Michelle Risling earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, choral emphasis, at California State University Fullerton in 2010, and a single-subject California Teaching Credential in Music the following year. She has been at Temecula Preparatory School since 2013, where she currently directs five curricular choir classes and a guitar orchestra. She has been conducting professionally since 2008, directing choral and instrumental ensembles, musicals, and operas. She currently leads the San Diego North Coast Singers' Capella youth choir, as well as the adult women's choir, Sorelle San Diego. Ms. Risling joined the San Diego North Coast Singers as a child in 1993, and is thrilled to now serve as the Interim Artistic Director for the organization.
In addition to directing and conducting, Ms. Risling performs professionally as a singer. She has performed as a member of Choral Arts Initiative, Pro Arte Voices, and Sacra/Profana, as well as other regional symphonic choirs. As a choral singer, she has performed with such notable figures as Andrea Bocelli, Dale Warland, Eric Whitacre, Beck, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nintendo, Video Games Live and Amazon Prime at Comic Con, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. She is an active member of the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA), the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA), and San Diego Choral Consortium (SDCC).