ABOUT US
Why “Rehart Gesner?”
At its conception, the Rehart Gesner Fund was born from a place of inspiration. Inspired by the similar relationships we had with our grandmothers, we decided to name our cause after them.
Ruth Rehart, Michelle’s grandmother, was always there to encourage her in her music endeavors. They shared a love of fashion and baking chocolate chip cookies.
Lorraine Gesner, Katy’s grandmother, was her advocate in life and in music. She paid for private piano and voice lessons and attended every performance.
We want to honor the memory of our grandmothers by advocating for singers the way our grandmothers advocated for us. Offering assistance to those who want to grow and nurture their talent, when they otherwise might not be able to, is the heart of our cause.
MEET OUR CO-FOUNDERS
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DR. MICHELLE LATOUR
With over 33 years teaching experience, Dr. Michelle Latour currently owns the LATOUR voice studios, LLC, where she teaches both classical and CCM genres. Michelle is a founding member and former Co-Managing Diva for Opera-On-Tap, Las Vegas, and most recently joined forces with several other Las Vegas voice teachers to form the Vegas Voice Teachers Cooperative™. She also is a regular contributor to Classical Singer Magazine.
Prior to becoming an independent studio owner, Dr. Latour served on the voice faculties at UNLV, Bluffton University, SDSU, the University of San Diego, and the International Opera Performance Experience, an intense, four-week opera skills training program in Italy.
Michelle received her DMA from USC, where she was a graduate assistant and scholarship recipient. She earned her MM from Boston University and her BA from CSU, Fresno. Post-doctoral studies include Vocology certification through The National Center for Voice & Speech, certification in Levels I-III in Somatic Voicework™, and OperaWorks™ Voice Teacher Training Program.
Dr. Latour’s students have gone on to win prestigious awards, to perform professionally in a variety of genres, and to become voice teachers with thriving private studios or serving in academia. She is also incredibly proud of her students who take voice lessons just because they love it- they love the journey, they love discovering their potential, and they just love to sing!
KATY MORRIS
Katy has considered herself a singer for as long as she can remember. Growing up, she was actively involved in choir, theater, and took piano and voice lessons. She sang in her dream vocal jazz group, Genesis, at Mt. Hood Community College, but ultimately pursued a degree in Psychology from Portland State University. Katy left the music world for more than a decade.
In December of 2021, she had a strong urge to go back to music and to singing. Given a lead by an old college peer, she auditioned to study with the LATOUR voice studios, LLC. Katy has since worked hard to nurture and grow her voice, discovering a whole new side of herself and of her talent. She has recently performed in 3 recitals and competed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition.
Katy loves to travel with her husband and spend time with her three fur children: Belvi, the Maltipoo; and Jag & Ocee, the Bengal Cats. She loves to cook and to host friends and family to try out her original recipes. Someone once told her, “the best way to change the world is to help those closest to you.” That is exactly what she hopes to do with the Rehart Gesner Fund.