Dr. Tiffany Du Mouchelle
Director/Founder of EX.C.E.L.L., Singer, & Improvisor
Dr. Tiffany Du Mouchelle is well known for her musical versatility, dramatic sensibilities, and her fearlessness in exploring new and challenging repertoire. Championing expression in all musical styles, her performances explore the expressive possibilities of the voice in over one-hundred different languages. As a concert artist her performances span the globe from NYC to California, Egypt, Iceland and even the remote village of Yoro, Papua New Guinea. Her performances focus on expression and communication, often voicing the under-represented, such as in William Harvey’s, “Speaking for the Afghan Woman”. As a contemporary vocal specialist, she engages with improvisation and extended vocal techniques, in addition to classical bel canto singing styles and various world music styles, to explore the possibilities of expressive communication.
Her work with the NGO Cultures in Harmony as a cultural diplomat led her to the realization that the world is a challenging place, and that music and creativity can help bring us together in positive, healing ways. Through her research, and as an educator, Du Mouchelle strives to develop an understanding expressive and creative repression in individuals.To help guide people back to their instincts and individuality, she has developed EX.C.E.L.L. (Experimental Creativity and Expression Learning Laboratory), an artist collaborative that offers workshops and seminars to teach creative practice to all. She utilizes her experience in music, theater, dance, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, visual arts, Alexander Technique, and Feldenkreis Method to engage students of all ages, ethnicities, and disciplines through a variety of exercises and creative learning techniques.
Tiffany Du Mouchelle is currently the director of Vocal Performance and Opera Studio at University at Buffalo, where she also runs the experimental voice ensemble, Polyglot. As an instructor, she teaches courses on opera, African music, vocal diction, and vocal pedagogy. She received her bachelor of music and master of music degrees from Mannes College of Music in NYC, and her doctorate of contemporary vocal performance from University of California San Diego.
Leanne Darling, Assistant Director
Composer-Performer and Improvisation Specialist
Leanne Darling creates a powerful new voice for the viola. She draws from her classical technique, her skills in many musical genres, and her passion for improvisation to break the boundaries of this underused instrument. A versatile performer, composer, and improvisor, Darling has has appeared with virtuoso oudist Simon Shaheen in Carnegie Hall, with poets Robert Bly and Clarissa Pinkola-Estes at the Omega Institute, and with the Cedar Lake Ensemble’s premiere performance in Chelsea. As a composer, Ms. Darling’s work on Toy Box Theatre’s The Landlord earned her the New York Innovative Theater Award for best original music in 2007.
Leanne discovered free improvisation in 1996 at a Music for People workshop. The workshop, run by new age cellist (no relation) David Darling teaches improvisation to all musicians regardless of skill level, and is dedicated to the belief that all people are inherently musical, creative, and capable of authentic, spontaneous expression. Leanne has attended many workshops and has undergone training to be a Music for People facilitator. She is also a longtime participant in the Group Motion Workshop in Philadelphia, part of the Group Motion Dance Company. The Group Motion Workshop is a resource for creative and authentic expression through dance, music and movement. She draws on these improvisation techniques to inspire her composing and playing.
Leanne Darling creates her own unique solo viola compositions using the entire scope of her instrument, mixing more traditional sounds with electric sounding effects. Using a sampling/looping device, Darling generates layers of sound — from lyrical melodies to driving rhythms and textures — simulating a whole room full of musicians. The layers are improvised as well as planned, making each performance distinctive. Her musical style ranges from minimalist to free jazz, blues, Arabic, and ambient music. Her debut CD, Spiral is available on CDBaby.
Leanne Darling has taught violin and viola privately for 25 years. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has taught all ages, both in school at Hudson River Middle School and after school at the Brooklyn Conservatory. She was head teacher at Buffalo String Works, an innovative after-school string program serving the immigrant community in Buffalo. She currently teaches viola at the University at Buffalo, where she leads a free improvisation group that will perform as part of the Indeterminacy Festival in May of 2020.