Brian Quillin: Greenport Vocal Coach Teaches Confidence in Music & Life

Upon meeting Brian Quillin at his home music classroom in Greenport, it quickly becomes clear that he’s found his calling as a private voice teacher. It’s not his deep knowledge of music theory, skills on piano and guitar, or crystal-clear singing voice that give away his proficiency in this new career — though those are vital tools in his belt. No, the key to his burgeoning success seems to stem from his uplifting aura of positivity and genuine enthusiasm for his students’ growth on and off the stage.

“When my students come in, I try to make them as comfortable as can be and foster a relationship immediately. Once you develop that relationship, everything soars from there,” Quillin says. “If I can make a difference in any person’s life and be that teacher — like the teachers I’ve had — who challenges them, makes them laugh and gives them a safe space, then I’ve done my job.”

Born in Greenport to a family whose North Fork history goes back several generations, Quillin’s time as a vocal coach and resident of the village is still young. Growing up in nearby Southold, his earliest memories share a common musical theme — from performing Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” for his family to singing hymns at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, to participating in school musicals, chorus and band at Southold High School. “I felt at home onstage. I felt free,” he recalls. “It’s something surreal, like an out-of-body experience.”

When Quillin was accepted to his first-choice college, SUNY Fredonia’s School of Music, he double-majored in vocal performance and music education. However, he quickly found himself overwhelmed by the program and changed majors to focus on the business side of the music industry. Quillin stuck with this new direction, receiving his bachelor’s degree in music business after completing an internship at Sony BMG. Sadly, when it came time to seek long-term employment in 2008, the Great Recession made that an impossibility, and he returned home from college feeling hopeless and lost. So he sought the advice of Patricia Feiler, his elementary school chorus teacher turned lifelong friend. “She is the one who inspired me to become a music teacher … and that’s why it’s so important to have these teachers in your life who inspire you and push you,” he says. “Pat saw a talent in me, and she fostered that talent within me.”

Feiler directed Quillin to get involved with Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center’s educational programs like Melodies and Memories, and his spark reignited. “I realized that this is it; I’m back doing what I love,” he says.

With renewed passion, Quillin set off to Hunter College for his master’s degree in music education, relocating to New York City in the process. And there, just as he was solving one piece of his identity, a second piece fell into place — that of his sexuality. It was a question that he wasn’t comfortable asking for many years, and though the North Fork is largely welcoming of its LGBTQ+ community today, Quillin didn’t sense that support in his formative years.

Just a few short months after the move to NYC, he felt comfortable coming out as gay. “The best thing I could have ever done for myself was to be true to who I am. I was finally following personal goals for my emotional health, and the career path was part of my emotional journey,” he shares.

For his debut as a school educator, Quillin joined the Amber Charter Schools as a part-time tutor to the fourth-grade class — an important step in both his professional and personal development. “I had never worked within a school, and to be honest, I think part of wanting to get out of my music education major (at Fredonia) was because I didn’t want to go back to a school,” he explains. “I was bullied as a kid, and I couldn’t see myself going back into a place where things like that happened … but my other thought was that I want to be someone who can help these kids who might be going through the same situations that I had.”

What started as a means to get reacquainted with the school environment evolved into a dream job. “They were my family for 10 years,” Quillin says, noting that during that time he went from student teacher to board trustee and head of the music program. “I helped open the (Amber Charter) middle school, and they came to me, after I taught first grade for a year, and said, ‘We’re going to be starting the music program at this new school. We’d love for you to start the program.’ I jumped right in, and it was like my baby. … Without that school, I would not have the teaching abilities that I have today.”

Having accomplished more than he set out to do at Amber Charter Schools, all while muddling through the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC, Quillin grew restless. “I wanted to get out of Manhattan after COVID. I love the city, but it just felt different to me. And I think I was a little bit tired and ready for something new,” he says. “I cried when I left there, but I knew it was just time for a change.”

At a crossroads once again, Quillin turned to the wisdom of Patricia Feiler. She had once suggested that he offer private voice lessons, but at the time, he wasn’t sure he had the guts to leave a secure job to gamble on his own venture, especially in such a hypercompetitive city. Greenport, on the other hand, had little competition, and he already had the space for a music classroom on the two-apartment property that he purchased with his parents. With the support of Feiler, his family, friends and therapist, his mind was made. He was coming home.

