Claudia Manning-Floyd

CLAUDIA MANNING-FLOYD is a Northwesterner born and bred in Seattle, Washington. She began her artistry at age 8 when her mother insisted on piano lessons (so Claudia would quit "banging" on the new piano).  She taught herself to play guitar at age 9, and she joined the school choir at age 10.

Claudia began to flourish at age 17 as she branched out into several different genres of music, all the way from Classical to Country.  She was inducted as a freshman into Brigham Young University's oratorio choir, which was considered quite a feat as she had no prior formal vocal training at that early point in her life.

But the university's music curriculum proved too formal  for Claudia's tastes, so after a few semesters in Utah, she moved back to the Seattle area where she had numerous opportunities to perform.  She entered and won two years running in a nationally-sponsored Country music competition and performed on stage as a solo artist at every opportunity that presented itself.

Besides being a solo talent, she has performed numerous lead roles in community theater musicals (Buttercup - Gilbert & Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore"; Lady Jane - Gilbert & Sullivan's "Patience"; Dame Carruthers - Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Yeomen of the Guard"; Dame Hannah - Gilbert & Sullivan's "Ruddigore"; Julie LaVerne - "Showboat"; Marian "The Librarian" Paroo - "The Music Man").  She has written and helped produce radio jingles as a part of the Triangle Recording Studio commercial jingle team. She had success receiving airplay on the Country stations of the Pacific Northwest after recording her first album "Collage", and has since recorded numerous times in the studio for pleasure and business.  She was lead singer for the house band of the Western Swing Society in Seattle and used a bold, unique style to surprise the audiences. Her last trip into the studio resulted in the "Coyote Moon" collection, which was her brain-child and all production and musical direction was done by her.  Before signing with a manager to go "full guns" in search of label interest, Claudia decided that her young son was her first priority, not music, and she stepped out of the limelight.

In recent years, Claudia has turned her attention more toward arranging and conducting music.  Some of Claudia's music has been performed by world-class choirs; some pieces have been sung in England and Australia; and two pieces were recently published in a songbook of Christian music by a South Korean publisher. Claudia hopes to one day iive in a locality with a large enough population to form and lead a semi-professional choir that will perform liturgical, gospel and popular music. Claudia currently is moving from Chino Valley, AZ to Woodinville, Washington with her husband and a large menagerie of pets.

I've been performing as long as I can remember, but here is a partial list of highlights in my musical life:

Musical Studies

• Brigham Young University, music (voice) major
• Maestro David Kyle
• Vocal coaching by Penelope Vrochopoulos, Ph.D., Yale

Composing / Recording

• "Did You Think To Pray" and "Oh My Father" published in Christian music songbook in South Korea.
• Arranger of SAATBB rendition of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" premiered by Cora Voce in their 10/18/08 fall concert.
• Composer/producer/lead singer for “Coyote Moon” Western Swing CD
• Composer, producer, musician and lead singer for commercial jingle production staff of Triangle Recording/Glas House Productions
• LP, “COLLAGE” (distributed through Tower Records, Budget Tapes and Records, Peaches Records and Tapes)
• Airplay on various country and contemporary radio stations from Portland, Oregon area to Bellingham, Washington, including live on-air and recorded syndicated interviews
• Radio voiceover and commercial work at various stations in the Seattle area

Community Theater

• Lead Contralto for "The Peccadillo Players" (now the Bellevue Opera)
  Roles included:
  
  • Dame Hannah in Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Ruddigore”
• Dame Carruthers in  Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Yeomen of the Guard”
• Lady Jane in Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Patience”
• Lead Soprano as Marian “The Librarian” Paroo in Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man”
• Lead Mezzo Soprano as Julie Lavern in Jerome Kern’s “Show Boat”
• Lead Contralto as Buttercup in Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore”

Choral Conducting:

• Church choir conductor, Seattle 3rd Ward, Seattle North Stake
  
• Church choir conductor, Alderwood 1st Ward, Lynnwood, WA Stake
  
• “Graduating Seniors” choir conductor, Graham & S. Hill, WA 
  
• Church choir conductor, Pioneer Valley Ward, Spanaway, WA
• Church choir conductor, Mingus Foothills Ward, Prescott Valley, AZ
• Church choir conductor, Territorial Ward, Chino Valley, AZ
• Interfaith Christmas Choir conductor, Chino Valley, AZ

Choirs