Theodora Nestorova

Congratulations to Theodora Nestorova, the 2024 recipient of the NATS Voice Pedagogy Award. The $500 prize is awarded annually to a candidate who is a member of NATS, for the purpose of study at a seminar or workshop on voice pedagogy and/or voice science.

Nestorova will apply the award money to her attendance at the Pan-European Voice Conference this September in Spain where she was invited to present a practical workshop on vibrato across musical genres.

“We received lots of strong applications for this year’s NATS Voice Pedagogy Award with many impressive candidates,” said NATS President Diana Allan. “We are thrilled to present the 2024 Voice Pedagogy Award to Theodora Nestorova for her research to help fund her attendance to PEVoC-15 in Santander, Spain.”

Nestorova is delighted that this award will help continue her professional development and promote the exchange of ideas and experiences with other voice professionals.

“Receiving this award means so much to me,” Nestorova said. “The support and funding from NATS will help fulfill my longtime dream of attending and presenting at the Pan European Voice Conference (PEVoC), while also contributing to my ongoing cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural commitment to the advancement of the voice profession. I am excited to expand my knowledge, insights, and experiences from PEVoC and to disseminate, cultivate, and exchange that new knowledge and skills overseas.” 

Several of Nestorova’s students from the first-ever course on vocal pedagogy, science and health at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music will join her at PEVoC-15 where they will present their original research.

She added that these students are also part of the APS Hub at McGill, the first center for Applied Performance Sciences in the Americas, of which she is a founding member. The group has established a partnership with NATS International Chapter Montréal.

In accepting the award, Nestorova acknowledged her deep appreciation of NATS.

“Firstly, I’d like to thank the incredible leadership and membership of NATS,” she said. “This organization has been my rock, as I’ve developed over the years from a student to a professor, and as I’ve moved from country to country pursuing my education, singing, and pedagogy. No matter which continent I’m on, the power of the NATS community is there with me.”

She also recognized many mentors who have been part of her journey.

“Secondly, I’d like to thank my longtime mentors — many of whom I’m lucky to call collaborators on several of the projects I’ll be presenting,” she added. “Thank you to John Nix, Josh Glasner, Yvonne Gonzales Redman, Ian Howell, Dana Varga, John Mac Master, Françoise Chagnon, Ron Scherer, Johan Sundberg, Ingo Titze, Martin Vácha, Nick Perna, Gary Scavone, Luc Mongeau, and many more to whom I’m so grateful!”

Congratulations, Theodora!

About Theodora Nestorova

Bulgarian-British-American soprano, researcher, and teacher Theodora Ivanova Nestorova is a Ph.D. candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies/Applied Performance Sciences at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. As a voice scientist, her vibrato research work has been published in the Journal of Voice and The Journal of Acoustical Society of America and won best paper, poster, and presentation awards at National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA) conferences. An active educator and clinician, she maintains a private voice teaching and diction coaching (especially Slavic languages) studio at AXiO Performing Arts Medicine & ENT Vocalex Clinic in Montréal and serves as a course lecturer/instructor at Framingham State University in Boston. A versatile vocalist, Nestorova is the first-place winner of the American Prize in Vocal Performance, has recorded with international record labels such as Aparté and the world-renowned Bulgarian National Radio, and regularly performs across genres as one-half of the experimental soprano-cello duo, Pizzicanto. Nestorova holds an M.B.A. in Arts Entrepreneurship (Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation), a M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy/Music-in-Education (New England Conservatory), and a B.M. in Voice Performance/Musicology (Oberlin Conservatory). A former Fulbright Scholar to Austria, Nestorova was a grant recipient at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She has trained in Laryngeal Manual Therapy with Myofascial Release licensure, is a Performing Arts Medicine Association Certified Arts Educator in Vocal Performance, and is currently undergoing PAVA Vocologist Recognition. For more, visit theodoranestorova.com

Learn more information about the NATS Voice Pedagogy Award and view the list of past award recipients. The annual application deadline is February 15 of the year in which the proposed seminar will take place.