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PRESENTER BIOS

Read the biographies of the NATS 58th national conference presenters and performers. To locate a specific person, select the individual letter of their last name.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

A

Emily Albrink

Emily Albrink, soprano, just released her debut album Force of Nature with pianist, Kathleen Kelly, on the Lexicon Classics Label. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Classical Billboard Charts and features world premiere commissions by Jake Heggie, Rene Orth, Nailah Nombeko and Steve Rouse. She has sung leading roles with the Washington National Opera, Kentucky Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Boston, Indianapolis Opera, and Chicago Opera Theater and has been a featured soloist with orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Baltimore Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and Louisville Orchestra. Albrink has appeared at Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, and she has performed internationally in China and France. She is on the voice faculty at the University of Louisville School of Music.

Jean Anderson Collier

Jean Anderson Collier is a nationally known vocal coach and pianist. She is the principal opera coach at Boston Conservatory, where she also coaches art song and teaches courses in opera. At New England Conservatory of Music, she teaches foreign-language diction. She is active as musical advisor, pianist, and coach for the Boston Opera Collaborative, and she is the organist and choir director at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scituate, Massachusetts. She has been a coach at Berklee College of Music’s Summer Opera Intensive in Valencia, Spain; a coach and pianist at University of Alaska's Summer Arts Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska; and a coach at Northern Arizona University’s summer opera program Flagstaff in Fidenza, in Fidenza, Italy. She has collaborated with many New England musical organizations including Boston Lyric Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Opera Providence, Harvard University’s Summer Chorus, Harvard-Radcliffe chorus, Orpheus Singers, Back Bay Chorale, MetroWest Opera, Longwood Opera, Brandeis University choruses, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also maintains an active schedule as a recitalist performing with singers in the United States and Europe. Recent engagements have included concerts in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Rome, Santo Stephano, Italy, and Valencia, Spain. Her performance of Mirror with singers from the Boston Opera Collaborative was named one of the 10 best Boston classical music performances of the year in Boston’s Classical Music Review. Anderson Collier holds a doctorate from New England Conservatory. Her principal teachers include Margo Garrett, Irma Vallecillo, Kayo Iwama, Kenneth Griffiths and Hartmut Höll.

Belinda Andrews-Smith

Dr. Belinda Andrews-Smith is a musical theatre director and vocal pedagogue with over 25 years of university teaching experience. She is currently the head of the musical theatre BFA at Tulane University, where she teaches voice and directs the program’s musicals. Andrews-Smith has directed over 40 productions in her academic career, and in 2020, she was honored by the American Prize, with a first-place win for outstanding stage direction for her production of Chicago. In addition to directing, Andrews-Smith is an innovative voice teacher. Her vast knowledge of musical theatre and classical singing techniques have transformed her actors’ experiences on the stage and in the classroom. Students of Andrews-Smith have won numerous awards at state and national musical theatre singing competitions and many of her students have gone on to successful Broadway and National Broadway tour debuts.

Susan Shiplett Ashbaker

Susan Shiplett Ashbaker, Associate Professor/Director of Westminster Opera Theatre for Westminster Choir College/Rider University and Director for the CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster brings over 40 years of experience in the performing arts.  Her experience on both sides of the opera industry gives her a rare and comprehensive approach to the key elements of career advancement for singers as well as a unique vantage point as a vocal coach. As General & Artistic Director for Tri-Cities Opera she “transformed the company in every way imaginable,” according to the TCO Board Chair.  Additional affiliations include 16 years with Opera Company of Philadelphia (Director of Artistic and Music Administration), faculty at The Curtis Institute of Music and The Academy of Vocal Arts.  Ms. Ashbaker has recently written a book entitled “The Vocal Coach Approach:  When Practice Makes Perfect, A guide to help singers of all levels learn to practice and love it!” 

Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin is Professor of Voice at the University of North Texas. He earned his Ph.D. under the direction of Ingo Titze at the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa. He has published in the Journal of Voice, Journal of Singing, Australian Voice, The Choral Journal, and Classical Singer. He was creator and primary contributor of the popular column, “Provenance” in the Journal of Singing from 2004 until 2016, now available from Inside View Press: Provenance: Historic Voice Pedagogy through a Contemporary Lens (2017). He is a successful studio teacher with current and former students singing throughout the United States and in Europe. Austin conducts The Practical Pedagogue around the country and every summer on the campus of UNT where he teaches the practical application of important scientific concepts and pedagogical tenets of the historical Italian School of singing.

Lucas Avery

Lucas Avery is a nonbinary countertenor who teaches classical and contemporary singing out of their home studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They have a BM in vocal music from LSU where they studied under Dr. Loraine Sims. Lucas Avery has over ten years of experience teaching voice privately, and their performing experience includes engagements with the LSU Symphony, the Acadiana Symphony, and ten years with BREVE, a local early music ensemble specializing in historical performance practice. They enjoy exploring all styles of music, and their strengths outside of classical music lie in pop, folk, and musical theater.

