TESTIMONIALS
More Testimonials
---- Carmen Maria Mitchell ----
Acting
"I am the voice/text coach for Santa Rosa's Shakespeare in The Cannery which just completed it's second season. I've worked closely with Carmen Mitchell as she performed Juliet from Romeo and Juliet last summer, 2014 and Viola in Twelfth Night this past summer, 2015. Not only is Carmen a delight to work with: friendly, co-operative and a team-player, but she works hard and is committed to the ongoing development of her acting career. Carmen spent a lot of time, away from rehearsal, studying recommended literature and podcasts by renown Shakespeare coaches as well as seriously analyzing her speeches and dialogue for deeper meaning and clearer expression. She was a delight to coach, took quickly to the heightened language and had a real grasp of how to sound real and natural while relishing the rich imagery and color of Shakespeare's verse. Carmen has considerable talent for comedy as well as drama and is always aspiring to improve and deepen her craft. Her obvious joy and command on stage is a thing of beauty, and it was my honor to contribute to her training."
Corisa Aaronson: Dialect Coach for Shakespeare in the Cannery
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"Thank you so much Carmen for your wonderful performances in the first two productions of Shapespeare in the Cannery. As the director of the Arlene Francis Center and producer of the Shakespeare in the Cannery working with you for the last two years has been a true pleasure. Your a great talent , look forward to working with you on our next project."
Martin Hamilton: Director of the Arlene Francis Center
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Music
“Carmen Mitchell is a polished and professional presence in any ensemble - equally as strong in a supporting or a lead role. Carmen works hard to prepare her performances, paying attention to every detail. She literally sparkles onstage! Whether she is singing in operatic or in pop style, her voice is compelling. I have loved our collaborations together and I am very proud of what she has accomplished. I cannot wait to see what she does next!"
Jody Smith Benecke: Director of Vocal Music for the Santa Rosa Junior College.
B.M. and M.M. in Vocal Performance. professional operatic and concert soloist in the U.S. and Germany.
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"Carmen is a dynamic singer and a captivating actress. She is supremely talented and a pleasure to work with.”
Dr. Mark Anderman: Music Department Chair, Santa Rosa Junior College.
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"In my three-year partnership and friendship with Carmen Mitchell, I have found her to be a talented, dedicated, enthusiastic and joyous performer to work with. She is the whole package. She is poised, athletic, naturally attractive and relateable. She consistently delivers high quality performances with style and sensitivity. She's a classically trained dancer, has a rich, powerful and expressive singing voice and has an obvious talent for acting in both comedy and drama. As a client, she is a pure joy to work with as she always comes prepared, on time and full of the kind of spirit and corporation that makes working with her a coaches dream."
John Faye: Music Composer and Musician
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"I had the wonderful experience of working with Carmen Mitchell in two capacities: one, as her piano teacher and two, we worked together on a music video. As a piano student, I found Carmen to be an enthusiastic and diligent student, who was always a delight to be around and to teach. I enjoyed working with her immensely. Carmen also brought the same energy and professionalism to the music video we did together. She has an amazing and well trained voice and worked very carefully to get a difficult song to sound absolutely beautiful. Everyone involved in the video felt the same about Carmen.
My sense of Carmen Mitchell is that she brings an infectious sense of joy to everything she does."
Ed Cupman: MA, LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
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Dancing
"During my many years of teaching ballet training, Carmen paid attention to every detail and every correction as she worked toward perfecting the elements of ballet. She is an artist She is always a great pleasure to work with. "
Tamara Statkoun: Artistic Director at Santa Rosa Dance Theater
Former principal dancer at the Kirov Ballet and Maly Ballet Theater, St. Petersburg, Russia
Graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy, St. Petersburg, Russia
Honored Artist of Russia
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"I have had the privilege and joy to work with Carmen Mitchell for ten years as her ballet teacher. She is technically and artistically a beautifully accomplished ballet dancer! She has performed leading roles in our productions with beauty, joy, confidence, and gorgeous stage presence and acting ability. I have seen her grow as an artist in other areas of the theater: singing, acting, directing, and teaching dance. She is also an accomplished Ice Skater! Carmen is talented, beautiful, disciplined, intelligent, and hard working. I like to think of Carmen as the “quadruple threat”: She can dance, sing, act, and she is physically beautiful. She is a genuinely nice, sweet person who gets along extremely well with her teachers and her peers. I highly recommend Carmen Mitchell for any project, performance, or theatrical event. She is simply stunning."
Gina Ness: former Principal Dancer for San Francisco Ballet
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"I have had the pleasure of working with Carmen Mitchell in the class room and on two major performing arts venues.
Her work ethics are impeccable and I feel she has the rare focus to accomplish anything she tackles. Her talents are enormously vast."
Tamara Grose:
Professor of Dance, Santa Rosa Junior College
Choreographer, SRJC Theater Arts
Owner/Director Classical & Contemporary Dance
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"Carmen Mitchell is an extremely talented young lady with a humble and respectful disposition. My encounters with Carmen, whether classroom or performance related, have always been well-prepared, professional and high level. Counting on Carmen has always been a given."
Debbe-Ann Medina : Dance Coordinator/Instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College
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"I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Carmen Mitchell on two musicals and have seen her in several other performances. Carmen is impressive as a dancer, singer and actor - the quintessential triple threat. She is a consummate professional. Since the moment I met her at 18 it was clear she knew where she was going and how to get there. She is self-assured and extremely smart in her choices. These qualities combined with humility, kindness, and patience make her an absolute joy to work with."
