Trainer Profile

Julie Fortney, DMA, is starting her 29th year as Professor of Music at Mars Hill College. She joined the Mars Hill faculty in 1972 after completing doctoral studies with Berton Coffin and John Glenn Paton at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She holds the BA degree in Music from Mundelein College, Chicago and the MM degree in Music from Indiana University, Bloomington. She has enjoyed an active career as a soprano soloist and is a specialist in Baroque and 20th century song literature. She and her husband, David, are members of the All Souls Cathedral Choir in Asheville, NC and also sing with the Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers under the direction of Joel Reed. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Julie Fortney has been an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) since 1971 and has served on its National Board in various capacities since 1980. This past summer she completed her second and last term as editor of the NATS newsletter, /Inter Nos./ Since 1988, Julie Fortney has served as Mars Hill College coordinator for EVTS Summer Workshops. She is currently a "certified course instructor" for EVI with "service distinction." In 1996 she was invited to join Jo Estill at the opening of the National Voice Center in Sydney, Australia as an assistant in the 10-day EVTS workshop sponsored by the NVC. She coordinated the EVTS Poster Session presentation at the NATS 1998 National Convention in Toronto accompanied by her colleagues, Kerrie Obert and Cynthia Perkins. Julie Fortney lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband, David Fortney who is upper school technology coordinator and math/science specialist at Carolina Day School. They are the parents of two wonderful sons, Michael and Matthew.