B

Alisa Belflower

Alisa Belflower joined the Korff School of Music’s faculty and the Carson School of Theatre and Film’s faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2000. She teaches voice and acting as well as serving as musical director, coach, or staging director for UNL productions. Belflower also works as an Associate Producer in Development with the Lied Center for Performing Arts. As an advocate of new works, she directs developmental staged readings with renowned guest composers-in-residence and is a resident stage director in ASCAP’s New Musical Theatre Workshop. Having presented her research and performed internationally, Belflower is currently in her second term as the West Central NATS Region's Governor and is a member of NATS NSA Committee. Her students have won international awards for their performances of opera, art song, and musical theatre including national awards won in NATS student and young artist competitions among others. Her former students have performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, the West End, on television, in film, in national tours, and in regional professional opera and theatre companies. An award-winning professor and director, Belflower holds bachelor’s degrees in music and French from Furman University. After an opera apprenticeship in Paris, France, she completed her master's degree and doctoral studies at the University of South Carolina.

Elizabeth Ann Benson

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Benson is recognized as a dynamic scholar, pedagogue, and performer. Her book, Training Contemporary Commercial Singers is hailed as “a remarkable and long-awaited contribution to the world of voice pedagogy” (Journal of Singing). Her current research program examines issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the voice studio. In recent years, she co-authored the groundbreaking fat liberationist article “Anti-Fat Bias in the Singing Voice Studio,” (Journal of Singing) with Kate Rosen and the anti-racist article “Practicing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the Singing Voice Studio,” (Voice and Speech Review) with Trineice Robinson-Martin and Marisa Lee Naismith. She is an Associate Professor of Music Theatre Voice at Auburn University and the founder and owner of Benson Music Studios. A versatile singer herself, career highlights include opera (Carnegie Hall), musical theatre (Symphony Center), rock (The Hard Rock Café Atlanta), and virtual and live cabaret shows. elizabethannbenson.com

Christian Bester

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “Impressive,” South African baritone, Dr. Christian Bester, made his professional debut as Schaunard in La Bohème for Pro Musica Theater in South Africa and his European debut as Zaremba in Polin Blut for the Americke Jaro Festival in the Czech Republic. Additional critically acclaimed roles include Gianni Schicchi, Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva, Belcore, Enrico, Marcello, Germont, Guglielmo, Escamillo, and Dr. Malatesta. Orchestral engagements include the Fort Worth Symphony, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, Manitowoc Symphony, Allen Philharmonic, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra League. Bester is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Oklahoma State University. He is a sought-after recitalist, presenter and clinician throughout the US, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. Two articles on Afrikaans Lyric Diction co-authored with colleague Dr. Bronwen Forbay were published in the NATS Journal of Singing in 2022. Afrikaans Art Song Literature: Translation and Pronunciation Guide also coauthored with Dr. Forbay, will be published by OUP.

Ho Eui Holly Bewlay

Korean American soprano, Ho Eui Holly Bewlay is a performer, pedagogue, researcher, and director seen throughout USA, South Korea, and Europe. Her operatic roles include Cio cio san from Madama Butterfly, and Rosalinde from Die Fledermaus, and her solo concert work includes Beethoven’s Symphony 9, Mendelssohn’s  Symphony No. 2, and Bach’s B Minor Mass. She was awarded as a Faculty for an Outstanding Undergraduate Course for Service Learning from the Civic Engagement SUNY Buffalo State, and Educator of the Year from OperaBuff, NY. She was an artist pedagogue for Professional Development of Arts Educators in Buffalo and is an author to “Building Healthy Vocal Habits” in The First-Year Music Major Strategies for Success by Routledge.  Recently she co-founded a female baroque music ensemble, Tormenta D’Amore.  She is a professor in Music at SUNY Buffalo State. where she coordinates the voice program, teaches applied voice, and vocal pedagogy. Holly went to New England Conservatory for BM, and the Eastman School for MM. and DMA.

Amelia Rollings Bigler

Amelia Rollings Bigler, PhD, MM, currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music (Voice and Voice Pedagogy) at Coastal Carolina University. Dr. Rollings Bigler earned a PhD in Voice Pedagogy from The University of Kansas and a MM in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Rollings Bigler was the winner of the 2018 Van L. Lawrence Fellowship and the first recipient of the Clifton Ware Group-Voice Pedagogy Award in 2022. In 2023, she established the Center for Group-Voice Pedagogy and Research and launched the annual Summer Group-Voice Pedagogy Intensive at CCU. Her primary research interests include musical theatre and contemporary commercial music (CCM) voice pedagogy, small and large group voice teaching, historical voice teacher education and credentialing, and the effects of shoe heel heights, head position, jaw opening and other aspects of body alignment on acoustic and perceptual measures of singing efficiency. Publications have appeared in the Journal of Voice, the Journal of Singing, and Voice and Speech Review. Dr. Rollings Bigler currently serves as President of the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA).

Carole Choate Blankenship

Carole Choate Blankenship, soprano, is Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music at Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Blankenship has performed art song recitals in Sintra, Portugal; Marktoberdorf, Germany; The Foundling Museum, London; The Cell Theatre, New York; and The American Legation in Tangier, Morocco. She has presented papers and lecture recitals at University of Lisbon, Portugal; Queensland Conservatorium, Brisbane, Australia; The Royal College of Music, Stockholm, Sweden; and on a tour of the American Language Centers of Morocco (2019). Blankenship’s research is focused on the songs composed for the Composers Forum Laboratory in New York, 1935-1939, and the unpublished songs of Paul Frederic Bowles, 1910-1990. Carole has served the National Association of Teachers of Singing in many capacities including Vice President for Auditions (2012-2016), President Elect (2018-2020), and President (2020-2022).