Lara Branen: Choreographer at the Santa Rosa Junior College
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"Carmen Mitchell is not only a beautiful and talented dancer, singer, ice skater and performer but she is also a first rate human being. She was a member of the ArtQuest Dance Company and during her time in the group she was a beloved performer and choreographer. She is also an excellent teacher and team member. Carmen’s dazzling smile and lovely personality will brighten anyone’s day."
Elizabeth Evans: Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, 7-12 Santa Rosa City Schools
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Ice Skating
"Whenever I've needed a performer for an ice skating project, Carmen is one of the first to be invited. With her many talents and broad experience, she can be counted upon to give the choreography a professional and polished look. Carmen's dedication and enthusiasm make working with her a sheer joy."
Lisa Navarro: Skating Choreographer/Show Director
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Carmen's diverse talents, professionalism, and passion for her various crafts make her an outstanding artist and performer. Carmen has honed her methods to physically and mentally prepare herself, which is evidenced by her ability to consistently rise to any challenge and perform beyond expectation.
Choeleen Laudagin PhD.Sport Psychologist & Figure Skating Ice Coach
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"Carmen Mitchell is an extraordinary performer. She is talented, beautiful, and always conducts herself with poise and professionalism. It's an added bonus that she is such a kind and good-hearted person!"
Kim Navarro: Professional Figure Skater / Olympic Alternate
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Voice Over
“Carmen is a rarity: a young person who is already a serious pro. She does everything well, she takes direction without hesitation, she’s energetic and enthusiastic, and she can get the performance into the mic. As a voice actor or singer, she’s on my first call list.”
Jim Bordner: Composer/Producer, Gravity Music
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"Working with Carmen is a pleasure. She is a true professional. I have hired her to do voice-over narration and on-camera work numerous times for Santa Rosa Junior College promotional and marketing videos. She follows direction easily and her voice work has given the college videos polish and professionalism. Carmen is reliable, diligent and cheerful. I highly recommend her for any voice or on-camera project."
Janet Parmer: Director for SRJC Media Department
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"We utilized Carmen’s voiceover skills for SRJC’s International Student’s video. Needing to ask her back to make additional changes, Carmen enthusiastically returned for a re-recording session, duplicating her initial fervor. We also needed actor talent for a segment and Carmen volunteered. I also contacted Carmen to see if she would recruit additional actors for our closing segment; Carmen understood exactly what I wanted for the closing segment (worked with her fellow actors) and totally delivered ! ! !
Every time, Carmen demonstrated professional talent, full commitment and participation, provided very helpful suggestions, demonstrated 100% the requested direction, and was a total joy to work with ! ! !"
Sam Euston: Multi-Award Winning Film Producer/Journalist ·
EustonProductions.com · Sonoma County, CA
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"Carmen Mitchell is a joy to work with. She is a very talented and professional voice actress who has lent her talents to many projects here at Santa Rosa Junior College. She responds immediately and perfectly to even subtle direction, and her positive energy and enthusiasm are infectious and something I always look forward to when working with her."
Yarrow Sweningsen: Media Production Tech Media Services Dept. Santa Rosa Junior College
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Fellow Artists
"Having the opportunity to work with Carmen Mitchell is a privilege and a honor. It is rare to meet someone with such a beautiful personality, and relentless work ethic. She makes work fun, and she doesn't need a invitation to work hard. Her potential for growth is limitless. She has all the necessary tools, and focus to be successful in any direction she chooses. I danced with Carmen in productions of Santa Rosa Dance Theater's Nutcracker and Coppelia. I have since danced with Tulsa Ballet II, Tulsa Opera, and Ballet West II."
Silas Campos: Professional Ballet Dancer with Ballet West II
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"Working with Carmen is a wonderful experience. She brings a professionalism to the room that boosts not only the quality of the production, but the attitude of those with which she works. In addition to being a dedicated actress, Carmen is also a wonderful cast member, and a great friend to have around.
My name is Matthew Billings. I am a BFA Musical Theatre major at Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis, MO. I worked with Carmen in a production of The Phantom of the Opera in Santa Rosa, CA. She gave an incredible performance as Christine, and I was thrilled to play her Raoul. Her presence and hard work were a huge factor in what made the show such a great experience. I am happy to have her as a colleague and a friend."
Matt Billings: Theatre major at Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis,
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"I have known Carmen since we were in elementary school and grew up dancing by her side. She is dedicated, consistent, and full of positive energy. We shared many principal roles throughout the years and she was the best co-worker that I could have asked for: not only a beautiful technician and artist herself, but a great inspiration and encouragement to me as I developed my own unique artistry in ballet."
Lindsay Knight: former dancer with the Louisville Ballet
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"It has been a honor to work with Carmen Mitchell. Her talent speaks for itself. Shows with her are strengthened by her creativity, her warmth, and her work ethic. I would work with her again in a heartbeat!"
Dana Nelson-Isaacs: Actor & Director
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"I have known Carmen for years and have taken performance classes with her as well as seen her work onstage. Aside from Carmen's obvious passion and talent for the arts, she is one of the most upbeat people I've ever worked with, always with a can-do attitude and open support for her peers. Simply put, she is inspirational."
Beth St. John:
Beth is a performer from Sonoma County. She graduated from Southern Oregon
University in Ashland, OR with a BFA in Performance.
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Teaching / Life Guarding
"I had the pleasure of working with Carmen for more than 5 years. She demonstrates poise, confidence and creativity in all endeavors. She is an amazing talent and a compassionate and dedicated member of the team.”
Jacqui Hamann: Aquatics Coordinator Santa Rosa Parks and Rec.
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