Susan Hires

American dialects: northern mid-west, flat mid-west, southern, including Texan and "deep south" European accents: Italian, German, French, British, Cockney, Scottish

One million years ago (1983-85) I was an announcer at Classical 95, KFUO in St. Louis, MO and did commercial work at the station in addition to my on-air time. From there I was briefly at KXTR in Kansas City, however night-shifts and newly-wedded did not work out at all. I left the broadcast field, spent some time keeping patients from freaking out during surgical proceedures and colonoscopies with my mellow tone of voice, and then became a parent. For the past 8 years, I've been teaching voice and acting in Austin in my private studio, as well as directing volunteer church choirs and performing with the Austin Lyric Opera and the professional choral ensemble, Conspirare. I was a student at the Universiy of Kansas, majoring in voice performance, with additional study at the St. Louis Conservatory. I have done self-study regarding voice-over work, to augment my arguably antique experience in radio. For the past several years, I have made recordings for students and actors for theatre departments in our school district. My home equipment consists of my lap-top, loaded with Sony Sonic Studio and Sonic Stage. It's been adequate for my projects to date, but I have not really dug into it's capabilities, as I have not needed them. Because my mic is cheap, I do occasionally pop a "p". Every facet of my job experience has been of communication, from dealing with bosses and patients in a clear, concise way to explaining theories of body mechanics and the human voice to students of all ages. I am able to, and do, demonstrate what the voice can do every day. I know how to take care of it and safely use it to bring forth any number of sounds, noises, pitches and placements. What you need a female voice to do, I can do.