Christine Guter: Do What You Love

Guter is the director of the Vocal Jazz program at Cal State Long Beach’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and directs the award-winning student vocal ensemble “Pacific Standard Time.” She’s also an A-list studio singer, with credits for more than 20 film soundtracks, including Happy Feet, X-Men 3 and the brand new Cirque du Soleil show, “Iris,” with music composed by Danny Elfman. She’s also lead singer of the much celebrated Jazz quintet Vocalogy and performs regularly as a solo vocalist with her trio.

I began our conversation by asking her to tell me about Pacific Standard Time.

Guter: It’s a jazz vocal ensemble with 12 singers and a rhythm section. They perform nationally at jazz festivals and tour annually. They have received national acclaim and won several DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards. This past year, they won first place in the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festivaland will be performing at the Historic 54th annual Monterey Jazz Festival this coming September as part of this win. They also won Best Collegiate Vocal Jazz Ensemble in this year’s DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards.

Auditions are held in the fall of every year. It is very competitive, as there are only six spots for male vocalists and six for female vocalists in the ensemble. Students need to demonstrate excellent jazz style, improvisation, vocal tone, musicianship skills and professionalism.

The group is re-auditioned every year. Usually, students who have been in the group before will make it in again, but not always. As I said, it’s very competitive, so students really need to work hard to secure their position in the ensemble.

Guter: It’s especially difficult when I have a big turnover year, like last year! Even though last year was the biggest turnover of students I have ever had, we still maintained excellent standards. It comes from hard work from both myselfand the students. They really are incredible young artists.

Sander: How did you get started as a professional singer?

Guter: I’ve been singing all my life. I sang in choirs when I was in middle and high school and was involved in musical theater, as well. I also played piano in my high school jazz band and sang with the band, as well.

I then went on to get my college degrees. I have a BM and MM in music. I moved to L.A. about 10 years ago and currently perform as a studio singer (AFTRA/SAG), solo jazz singer and am a member of the vocal jazz ensemble Vocalogy. 

Sander: You’ve had some high-profile gigs as a studio singer. Please tell me about that.

Guter: Just this past week I sang the background tracks for the new Cirque du Soleil “Iris” show that will be playing in L.A. Music by Danny Elfman.

Sander: How much time did you have to prepare for that?

Guter: You are given no time to prepare. You show up to the sound stage and sight read the music. It’s extremely challenging, exciting and rewarding. You don’t really have the liberty of making mistakes when you’re on the clock in the studio. Time is money.

Sander: Do you get much direction for your studio vocal performances?

Guter: The composer is almost always there, as well as the vocal contractor. There is also a conductor who assists. They let the choir know what sound, vocal color and emotion they want to convey in the music: darker, sweeter, more vibrato, classical sounding, straight tone, etc.

Sander: Tell me about Vocalogy.

Guter: The group was founded in 1998 under vocal jazz icon Phil Mattson. We moved on and have continued to sing together for the past 13 years. We perform at jazz festivals and events throughout the U.S. and Canada. We have one CD out and are recording our second CD this summer. This past February we did a tour of Arizona and performed as headliners at the Northern Arizona University Jazz Festival.

We do a variety of jazz standards and some pop music, some a cappella but most with a rhythm section. All of our arrangements are done by members of our group. We are also self-directed.

Sander: Let’s talk about your role as a soloist. You’re performing tonight at McKenna’s on the Bay with your trio. Is this something you get to do often?

Guter: I perform as a soloist with different musicians on a semi-regualr basis. I sing frequently in the Queen Mary’s Starboard Lounge and have sung at Kobe and Steamers. I also sing at various public and private events. I enjoy all the different types of singing I do. They all require different musical skills, and it helps me to be a well-rounded vocalist and musician.

Sander: What is the real value or benefit of getting a degree in music these days?

Guter: These days, it’s hard for students graduating from any program to be placed in a job, but students graduating with music degrees are not only valuable in the music industry, but in other jobs, as well. In some cases, music majors are being hired over business or engineering majors in jobs. They think outside the box, have great discipline and are creative. I always say, do what you love —  do what makes you come alive. The rest will take care of itself.