Annie Ryan
| Annie Ryan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dorisanne Willingham |
| Born |
July 7, 1947 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Genres | Easy listening, opera, musical comedy |
| Instruments | Piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Labels | Attic |
Annie Ryan, (born Dorisanne Willingham, July 7, 1947) is a stage and screen actor, model, singer, and vocal coach. She is the CEO of AR Vocal Coach in Toronto, Canada.
Early life
Annie Ryan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Doris (née Pettit-Johnson) and J. W. Willingham. At the age of 12 she relocated to Littleton, Colorado with her adoptive Aunt, where she graduated from Littleton High School. In 1966 she began her studies at North Texas University in Vocal Music & Piano Majors, and transferred to Southern Methodist University where she studied Opera Repertoire and Vocal Performance.
Career
Immediately after graduating high school Annie was asked to join the Denver Post Opera company for their summer season, and was invited to become a member of AEA. That same year she was tapped to join the Tulsa Lyric Theatre, and worked with them for a season before beginning her studies at North Texas University. In 1969 Annie was invited to join the Dallas Civic Opera for a short season before transferring to Southern Methodist University. While attending there she was cast in the principal roles of several opera productions, including Madame Flora in The Medium by Gian-Carlo Menotti.
Beginning in 1971, Annie signed with the Kim Dawson Agency, working with Coca-Cola and Ford, and became a spokes model for Celanese-Fortrel. Soon thereafter she was invited to join AFTRA and SAG. From 1973-74 Annie worked with the Dallas Summer Musicals, and was cast in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Toward the end of 1974 Annie and her family relocated to Toronto, where she continued her career in screen and radio. She was invited to join ACTRA and CAEA, and began recording jingles for client companies such as Marineland of Canada Incorporated. In 1978 she worked with Elmer Bernstein on the soundtrack for Meatballs (film), and began developing a solo album which was released as a self-titled debut in 1980 through Attic Records.
In 1981, CBC Records signed Annie to a solo artist recording contract and released one album. She continued with vocal work for the next few years on studio recordings, commercials and film scores. In 1985 Annie performed a series of commissioned contemporary performances with the Toronto Symphony String Quartet as the Narrator of Patrick Cardy's "Snow Queen". From there on she began singing backup in studio and live broadcasts for prominent talents such as Ann Murray, David Clayton Thomas, Chet Atkins, and Liona Boyd. At the start of the 90's Annie decided to shift her focus to family, and took a break from her career.
In 1997 Annie was asked by The Royal Conservatory of Music and the TDSB to teach youth vocal courses, which influenced her later choices when re-emerging in to her career path.
Currently, Annie is the CEO of her own company, AR Vocal Coach, an exclusive source for training executives to speak clearly and easily, energetically, and without hesitation.
On Dec 03, 2012, Annie Ryan's catalog with Attic Records was released on iTunes.[1]
Discography
- Annie Ryan, with Attic Records
- Butterfly, with CBC Records
Filmography
- Drop-Out Mother
- Police Academy 3