OUR COACHES
MEET TILARNI
Let me introduce myself to you:
I have had the priviledge and honor to sing the songs of the late Whitney Houston in the Australian Whitney Tribute Show for the last 6 years. This is my latest show, created by music director David Senn and myself, and was launched in 2018. This show continues to attract wonderful reviews celebrating the greatest hit songs of this music icon in theatres across Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Sydney and Adelaide.
Singing has always been an intrinsic part of my life. I grew up admiring my mother’s singing career and watching my parents rehearse and perform in their corporate band. I discovered my passion for music and faith singing in church as a young girl with my family. Later on, my love for making music picked up momentum, joining funk band “Mr Briefcase”. The band became a grand-finalist in Yamaha’s national Australian song writing competition in 1989 with bandleader David Senn.
I have been deeply inspired by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, BeBe & CeCe Winans, to name a few, influencing me to approach my music with a determination to uplift my audiences. From there, performing across some of Melbourne’s five-star venues for over 15 years with residencies at Le Meridien hotel, the Sofitel, Novotel hotels as a duo/trio band Black Cherry.
I joined the highly sought-after Melbourne Gospel Choir, backing celebrity artists on national TV whilst also landing solo performances for the Wesley Missions TV show, and a 6 year stint as a regular solo artist on the Ten network’s Good Morning Australia hosted by Bert Newton.
As an independent artist, I was fortunate to collaborate with singer/songwriter/producer David Senn with the release of the song “Power to Shine”, broadcast at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Later on, employed as Creative Directors for ACC program , we went on to write and record three live gospel DVDs that aired on Foxtel’s Australian Christian Channel between 2004-2008. From there I released a solo album of my favourite cover songs called “At Last” and “Favorite Love Song Duets” available on digital platforms Itunes, and Google Play.
Always willing to explore the ever-changing landscape of music, I found myself co-writing and recording with David Senn and Andrew De Silva (Winner of AGT 2012) to release the deeply soulful electro-dance pop singles “Rock the World” (2010) and “Survivor” (2015).
Over the years, I have tapped into my passion for music to overcome life’s many challenges. I feel very privileged to be surrounded by a vibrant community of musicians, and to be able to share all that I have learnt from the last 30+ years of my life as a singer/performer, recording artist and vocal coach.
MEET DAVID
It is very fulfilling to teach Singing/Songwriting and Recording to anyone who has a desire to develop these art forms individually or simultaneously. I find it rewarding to see singers/songwriters reach their singing and writing goals and arrive at their fullest potential in whatever they desire to do in music.
I’ve spent years of my early life singing without any proper technique and knowledge. Just getting by with what came naturally was what I did in my early days of music and this always led to frustration. Having the natural gifting, passion and emotion wasn’t enough to pull me through the kinds of music styles I desired to sing. I studied Classical Piano (London Trinity College) and then later explored my love for Jazz, R&B and Soul playing and singing. Auditioning for a national TV talent competition brought me to the realization that I needed lessons for Singing and Stage Presentation.
What drove me was the lack of technical ability and consistency in my performances, and to operate at my fullest potential with all the raw materials I had.
My professional development as a singer/songwriter has been a journey and I am grateful for all the contributions that each of my teachers, lecturers and mentors have put into my life along the way.
My most recent influences in Voice training and Songwriting are:
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Dave Brooks & Brett Manning Singing Studios Nashville USA
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Brad Hatfield - Songwriting for Film & TV Berklee College Boston USA
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Neil Diercks – Songwriting Hit Songs Berklee College Boston USA
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Mitch Benoff - Vocal Production Berklee College Boston USA
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Pat Patterson – Songwriter
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Singing For the Stars - Seth Riggs
The systematic approach from Singing Success in isolating vocal sounds and getting the most out of a singer whether it be in a training or recording session has been invaluable.
At Next Level Singing, I am able to offer my services as a Singing Teacher in addition to those wanting to learn piano/keyboard skills, using recording software, and songwriting and voice production.
I am grateful for the following associations and mentoring from my past courses from the following Schools and Teachers:
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Berklee College Boston US : Audio Mixing & Mastering
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Box Hill College of TAFE Whitehorse: Audio Engineer ARIA Award nominee Adam Quaife : Audio Engineering Course 2 yrs
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Swinburne & Barton Colleges : Industrial Electronics (Digital Control)
THE AUSTRALIAN WHITNEY HOUSTON SHOW
Tilarni and David are involved in The Australian Whitney Houston Show, which they launched in 2018. Starring Tilarni, The Australian Whitney Houston Show is a show that brings to life the music of one of the world’s most successful and awarded songstress divas of our time, Whitney Houston. The full cabaret show can consist of a live band headed by musician/songwriter/producer David Senn, backup singers and dancers.