Dan Boner

Dan Boner is Program Director of Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies, in the Department of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, Tennessee, where in 2010, he helped co-create the world’s first ever bachelor's degree specific to the field. A professional bluegrass performing and recording artist, music producer, and educator, he has performed around the United States, in Europe, and Japan, and at venues that include the Grand Ole Opry, the White House, NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Vatican in Rome, and at bluegrass festivals across North America.

“Bluegrass music, as it is traditionally practiced and transmitted by ear, knee-to-knee, provides an exceptional platform for putting into practice modern music education theories including praxialism, critical theory, and constructivism,” he states. “It is an exercise in culturally-responsive music education and an example of how music teachers can serve music communities that are traditionally underrepresented in school curricula.”

Joanne Bozeman

Joanne Bozeman is a graduate of the University of Arizona and has been a singing teacher for 48 years. She was a faculty member of Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music, where she taught singing and related courses. Joanne was an actively performing soprano, specializing in recital repertoire, oratorio and chamber music. Inspired by her long-standing interest in voice health and the relationship of hormones with voice throughout the female lifespan, Joanne co-authored the book, “Singing Through Change: Women’s Voices in Midlife, Menopause, and Beyond,” released in 2020. She is a frequent presenter on the subject of hormones and female voice for many organizations, including the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the International Congress of Voice Teachers, the British Voice Association, Pan American Vocology Association and the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association. Retired from academia, Joanne continues to be engaged with the voice community as an independent teacher and researcher.

Kenneth Bozeman

Kenneth Bozeman, author of Practical Vocal Acoustics and Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy, served as Professor of Music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin for 42 years. He was awarded the Van Lawrence Fellowship by the Voice Foundation in 1994 and is on the editorial boards of the NATS Journal of Singing and the Voice Foundation’s Journal of Voice. He was twice a master teacher for the NATS Intern Program and was inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing in 2019. He was honored to be a keynote speaker for the British Voice Association (2021) and the International Congress of Voice Teachers (2022). He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CCM Vocal pedagogy Institute in 2024. His work explores the acoustic landscape that all voices inhabit, describes the inherent relationships of its components, and seeks ways to motivate efficient singing while respecting both acoustic reality and effective historic pedagogy. 

Karen Brunssen

Karen Brunssen, mezzo soprano, is Professor of Voice at Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.  She is Past-President of NATS. Her book, The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Lifespan, chronicles changes in respiration, vibration and resonance, and realistic expectations for singing throughout life.  She has done teaching residencies in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Zurich, and Cambridge, and is a frequent master teacher and presenter. Her singing career included appearances with orchestras, festivals, and ensembles across the United States and Europe. Karen’s students have gone on to win major competitions, perform with orchestras and opera companies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as Broadway and national music theater tours, and teach privately and at the collegiate levels. Karen is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing and is a consulting editor for Plural Publishing

Tom Burke

Tom Burke is a speech-language pathologist and executive speaker coach who over the past 20 years has helped TED speakers, Google execs, authors, Hollywood Actors, and Broadway singers become more powerful communicators. His work has been featured on HBO, MTV, the Oprah Winfrey Network, Good Morning America, and as co-host and voice coach for Bravo TV's "In a Man's World" a social experiment produced by Viola Davis designed to reveal gender inequities in the workplace and at home. Most recently he was the vocal supervisor for Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen in the upcoming release of Book Club 2.

Christopher Burns 

Dr. Christopher Burns is a dynamic and dedicated arts educator, serving as the Fine and Performing Arts Resource Specialist in Osceola County, Florida. With a profound background in music education, he obtained his B.M.E. from the University of Central Florida, his M.M.E. from Boston University, and a PhD from the University of South Florida, focusing on the integration of New Media and Modern Band, as well as Learner-Centered Education. Christopher's passion for arts and education is evident in his innovative approach to teaching. Keenly interested in new technologies, he explores cutting-edge instructional methods, enhancing student learning experiences. In addition to his role in education, Christopher has played a prominent leadership role as the President of the Florida Music Supervisors Association (FMSA). Through this position, he has worked tirelessly to promote excellence in music education and advocate for the music educators and students across the state. Christopher's dedication to his craft is evident in his experience teaching Arts Integration and Elementary Music Methods at UCF and Valencia. Furthermore, he has been invited to present workshops for numerous organizations throughout the country, sharing his expertise and inspiring fellow educators. 

C

Marc Callahan

Marc Callahan has performed at The Royal Opera House, Opera North (UK), Santa Fe Opera, Théâtre des Champs Élysées, Théâtre du Capitole, Opéra National de Lyon, Opéra de Montpellier, Opéra Comique, Théâtre Royale de Versailles, and the Opéra de Marseille. His repertoire includes: Hannah Then (As One), Don Giovanni, Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette), Sid (Albert Herring), Frédéric (Lakmé), Escamillo (Carmen), Le Carnival (Le Carnival et la Folie), Artemidore (Armide), Bobinet (La vie Parisienne), and countless others. In concert, he has sung with Les Arts Florissants, the London Song Festival, Midsummer Opera (London), Radio France, and as part of the lineage of singers to perform the Defiant Requiem. He has recorded with Virgin Classics, FRA Musica, Passavant, Newport Classic, Editions d’Ambronay, Radio France, and has an upcoming recording of works by Gerald Finzi with Albany Records. Opera magazine has hailed him as “a powerful baritone, providing wickedly glamorous tone.”

