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Plenary Sessions
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address — Voices Uplifted!
10-11:45 a.m. | St. Paul’s Bloor Street - Sanctuary
Featuring Marion Newman, Marcus Nance, the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, and Karen Slack
Presiding: Allen Henderson, NATS Executive Director
Welcome to the 11th International Congress of Voice Teachers in beautiful Toronto, Canada. Join us as we lift our voices together to celebrate the rich heritage and splendor of Canadian artistry. The grand opening ceremony features performances by acclaimed artists Marion Newman, Marcus Nance, and the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, culminating in a keynote address by Karen Slack, one of the foremost voices in singing and performance.
Bust Out of Your Straight Jacket
12-1 p.m. | St. Paul’s Bloor Street - Sanctuary
Presented by Elaine Overholt
Are we in denial of what today’s singers need and long for to grow, be passionate, embrace all forms of singing AND have good technique? Are you afraid of tackling pop, musical theatre, jazz, or rock (my, my!) because you worry they’ll damage their voices? Step bravely and passionately into new avenues, expanding and enriching yourself and your students. Trust your gut instinct, push past the fear of new territory and create a new path instead of following old ones. Step into your own spotlight as a teacher so your students can too.
Bust out of your straight jacket, go through the FEAR, and just do it! This is your moment to take a hard left into the unknown. Your students will thank you!
Friday, August 1, 2025
Registers – The Piranha-Infested River of Voice Pedagogy
9:30-10:30 a.m. | Chelsea Hotel, Churchill Ballroom
Presented by Christian Herbst
The notion of singing voice registers — first emerging about half a millennium ago — has historically evolved to explain voice production phenomena in classical, operatic and Bel Canto singing. Voice registers can be considered on different levels: kinesthetic/proprioceptive; auditive/perceptual; and concerning the underlying physiology and physics of the actual voice production. Notably, neither the pedagogical nor the scientific field has reached unanimous consensus about the nature of voice registers even today.
This presentation will review the basic physical and physiological aspects of voice production that can lead to different registration events in the voice. It will discuss voice production on a broader scope, including “non-classical” singing styles and animal bioacoustics, and will argue that the “classical” voice registers are special cases of bifurcation events within the framework of non-linear dynamics. A broader non-linear dynamics approach may be beneficial for voice pedagogy, particularly when considering “non-classical” singing styles like contemporary commercial music. Such an extended approach will consider potential influences of (a) the coupled supra- and subglottal vocal tracts and (b) other vibrating laryngeal tissues (like ventricular folds, aryepiglottic folds, or even non-human primates’ vocal membranes) factors which are often neglected when discussing vocal registers.
The Transformative Power of Voice: The Legacy of Manuel García II and the Evolution of the Singing Voice Specialist
10:45 a.m.-12 p.m. | Chelsea Hotel, Churchill Ballroom
Presented by Kari Ragan
This plenary session explores the profound connection between voice and healing, tracing the journey from Manuel García II, the pioneering figure in voice pedagogy, to the emergence of the modern-day singing voice specialist. García II's groundbreaking work laid the foundation for understanding the voice as both a physiological system and a medium for artistic expression. Through this session, we will explore how his legacy has shaped the evolution of the singing voice specialist (SVS). These voice specialists combine artistic training with scientific insight to optimize vocal rehabilitation, restoring health, function, and performance. Attendees will gain insight into the evolution of vocal care, the role of music in healing, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the ever-expanding fields of voice science, vocal health, and pedagogy.
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Performance Class with Karen Slack
4-5:30 p.m. | Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music
Presented by Karen Slack
David Eliakis, conference collaborative pianist
ICVT keynote speaker and international sensation, Karen Slack, will work with young artists on diverse repertoire, offering guidance and sharing expertise from her distinguished career. Described by Trilloquy as “not only one of the nation’s most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music,” Slack brings both excellent artistry and advocacy to the stage. A Philadelphia native, she is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music and the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program. She has appeared on many of the world’s greatest stages was awarded the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. Her dedication to advancing the arts extends through her roles as an artistic advisor for Portland Opera, board member for the American Composers Orchestra and Astral Artists, and as a faculty member at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. She was named the Lyric Unlimited Artist-in-Residence at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the 2024/25 season as well as Artist-in-Residence at leading entrepreneurial institution Babson College.
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Closing Ceremony & Final Plenary Sessions
5-7 p.m. | Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church
Inspired Not Bound: The Promise of Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy
5-7 p.m. | Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church
Presented by Lynn Helding
Lynn Helding defines Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy in her upcoming book The Art of Vocology, as “A type of hybrid singing voice pedagogy that unites science and art by researching current voice science, translating it, combining it with extant historic voice knowledge, and transmitting it to singers. Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy is informed by science, but not bound by it.” In a previous presentation at this congress, Helding first explored the question of “Why Facts Do Not Always Change Minds” pivoting to this epilogue, “Inspired Not Bound,” in which we are invited to imagine the future of voice pedagogy in a post-pandemic landscape based on the premise that what is known and considered true does not begin nor end with science, but takes account of the full scope of human experience.
Our Voices Alive — Our Voices Uplifted!
5-7 p.m. | Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church
Featuring Ian Cusson, Alice Ho, Britta Johnson, Teiya Kasahara, and Cecilia Livingston.
Moderated by Krisztina Szabo
In this inspiring panel, leading Canadian composers and creators join together with their VOICES UPLIFTED. These visionaries are immersed in all that is new, hybridized, and re-envisioned. Never before have access, artistry, advocacy and agency been so powerfully activated and united. We invite you to take part in our “singing revolution” and be empowered to create your own music, forge your own lane forward, and embrace the possibilities of what is ahead.
