FACES
Jennifer Kincer ivacious. Luminous. Driven. These are but a few of the phrases one could turn when speaking of the multi-talented entertainer/vocal coach and humanitarian Jennifer Kincer. She has an extraordinary flair for finding and developing young talent. Her coaching career, combined with her own unique blend of artistry – in the recording studio, on the set of a film or television commercial for a blue chip client, or at home with her protege and daughter Lia K. Catallo and athletically gifted and philanthropic son Noah. Kincer, 47, of Rochester Hills, doesn’t put on airs – though she easily could. Her celebrity status hasn’t deterred her desire to give back. Owner of KC Private Voice Studio, LLC, her mantra is “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation!” That preparedness has served her well, through vocal coaching, artist development, and as a professor at Oakland University. She knew from a very young age that she wanted to sing and act. “It was as if I was put on my path of ‘what was meant to be’ the minute I could sing a note,” she recalls. “I’ve been singing since I was five-years-old, if not earlier … I started following my dad to nursing homes, entertaining the elderly. He would play the guitar and I would sing John Denver and Johnny Cash songs. “The residents loved the music and I loved seeing the twinkle in their eye,” she says. “The music helped them remember a special time or feel some emotion they needed to feel. I knew at that moment how powerful music was,” she professes. So much so that four decades later, her studio of singers still finds joy in singing at assisted living centers. Word got out and her students were soon sought after at major televised events such as the Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting at The Village of Rochester Hills.
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Kincer shares that her songbirds, known as “The Violettes,” now perform at more than 50 events a year in downtown Rochester and beyond. Many of her students are actively booked at local community events and some have gone to the next level, performing nationally. Aside from working in her bustling studio, Kincer’s schedule is packed with auditions, voice-over work, film shoots and managing her teenage daughter Lia’s singer-songwriter career, which she one day hopes to launch into the world of Christian music. You may recognize her bright smile and enthusiastic persona from the Michigan Lottery “Fast Cash” campaign which recently began airing on major networks. Or, you may recall catching a glimpse of her during the Super Bowl, striking a yoga pose in a Henry Ford Health System commercial. She’s also done voiceover work for automotive training modules. Her local celebrity status soared when she appeared on the big screen, in the supernatural thriller ‘Born of Earth,’ opposite Daniel Baldwin and James Russo. She also had a part in George Clooney’s “Up in the Air.” Kincer’s aspirations include producing and directing. Currently, she’s working on a script for a Detroit-based TV show, talking with investors, producers and crews to make that dream a reality. “I hope to shed continued positive light on our emerging city of Detroit,” she shares. “I’m extremely blessed to do what I love, to make an impact and fulfill what God put me on this Earth to do,” she said. Story: Lisa Rose Hook
Photo: Laurie Tennent