Amy Canchola

Dr. Amy Canchola holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance (DMA) from the University of North Texas, a Master’s from Southern Methodist University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Butler University. She has performed opera and musical theatre throughout the country and has sung at Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, the Bach-Millennium Festival, and the National NATS Conference. Canchola strives to promote the music of Latina women and Mexican composers. She is a member of Duo Atesorado and Duo Floreciente. Dr. Canchola prides herself on being a champion for the student. Canchola's students are members of the TMEA All-State choir, NATS Winners, active performers, and often pre-collegiate track singers. When she isn't teaching, Canchola can be found spending time with her husband and children or rehearsing with her duo, Duo Atesorado. She and her husband, Gil, have four children and own Canchola Handyman Services. amycanchola.com

Eden Casteel

"A stunning coloratura soprano" with "a great sense of comic timing," Eden Casteel is a singer/songwriter, piano player, livestreamer, and voice coach based in Wakefield, RI. A former president of the RI Chapter and a Master Teacher for the 2022 NATS Intern Program, you’ve also seen Casteel’s presentations at NATS Chicago 2022 and NATS online in 2020. Eden’s full-length cabaret show, “Kahn Artist,” tells the hilarious, heartfelt story of how her music career was kickstarted by a Madeline Kahn beer commercial. Favorite roles include The Queen Of The Night in The Magic Flute, Francesca Johnson on The Bridges Of Madison County, Victoria Grant in Victor/Victoria, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Casteel’s album with the Providence-based band Evening Sky comes out in later 2023. "The Eden Show,” an interactive livestream variety hour, airs weekly on YouTube. Learn more at edencasteel.com.

André Chiang

Baritone André Chiang has been described as “vocally commanding” (Oregonian), “handsome of voice” (Opera News), and lauded with “let’s hear more from this singer” (Washington Post). Chiang’s recent engagements include Dandini (La Cenerentola) with Dayton Opera and Escamillo (Carmen) with Mobile Opera. Previous companies include Portland Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Glimmerglass Festival. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in the World Premiere of Martin Palmeri’s Gran Misa as Baritone soloist. Upcoming engagements include Opera Las Vegas, Opera Western Reserve, Mobile Opera, and Opera Philadelphia. As an educator, Chiang was a 2018 NATS Intern and in the first cohort of Pan American Vocology Association – Recognized Vocologists (PAVA-RV). Chiang is an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, an Instructor of Voice at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and runs a private online and in-person studio teaching acoustic and amplified styles. andrechiangbaritone.com

Molly Claassen

Molly Claassen (she/her) is the Associate Professor of Directing and the head of the BA program at Columbus State University. She holds an MFA in directing from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a BA in theatre, math minor, and teaching certification from Baldwin-Wallace University. She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association, an Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and recipient of the Fredric March Award for Excellence in Professional Theatre. She previously resided in New York City where she specialized in developing new works at such theatres as Theatre Row Studio, The Duplex, The Barrow Group, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and The Gene Frankel Theatre. Regionally, she assistant directed at The Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, and The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Claassen is Co-Creator and Co-Director of The Momversations Project production and podcast for the National Women's Theatre Festival.

D

Drake Dantzler

Drake Dantzler is a frequent performer of Opera, Operetta, Oratorio and song. Dr. Dantzler was hailed in Opera News as “a real find: he has a voice of molten silver, immaculate musicianship and an expressive stage persona.” Some of Dantzler’s appearances in opera include Gérald in Lakmé with Opera Theater of the Rockies and Rodolfo in La Bohéme with Arbor Opera Theater. Dantzler is an operetta enthusiast, having appeared as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Opera Theater of the Rockies, Camille from The Merry Widow with the Breckenridge Music Festival and Toledo Opera, and in numerous roles with Ohio Light Opera including the Caliph in Kismet, René in The Count of Luxembourg, and the Duke of Dunstable in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience, recorded and released on Albany Records. Other a Gilbert and Sullivan credits include Frederick in Pirates of Penzance, and Nanki-Poo in Mikado with Grand Rapids Opera, Western Plains Opera, Union Avenue Opera and others. Dantzler is an avid voice scientist, and has presented research and lectures at the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference, The Voice Foundation Symposium, and at Michigan State Vocal Music Association conferences. Dantzler holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, the Eastman School of Music, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas. Dr. Dantzler is Associate Professor of Music at Oakland University where he coordinates the Opera Area. More information can be found at DrakeDantzler.com.

Sakinah A. Davis

Sakinah A. Davis, DMA is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Director of Opera Workshop at Xavier University of Louisiana. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music at Spelman College then completed her training at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, with degrees in classical voice performance with a cognate in ethnomusicology. While actively performing as a soprano, Davis has held positions at Perimeter College of Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College and the El Sistema-inspired Atlanta Music Project as a vocal instructor, lecturer and choral director. Her research interests include Spanish language vocal repertoire and intersections between opera and the African Diaspora, and she has worked with arts organizations such as the New Orleans Opera Association and MUSE Machine in Dayton, OH. Most recently, she has performed as a featured soloist with the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans and Opera Créole.

