Gina Latimerlo
Gina Latimerlo (formerly, Merlo) began performing in musical theatre productions in 1992. She has both trained in and professionally performed in musical theatre, classical, pop, and jazz styles in the Bay Area, New York, and Los Angeles.
After graduating with bachelor degrees in Music, English, and Theatre, the “acting bug” quickly turned into the “teaching bug” when Gina opened her studio in 1998 and began taking private students. Continuing her studies in teaching, Gina received teaching credentials in Music, English, and Theatre in 1999 and then completed her Masters in Teaching Music in 2010.
Gina collaborated with LA celebrity voice coach, Lisa Popeil, in the writing of their book Sing Anything – Mastering Vocal Styles which was published in 2012. It has sold both across the country and across the world, including Europe, Asia, and South America, even being used as a supplementary textbook in some university courses. It is available through amazon.com. She has written for a number of national and international websites, as well.
In addition to performing and teaching, Gina has also enjoyed both stage directing and musically directing all ages in muscial theatre, opera, and concerts. She and her husband, Eli, produced concerts and theatrical productions written by Bay Area artists for a number of years before embarking on their most creative endeavor, their daughter, Elise.
Gina’s students have gone on to have careers on Broadway and in national musical theatre touring companies, signed with “big name” pop producers and agents, released original songs and albums, and have gotten accepted into the the foremost universities for performance – the famed Berklee in Boston, NYU, Syracuse, Northwestern, Chapman, and the exclusive songwriting program at University of Miami. Her adult students routinely play gigs in rock and country bands across the Bay, as well as perform in musical theatre productions in both the Bay Area and beyond. Her adolescent students are often performing lead roles at their schools and at companies like Peninsula Youth Theatre and BayArea eTc.
In her spare time, Gina enjoys spending time with her family, reading up on physics, and learning about spiritualities from around the world. She is also active locally as a City Councilmember in Belmont, the former president of her neighborhood, and a frequent school and community event volunteer.