Meet Kimberly Rhindress

We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Rhindress recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kimberly with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I was the only child of a single mother (the oldest girl of 9) raised on a farm in southern Ontario. I spent every summer and holiday there and from the age of 5 was put to work doing whatever task a 5-year old could safely manage. In my family, a good work ethic and keeping your word were the most prized character qualities and a sense of purpose and self-satisfaction from a job well done was imprinted on me from birth.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I have been teaching voice since 1993 when I set up a music studio in Stratford, Connecticut. Having received my Solo Performer’s ARCT in both voice and piano from Western Conservatory of Music at the age of 18 as well as graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC at the age of 21, I spent five years acting in New York City, Los Angeles and West Palm Beach Florida then moved from NYC to Stratford, Connecticut when I gave birth to my first child Dylan in 1992.

Acting and performing is a fickle business at best and I wanted to do something creative while I raised my children (I had three) so teaching privately fulfilled that need. From 1992 – 2001, I taught singing and piano full time and was the choir director for the Huntington United Methodist Church. During that time I wrote, directed and performed in several cabaret fundraising shows in Connecticut. The most successful was a 1940s radio show called “Sentimental Journey” which has been produced multiple times in Canada and the U.S. over the years.

In 2001 I moved to The Netherlands with my husband and children where I taught music at the Violenschool International School in Hilversum. the school had no music program and I found myself in a unique position of having lots of spare time and being unable to work a “regular job” due to my immigration status. For two years, I taught a weekly 45-minute music class to every grade in the school (200 children from all over the world aged 4-12). I focused on music appreciation, singing, rhythm, playing the recorder and writing our own songs. We performed two concerts each year where the children got to demonstrate what they learned in front of their teachers and parents (the audience was more than 300 people).

Moving to Kelowna, BC brought about an opportunity to explore acting again and I performed in many musical theatre productions in the city for various theatre groups. Teaching unfortunately had to take a back seat from 2003 – 2011 as I focused on several entrepreneurial ventures to support my family. After going through a separation in 2008 then a divorce in 2010, I moved my children to Vancouver, BC so they would have better secondary education opportunities.

I moved back to Kelowna in 2012 and started Kelowna Voice Lab that same year as I truly missed teaching and now had a partner who supported my desire to re-start my studio.

I married Jim Rhindress (a classic rock guitarist and singer) in 2014. Our musical styles were polar opposites but over the course of years, we started playing music and performing together. At first we played as an acoustic duo where I played keys or bass and Jim played guitar. We began writing songs together in 2017 and released an EP (My Heart is Yours) in 2021 and a full album of original songs (Cut Flowers) in 2022. Our latest EP (What A View) was released in 2023. Writing and performing music with Jim has been the most exciting and fulfilling endeavor of my creative life. I joined Jim’s classic rock band Cover2Cover in 2018 as a full-time member on vocals and keys and in 2024 we shifted the musical focus to exclusively 80s. Cover2Cover80s Edition is now one of the most successful bands in the Okanagan – selling out every show we played in 2024.

In 2022 we received funding from Factor Canada to make a documentary “What a View” about mid-life creativity which was released in June,2023. Future plans include more original songs as well as a complete original musical theatre play.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Theatricality: I’m always asking the question “who is singing this song” in both my teaching and in my song-writing process so the acting component is a very important one to me and brings a “theatricality” to our original songs. I treat every song like a unique monologue and bring character history into it. Bringing theatricality to my live performance makes the show more fun for those watching and adds a deeper character dimension to the songs we write.

Work Ethic: My time spent on my grandparents farm and being the only child of a tireless and driven woman taught me the importance and satisfaction of setting goals and completing them… even when I don’t “feel like it”. That work ethic has given me an ability to set deadlines and stick to them.

Fearlessness: Losing my oldest son Dylan unexpectedly on May 15, 2014 has given me a type of fearlessness. I have survived the worst loss possible so now feel like every other loss or rejection is survivable. It was so difficult to be creative, teach or sing that first year as I tried to make sense out of the world through the veil of deep grief. Part of my healing involved painting memory stones which friends and family placed when they traveled to places Dylan never got the chance to see. There are now more than 300 stones placed all over the world. Photos of the stones are on Instagram and Facebook under Dylan Sterling Memory Stones.

Fear is probably the single greatest obstacle holding people back as they pursue their creative journey and it is such a tremendous waste of energy. Know that your work won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but strive to please yourself first and trust that you will find your tribe eventually.

My best advice for anyone starting out on a creative journey would be to celebrate the process, accept that art is imperfect and to keep repeating to themselves “that’s okay, you’re learning” when mistakes are made. Talk to yourself with the same language and care you would use for a good friend.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My husband Jim has been an unwavering support in my journey through songwriting, classic rock and pop music. I didn’t grow up playing any of this music but he believed in my ability to learn and adapt and he didn’t let me give up when it was hard. Having someone who is so accomplished himself continually tell me that I could do it instilled my confidence to keep trying.

Performing rock and pop music has made me a better musician and teacher. I’m singing higher notes and with more ease now at age 59 than I ever have in my life (which is really saying something). The techniques I’ve been forced to learn has been transformative and I keep telling my students that if I can do it now in my fifties, they can do it in their teens and twenties. As a result, my teaching studio is thriving and I was awarded Best Music Teacher in the Okanagan for 2023.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

First 2 photos: Niki Harrison, Kelowna, BC
Headshot: Trevor Walker
Christmas photo: Trevor Walker

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Is the public version of you the real you?

We all think we’re being real—whether in public or in private—but the deeper challenge is

Highlighter Series
Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?

We asked some of the most interesting entrepreneurs and creatives to open up about recent

Highlighter Series
Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?

Luke Copping The world never told me I had to be a photographer. It had