Alexis Davis-Hazell

American mezzo-soprano Alexis Davis-Hazell’s performances have earned accolades for the size and quality of her instrument, and the dramatic intensity she brings to supporting characters. Alexis’ soloist appearances since contributing to the GRAMMY™ award-winning album Gretchaninov: Passion Week with the Phoenix Chorale include: symphonic works with orchestras in the southeast and southwest U.S.; the International Alonzo Ortiz Tirado Opera Festival in Sonora, Mexico; a variety of roles with regional opera companies in the U.S.; and over 130 performances of Porgy and Bess at international venues, including Dresden Semperoper, Mikhailovsky Opera, Kuressaare Operadays Festival, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and San Francisco Opera. At The University of Alabama School of Music, she serves as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies, and Assistant Professor of Voice. The current President-Elect of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Davis-Hazell continues to be an interdisciplinary collaborator, guest artist, and music humanities lecturer nationally and at international conferences of voice, opera, and arts research alliances.

Sarah DeYong

Performer and Pedagogue Sarah DeYong (she/her) is a member of NATS, Texoma Region NATS, and the Singing for Health Network, UK. She obtained an MFA in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theater from Oklahoma City University. Her master’s thesis, “Voice Teaching within a Student’s Window of Tolerance: Upholding an Ethical Scope of Practice in a Trauma-Informed Studio,” created a passion for trauma-informed pedagogy. She is passionate about continuing to research, refine, and apply these principles as she navigates an informed balance between encouraging and challenging her students.

Wesley Diener

Wesley Diener is a professional singer, voice educator, and director who is highly sought after for opera, musical theatre, and cabaret projects. He has performed across the United States and internationally in productions such as Into the Woods (Baker), West Side Story (Riff), Miss Saigon (The Engineer), Sweeney Todd (Anthony), Seussical (Horton), and The Wizard of Oz (Cowardly Lion). Diener is the Founder of WD Studio, a virtual voice studio that offers individual voice lessons, as well as group classes in voice, songwriting, and acting with internationally acclaimed artists. Diener's voice students have performed in Broadway national tours and regional theater productions, as well as professional film and television projects. In addition to his current studies at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, Diener graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Distinguished Majors Program, the Performance Concentration, and the Miller Art Scholars.

Melony Dodson

Melony Dodson maintains an active career as a collaborative pianist as well as classical radio host/producer for WUOT, 91.9 FM (Knoxville’s public radio station and NPR-affiliate). For the past 16 years, she has worked as a freelance music director in the Knoxville area, directing productions at Maryville College, the Clarence Brown Theatre (at the University of Tennessee), and Theatre Knoxville Downtown, among others. Most recently, she performed at the Tennessee Theatre playing Keys 2 in the national touring production of Wicked, as well as Keys 2 in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Kinky Boots. Additionally, Dodson is passionate about collaborating with choirs and is the pianist for the University of Tennessee Men’s Chorale and the Oak Ridge Chorus. She has worked as a coach/accompanist with UT Opera Theatre, as well as Knoxville Opera and has performed occasionally as a pianist with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Dodson holds a master’s degree in collaborative piano from the University of Tennessee (with a focus on musical theatre) and a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Appalachian State University. Her teachers include Kevin Class, Rodney Reynerson, Christina Dahl and Benton Hess.

Eileen Downey

Eileen Downey is currently Distinguished Lecturer of Collaborative Piano at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she is a vocal coach and collaborative pianist, as well as a rehearsal pianist for Knoxville Opera. She recently returned from Graz, Austria, where she was an opera coach for the AIMS in Graz program. Downey will be performing a new song cycle written by her colleague, Dr. Khyle Wooten, at the 25th Anniversary African-American Art Song Alliance Conference at the University of California-Irvine in October. Downey held the positions of chorusmaster, vocal coach, and Music Director for the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center for the summer seasons of 2013-14, and 2016-19. She has been an accompanist for the Middle/East Tennessee Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition since 2012, and is an alumna of the Merola Opera Program. Other programs in which she has been involved include Opera North, SongFest, Aspen Opera Theater Center, Project Canción Española, and the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy. Downey received a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano from Michigan State University.

Megan Durham

Megan Durham (she/her), serves on the voice faculty at the University of Louisville and works as a singing voice specialist. Incorporating trauma-informed care into her pedagogy, she is a facilitator of YogaVoice®, LifeForce Yoga®, Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga, and Movement For Trauma (Jane Clapp). Megan serves as the Education Director of the Voice and Trauma Research and Connection Group, founded by Dr. Elisa Monti.

E

James Eakin

James Eakin holds the Bachelor of Music from Centenary College (2000), a Master of Music from Southern Methodist University (2003), and in 2007, received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Composition at the Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri- Kansas City. Eakin’s music catalog is prolific and spans genres from Concert Hall to Pop/Rock. He has composed works for Maya Angelou’s 80th Birthday celebration, the President’s Christmas Gala at the White House, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra to name a few. James’ music is regularly performed at Carnegie Hall including his hourlong “Flowers over the Graves of War” for Chorus, Soloists, and Orchestra, which premiered to a sold-out audience. Most recently, his “#twitterlieder: 15 tweets in 3 acts,” premiered by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus at Davies Symphony Hall, was the subject of a nationally aired PBS documentary and was awarded the American Prize in Composition.