“I was ready for the smell of the sea air. I’m so grateful to be able to take my dog out in the morning, walk along the beach, watch the sunrise and see the ferries going by. … This is home to me,” Quillin shares. “I found my love for the North Fork again. And things have really changed out here since I was a kid.”

In June 2024, Quillin got to experience that change in a deeply personal way when he marched in the North Fork Pride Parade with his parents and community supporting him. “It’s such a more open and accepting place than what I remember,” he says. “Never in my closeted younger life did I ever think I would be marching down the streets of Greenport wearing a Pride flag cape. It was emotional; it was amazing.”

Due to his family’s deep North Fork roots and Greenport’s “small-town vibe,” Quillin admits that he’s barely had to promote his business. He simply announced his homebound plans as he was preparing to leave the city, and he later reached out to let the local music teachers know of his services. Word of mouth then launched his new career and has helped him maintain a steady stream of students for the past year. “I’m so grateful to have the community I have here that’s so supportive, because without them, it wouldn’t be possible for me to do what I’m doing,” he says.

Among the most supportive forces in Quillin’s life were music teachers like Feiler, Ann Welcome, Mark LaRosa, and late voice coach Arthur Swan, whose inspiring tutelage was doled out on the very street where Quillin now lives and teaches. “(Arthur) was a huge inspiration for me,” he says. “It’s come around full circle, and I just feel like he’s (up there) looking down on me.”

Quillin’s hour-long private lessons are open to adults and children of all ages and skill levels. Each coaching session is custom-made to the student’s goal, whether that be to prepare for an upcoming solo or audition, practice harmonies with their friend, expand their vocal range, hone their ability to sing while playing an instrument, learn to sight-read sheet music or belt out their favorite car jams without straining their voice.

“I’ll develop vocal exercises based off the music that you’re singing or based off what your goals are for your voice,” he says, noting that he likes to pepper in music theory insights to help students better understand what they’re hearing when they sing. “I get to switch gears with every single person that comes in — rock, pop, church music, classical folk — whatever you’re looking to sing, let’s work on it.”

No matter the student’s music goal, however, one subject is always on the syllabus: confidence. Quillin has found that instilling that belief improves the wellbeing of his students beyond the stage, emboldening them to “carry themselves a different way” in their social and personal lives.

“Confidence is something that I really strive to bring up in my lessons. Trying to get students to believe in themselves can be a challenge,” he says. “I’ve had people come in and say they can’t sing, and I say, ‘Well, you just haven’t found your voice yet. Every student has a specific voice, and nobody else has that voice except you.’”

When his words of encouragement aren’t enough to cut through a singer’s self-doubt, Quillin may be forced to demonstrate his immense faith in their ability by literally cheering them on. “I think some of my students think I’m absolutely nuts. I am jumping out of my seat in front of them, throwing my hands out and trying to get them to release their sound,” he laughs.

Quillin challenges his students to consider the songs they’re seeking coaching to perform — analyzing the lyrics and exploring their connection to the music. “I want them to be able to recognize why they’re here and why they’re choosing a certain song. For most, it’s very emotional, and it touches the heart and soul,” he says. “I feel like my lessons are sometimes like therapy. People cry, people laugh, and I encourage it. I want people to be themselves, open up and share themselves through their voice and music.”

“It is so important to me for people to find their true selves, because I feel like I spent a lot of time searching for that for myself. If I can be part of that journey for anybody, no matter what their age, and help them along their way, then that is the most rewarding part of my job.”

Having settled in after a “whirlwind of a year” back in Greenport, Quillin’s next goal is to begin developing group programs, such as a musical theater camp for kids or a vocal class for adults. Whether that means partnering with a local institution like the North Fork Arts Center or forging ahead solo, he isn’t sure yet, but he knows one thing for certain: “For now, I am in love with what I’m doing. It was the best decision I could have made.”

For more info about private voice lessons in Greenport, reach out to Brian Quillin at 631-276-1633, bqvoice@gmail.com and on Instagram @BQVoice.