bedrock of our musical heritage, so I took myself to join Pillowell Silver Band, aged 9, with the incredible teacher and supporter Clive Lewis.

After a 20-year gap of only playing cornet for theatre shows, I returned to the brass band community, this time following Clive to Cinderford Town Band. This sense of amazement at creating sound has never ceased. I now play piano accordion, banjo, cornet and sing. In my folk duo, PictureFramers, we write songs that tell stories supported by a variety of instrumentation. My directing work always uses singing and music to support physicality.

Music feels like a magic key to connection.

Looking ahead with Bristol Voice Care

I hope that my collaboration with Bristol Voice Care will continue to contribute to the wider conversation between somatic work, body-mind connection and voice production. I believe that this work is accessible to all and that, by working in an inclusive way, we can support each individual with where they want to be.

From direct experience, this is potentially powerful work, supporting people into vocal health and empowerment. Drawing on this personal experience and a decade of bodywork, I am excited to be offering Vocal Massage in and around Bristol to further support voice users, singers and everyone else to feel their best in a healthy and safe way.