Grace Edgar

Grace Edgar holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance with a minor in Directing from the University of Houston and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Opera from Longy School of Music. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she performed with Arizona Opera, Opera New Jersey, Austin Lyric Opera, Key West Pops Symphony, The Belleayre Music Festival, The Traveling Lantern Theatre Company, and The Growing Stage. Directing credits include The Magic Flute, Songs for a New World, The Last Five Years, Seussical, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Glass Menagerie. Music Directing credits include 1940’s Radio Hour, Twelfth Night, Ordinary Days, and Freaky Friday. In the Fall of 2022, Edgar joined the faculty at Midwestern State University as Assistant Professor of Theatre. Her article “The Practical Applications of Viewpoints for Collegiate Opera and Musical Theatre” was published in the 2022 September/October edition of The Journal of Singing.

Matt Edwards

Matt Edwards is an Associate Professor, Coordinator of Musical Theatre Voice, and Artistic Director of the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory. Former and current students have performed on American Idol, Broadway, off-Broadway, on national and international tours, and in bands touring throughout the world. He has written numerous journal articles and contributed chapters to “A Dictionary for the Modern Singer,” “Vocal Athlete,” “Manual of Singing Voice Rehabilitation,” “Get the Callback,” “The Voice Teacher’s Cookbook,” and the CCM, Sacred Music, Gospel, A Cappella, and Country editions of the “So You Want to Sing” book series. His book “So You Want to Sing Rock ‘N’ Roll?” is published by Rowman and Littlefield. He has been a NATS Intern, a master teacher for the NATS Intern program, and is a recipient of the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship. Online at CCMInstitute.com and EdwardsVoice.com.

Jennifer Erickson

Jennifer Erickson received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Utah in 2015. She keeps a private studio with intermediate/advanced students 14 and up. She also teaches at Weber State University (Classical Voice and Theatre) in Ogden, Utah and at the University of Utah (Music Theatre Program) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lynn Eustis

Lynn Eustis, soprano, is currently Chair of Voice and Associate Professor at Boston University, where she joined the faculty in 2012 after 13 years at the University of North Texas. She studied at Florida State University (DM), The Curtis Institute of Music (MM), and Bucknell University (BM, Phi Beta Kappa). As a regular soloist she has been heard in concert works such as Gloria (Poulenc), Carmina Burana, and Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Her thirty-plus operatic roles include Lucia, Zerbinetta, Olympia, Pamina, Rosina, and Gilda. She was the title soloist in the U.S. premiere of James Whitbourn’s Annelies: The Anne Frank Oratorio, a work for which she continues to be in demand. Eustis is the author of “A Singer’s Epiphany: Faith, Music, and Mortality” (2020), “The Singer’s Ego” (2005), and “The Teacher’s Ego” (2012). Dr. Eustis is a native of Long Island, New York.

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Bronwen Forbay

Hailed by Opera Magazine as “At once powerful, radiant, timbrally beautiful, and balanced throughout the range, her soprano is that of a singer at the top of her game”, Durban-born South African Fulbrighter Artist-Teacher DR. BRONWEN FORBAY’S operatic successes include critically acclaimed performances of Mozart’s Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute) with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Eugene Opera, and Tulsa Opera. Other celebrated roles include Orasia, Queen of Thrace (U. S. premier of Telemann’s Orpheus), Violetta (La Traviata), and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Cape Town Opera. An avid recitalist and concertizer, Forbay has also been successful in numerous competitions and is a highly sought-after presenter, adjudicator, and clinician at regional, national, and international conferences. Forbay is an Associate Professor of Voice at Furman University. She holds degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, MSM, SMU, and the University of Cincinnati, CCM. Dr. Forbay served as TMTA Voice Contest Chair from 2018-2021, is a member of the NATS International Advisory Committee, is Treasurer of the South Africa Chapter, NATS and President-elect of the Furman University Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Melissa Foster

Melissa Foster is an educator, voice specialist, theatre artist, researcher, and speaker. As a voice teacher, she specializes in musical theatre, pop styles, the history and performance of hip-hop, and opera/musical theatre crossover. Her scholarly book project, The Scenario: Hip-Hop History and Performance Techniques for Musical Theatre, examines the pathway into hip-hop performance with historical and cultural awareness, vocal health, and authenticity. She is also working on a project titled “The Message,” which discusses hip-hop’s history and its profound influence on contemporary pop culture. Foster is on faculty for The CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute with a focus on “Teaching Pop Styles.” She is the rap and R&B coach for Rock the Audition, as well as a resident vocal consultant for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She has also been guest faculty for Broadway Breakthru, IHSTA, Stagelighter, and she serves as artist in residence for the ArtsLink Foundation.

