Teacher and Director

Girlfriendz

Girlfriendz is a spirited ensemble of eight women in song. They are known for their joyous, tight vocal harmonies and engaging stage presence, which includes a sprinkling of choreography. Their eclectic repertoire spans the decades and runs the musical gamut from jazz to rock, folk to pop, R&B to Broadway. Formed in 1999, the group is led by noted Bay Area jazz vocalist and founding musical director Ellen Robinson, who also accompanies the group on piano.

The group's diverse musical backgrounds enhance their wide-ranging repertoire. Director Ellen Robinson has had a thirty-year career as a performing jazz vocalist, song writer/arranger and founder/director of the Anything Goes choruses. Individual singers in the group have Bay Area musical roots in the Berkeley Broadway Singers, the Anything Goes Chorus, the Pacific Mozart Ensemble and the Baroque Choral Guild, among others. These experiences have helped form and nourish Girlfriendz' vibrant harmonic sound and ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences. Wherever they perform, their goal is to bring our audiences great music and a fun-loving, participatory and uplifting experience.

Girlfriendz' schedule includes a mix of fee-based performances as well as volunteer appearances at benefits, retirement homes and other institutions. Recent performances include: concerts sponsored by the San Leandro Arts Council, Bread and Roses, and the National Women's Political Caucus; featured acts at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, the Home of Truth in Alameda, the Unitarian Universalist Church and the First Congregational Church in Oakland; volunteer appearances at Grand Lake Gardens, Lake Park, Piedmont Gardens, and St. Paul's Towers senior living communities in Oakland.

Booking Information »

From left to right:
Judy Bloomfield, Roberta Brooks, Hillary Dreyfuss, Seena Clark,
Ellen Robinson, Jan Zovickian, Lisa Tarver, Mel Knapp, Jill Warner
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Photo by Rory Earnshaw