Kerry Ryer-Parke
Kerry Ryer-Parke '90 performs in a range of musical styles, from oratorio, opera, and early music to folk, jazz, and rock, in addition to directing the Bennington Children’s Chorus and Bennington Voice Workshop. She teaches courses in voice, peacebuilding and Alexander Technique.
Biography
Ryer-Parke is known as a performer of many musical styles, from oratorio, opera, early music, and new works to folk, jazz, and rock. She is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. She has been the director of the Bennington Children’s Chorus since 1994 and the Bennington Voice Workshop since 2002. An artist associate in voice at Williams College from 1999-2023, she has been on the faculty of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the New School of Music, and the Sonatina School of Music and maintains a private voice studio.
A frequent soprano soloist, Ryer-Parke has appeared with the Foundation for Baroque Music, Adirondack Baroque Players, Bennington Baroque, Cantata Singers, Williams Chamber Players, Berkshire Symphony, Sage City Symphony, Danbury Symphony, Skidmore College Choirs, Williams College Choirs, Williamstown Early Music, The New Opera, Aoede Consort, Battenkill Chorale, Burnt Hills Oratorio Society, Northern Berkshire Chorale, and the Bennington County Choral Society. As a folk singer, she performed at many coffeehouses and folk festivals in New England with her twin sister and father and is the lead singer and bass player in the Catbird Trio, and the rock band The Prescription.
Her interest in music and peacebuilding has led to training with Musicians Without Borders and the School for International Training, and travels to to Sardinia, Corsica, Bosnia, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. BA, Bennington College, 1990. Certification, Somatic Voicework: The Lovetri Method, The Institute for Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy at Shenandoah University, Virginia. M.AmSAT Alexander Technique, Balance Arts Center in New York City, 2025.
Ryer-Parke joined the Bennington faculty in Fall 2013.