Daniel Fung

Pianist Daniel Fung enjoys a multifaceted career as musician, collaborative artist, educator, and administrator. He is the Creative Development Program Director at Minnesota Opera and helped various Hmong programs’ communities connect with the recent world premiere of The Song Poet. An alumnus of the University of Calgary and The Juilliard School, Fung has worked as score consultant with the Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD team. Passionate about educating and empowering students from all backgrounds, he has served on faculty at UW-Madison, University of Nevada, Reno, and UMKC Conservatory. Performances include recitals in his native Canada, United States, and Europe. He has appeared as soloist with the Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. Notable collaborations include members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, appearances at Marilyn Horne’s festival at Carnegie Hall, The Song Continues, and live-streamed master classes with Renée Fleming, Eric Owens, Elly Ameling, and Joyce DiDonato. Beyond work, Fung delights in new culinary experiences and world travel.

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Noe Garcia

Joshua Glasner

Joshua Glasner, M.M., Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Delaware Valley University where he teaches courses including research methods and speech and hearing science. He also serves on the summer faculty at Westminster Choir College’s Summer Voice Pedagogy Workshop. His multidisciplinary research involves broad-ranging topics ranging from historical voice pedagogy and recording technology to the perception of the singing voice and treatment efficacy. Dr. Glasner’s scholarly work has been presented at various national and international conferences and has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Voice and the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Dr. Glasner holds degrees in voice performance and voice pedagogy from the University of Delaware and Westminster Choir College, a certificate in vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech, and a research doctorate from New York University. More information can be found on his website at http://joshuaglasner.com.

Jodi Goble

Jeanne Goffi-Fynn

Dr. Jeanne Goffi-Fynn, a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Doctoral Cohort Program at Columbia University, Teachers College, is renowned for her interdisciplinary approach to voice pedagogy, combining performance, teaching, and research. Her focus on Applied Studio Teaching and Learning, Voice Development, and Pedagogy across Styles, alongside her specialization as a Singing Voice Specialist in treating Muscular Tension Dysphonia (MTD), positions her as a leader in the field. Goffi-Fynn's contributions to voice pedagogy, evidenced by her frequent workshops, master classes, and pedagogical presentations, reflect her commitment to advancing the art and science of singing. Her role in developing young singers and vocal educators through the Singers’ Workshops further underscores her dedication to nurturing the next generation of vocal talent.

Elaine Grogan Luttrull

Elaine Grogan Luttrull, CPA-PFS, AFC® (she/her) is the founder of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals and organizations. Her workshops and presentations have been featured nationally by groups that support the arts, including Creative Capital, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, Sundance, Firelight Media, the National YoungArts Foundation, and a variety of state arts councils and commissions.Elaine spent 10 years in academia, teaching at the Columbus College of Art & Design and serving as the Department Head for Business & Entrepreneurship from 2014-2018. She regularly provides guest lectures for colleges, universities, and conservatories that serve the arts, including the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, the School of Visual Arts, and the Cleveland Institute of Arts. Before that, Elaine served as the Director of Financial Analysis for The Juilliard School and in the Transaction Advisory Services practice of Ernst & Young in New York. Elaine is the author of Arts & Numbers (Agate, B2 2013), and she has contributed regularly to industry guides, including Professional Artist magazine, Business of Art from the Center for Cultural Innovation, and Create a Living Legacy from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. She is based in Dublin, Ohio (Kaskaskia and Hopewell indigenous and cultural lands) where she serves on the boards of the Short North Alliance and Healing Broken Circles.

Liliana Guerrero

Liliana Guerrero is Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Texas at Austin. The daughter of Mexican and Cuban immigrants, her research focuses on advocating for Latin American voices in classical music and she has received fellowship funding for this endeavor from the Society for American Music. She is sought out as a lecturer and panelist on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the voice studio and serves as a member of the NATS DEI Task Force as well as the organizer for the NATS Latinx/Hispanic Teachers Affinity Group. Guerrero also contributes her knowledge of underrepresented composers as an Art Song Advisor for Song Helix and the Institute for Composer Diversity. An activist-scholar, Guerrero’s research highlights the intersection of music and social justice in the United States. lilyguerrero.com

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Lucinda Halstead

Lucinda Halstead, MD is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina. Halstead’s interests in laryngology, voice, performing arts medicine, swallowing, and pediatric otolaryngology led her to found the MUSC Voice Center in 1987. In 2000, the Voice Center expanded and she became the Medical Director of the Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing. She is Past President of the Performing Arts Medicine Association and the laryngologist for the internationally renowned Spoleto Festival USA. She lectures nationally and internationally on the topics of vocal health, disorders of the singing voice, laryngopharyngeal reflux disorders and pediatric voice and swallowing disorders. She is a member of The Voice Foundation, Collegium Medicorum Theatri, and the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, amongst others.

Vivian Hamilton

Vivian Hamilton is director of Belle Voci (formerly known as the Furman Womens’ Chorale) and a collaborative pianist in the music department. She also serves as Minister of Music and Worship at First Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Hamilton has been a singer in the Robert Shaw Institute Festival Singers where she had the opportunity to work with Robert Shaw, and studied conducting with Dan Lewis and Edvard Tchivzhel. She has worked with choirs at Simmons College, Emerson College, the University of South Carolina, Northeastern University, and Clemson University.  For twelve years, she conducted the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium Chorale, and is a former president of the South Carolina American Choral Directors Association.  Her choral conducting experience also includes work at Baptist and Methodist churches in Massachusetts and South Carolina, and in the public schools of Boston and upstate South Carolina.  She is active in the community as the Minister of Music at First Baptist Church, Greenville, South Carolina. She has worked as a collaborative pianist in Boston, Massachusetts, and throughout South Carolina. She was the Principal Keyboardist for the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, playing celeste, piano, and harpsichord. She received her DMA degree in choral conducting from the University of South Carolina, her MM in piano performance from New England Conservatory of Music, and her bachelor's degree in music education from Furman University.

