A BIT ABOUT ME
In my mid 20's, I began my professional conducting and voice teaching career in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. During my tenure at Penn my choir appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony.
Conducting studies began in childhood with Dr James Allan Dash, Internationally acclaimed Bach Specialist who most famously led the Bach Festival Choirs and the Philadelphia Orchestra in a performance of the Bminor Mass from the harpsichord!! My studies continued in college with Dr Joseph Flummerfelt, acclaimed by Leonard Bernstein to be the finest Choral Conductor in the world. Joe became a life long mentor and friend.
He also introduced me to Robert Shaw. Singing with Shaw opened my eyes and ears to the beauty inherent in direct vocal communication. Dash, Flummerfelt, Shaw! Amazing!!
Dan Marek, Metropolitan Opera Principal Tenor and author of 4 Technique/Historical Books about Singing became my voice and pedagogy teacher in my late 20's. I continued working with Dan for the next 20 years! In depth understanding of Acoustical Phonetics as foundational in building a healthy, powerful, expressive vocal technique began here, with Dan's instruction, guidance and mentorship.
During those same decades that I was working with Dan, I discovered the science of orgonomy. The direct causal relationship between the release of muscular tension patterns and the expression of repressed emotion became an important cornerstone in the development of my pedagogy.
In the early 90's I met Dr Alfred Tomatis when he and his team traveled from France to this country to present his research and method in English for the first time. I went on to study directly with Tomatis in Paris as well as other long time collaborators and practitioners of the Tomatis Method for the next 10 years. Dr. Tomatis is best known in Europe for the 'Tomatis Effect', which states that the the voice can only produce what the ear can hear!
My Musical Journey has been paved by marvelous, brilliantly ' gifted' and 'generous' mentors!• I was a sponge soaking up the beautiful music surrounding me in my childhood home.
• Thelma Pechin, Curtis trained concert pianist and teacher extraordinaire taught me from the age of 4 and mentored my beginning teaching career starting age 11.
•Conducting mentorships with Flummerfelt and Dr Elaine Brown brought me my beginning professional Choral conducting jobs.
• Singing and Voice teaching mentorships with Harold Parker and Dan Marek facilitated my beginning Voice Teaching jobs at Settlement Music School and the University of Pennsylvania.
•Dr. Fiora Raggi and Dr. Robert Dew led me in the right direction toward releasing habitual muscular tension patterns as a pre-requisite for correct muscle building & re-integration.
•Dr Alfred Tomatis generously mentored me thru hundreds of hours of explanation and demonstration of his teaching methods. His research into how you "Sing with your Ear" and his creative applications of this work in the voice teaching studio continue to change my life and my work on a daily basis. I am also indebted to his long time protégé and collaborator Paul Madaule! Another mentorship that I treasure.
At the recommendation of the London Tomatis Center a number of Opera Singers moved to Philadelphia in 2000 to study with me. The two longest residencies were 3 1/2 years and 5 years. These incredibly talented musicians took daily lessons during their stay. Offered me an unparalleled opportunity to work one on one with the human voice!!
• In addition well over a 1,000 singers over the years have trusted me to help them on their 'vocal' journey! 🎶 Their willingness to 'go with it' and also provide feedback in song and conversation has been invaluable!
Students have performed at the following venues:
Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Off Broadway
New York City Opera
Washington National Opera
Teatro Communale di Modena
Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro
Vancouver Opera
Santa Fe Opera
Paper Mill Playhouse
Goodspeed Opera
Kennedy Center
Kimmel Center
Walnut Street Theater
Fulton Theater
Arden Theater
Peoples Light Theater
SIgnature Theater DC
Shakespere Theater DC
Olney Theater
Bucks County Playhouse
Pocono Playhouse
The Laguna Playhouse
Keswick Theater
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Laurie Beecham Theatre
Broadway National Tours
European Rock Festivals
EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
Candlelight Theatre
Broadway Theater of Pitman
Ritz Theater
Motion Pictures
Television
Students have been accepted to :
Julliard
Pace University
NYU
University of Pennsylvania
The Actors Studio
Syracuse University
Temple University Esther Boyer School of Music
DeSales University
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Michigan
Northwestern University
Penn State
University of the Arts
Boston Conservatory of Music
University of Eastern Michigan
Lehigh University (choral scholar)
Catholic University
University of Delaware
University of Maryland
West Chester University
Susquehanna University