Allen Henderson

Versatile artist, teacher, arts administrator, and baritone Allen Henderson is currently Executive Director of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the world’s largest professional association of voice teachers, promoting continuing education for voice teachers; publishing a recognized scholarly journal, Journal of Singing; and promoting voice education among a wide array of constituencies, from recreational singers to voice educators and medical doctors. In this position he also serves as administrator for the International Congress of Voice Teachers held every four years at locations around the world. He is also Professor of Music at Georgia Southern University where he teaches voice and foreign language diction. He holds degrees from Carson Newman College (BM) where he was the outstanding graduate in music, The University of Tennessee (MM), and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (DMA) where his minor was in Arts Administration.

Omar Herrera Arizmendi

Omar Herrera Arizmendi, a Shigeru Kawai Artist, was born in Mexico and holds music degrees from UT Austin, Rice University, and University of Houston. He has been the recipient of the highest scholarship given by the Mexican government and of numerous other fellowships and scholarships. In 2012 he was awarded a Doctorate in Music from the University of Houston with a thesis titled "Style and Aesthetics of Manuel M. Ponce." Throughout his performance career he has played with several orchestras in the United States and Mexico and with chamber groups of the caliber of Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Herrera was the Pianist in Residence for MECA in Houston for several years and as such he performed multiple concerts including live performances on NPR. He is a direct descendant of Manuel M. Ponce and the Founder and E.D. of Ponce Project Foundation.

Matthew Hoch

Matthew Hoch is professor of voice at Auburn University. He is the author, coauthor, or principal editor of eight books and peer-reviewed articles in over a dozen different professional and academic journals and was recently named associate editor of the Journal of Singing for the voice pedagogy column. He is the 2016 winner of the Van L. Lawrence Award, presented jointly by the Voice Foundation and NATS. Hoch holds a BM from Ithaca College, an MM from the Hartt School, a DMA from the New England Conservatory, and the Certificate in Vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech. In 2018, he presented performances and master classes in the United Arab Emirates as was awarded the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award. In addition to his academic life, Hoch also serves as choirmaster and minister of music at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Auburn, Alabama.

Kelly Hoppenjans

Kelly Hoppenjans is a voice teacher, singer-songwriter, producer, and musicologist from Nashville, currently based in Ann Arbor MI, where she is pursuing a PhD in Musicology with an emphasis on technology and voice studies. She focuses on artistry, songwriting/production, and finding your unique voice in her teaching, and her research is focused on DIY musicianship and digital technology. She earned her bachelors in Musical Theater from Northwestern and her masters in Commercial Voice Performance from Belmont University, where she taught voice, vocal styles, and vocal ensembles for four years. As a singer-songwriter, she has self-released four albums, on which she produced her own vocals, and has also worked as a background and session singer in Nashville. Her music has been featured on NPR, American Songwriter, The Alternative, and Lightning 100 (among others), and she has played tours across the country, including opening for American Idol's Crystal Bowersox in 2019.

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Amy Jarman

Soprano Amy Jarman has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times for her “radiant tone and moving phrasing.” Ms. Jarman is a member of the voice faculty at Vanderbilt University where she teaches applied voice and song literature. She has also taught at the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy. She has been a guest artist at the Vocal Artistry Art Song Festival in Albuquerque, the Festival of American and Bulgarian music in Bulgaria, the Baroque Festival of Corona del Mar, California, the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, the Rocky Ridge Music Festival and in recitals throughout the U.S. and England. Jarman is in demand as an adjudicator and master clinician. Her students have been accepted into graduate programs at many leading universities and conservatories.

Daniel Johnson-Wilmot

Daniel Johnson-Wilmot is a Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor of Music at Viterbo University finishing his fiftieth year in the Music Department. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and a Master of Music in Voice from the University of Wears and was a Regional Governor of the North Central Region of NATS and has served on the National Conference and the National Student Auditions Committees of NATS.  He was elected Vice-President of Membership on the national board of NATS in 2014 and was appointed National Student Auditions Coordinator at the 2014 National Conference and continues to serve NATS in this capacity. His students sing in major opera houses and on Broadway.  His students have won over four hundred awards in the National Association of Teacher of Singing State, Regional and National Auditions and are frequent award winners in the District and Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions and first and second place winners in Schubert Club Bruce Carlson Scholarship Competition. Wisconsin-Madison. He is the founder of the La Crosse Boy Choir and the Three Rivers Girls Chorus.  He chaired the National Association of Teachers of Singing Wisconsin Student Auditions for more than thirty years.

Wendy Jones

Wendy Jones is a commercial voice instructor who runs her own studio (Sound Investment Voice Studio), a professional jazz vocalist, recording artist, songwriter, and arranger who has appeared on stages from NYC to Chicago to Tokyo performing with artists such as NEA Jazz Master Jamey Aebersold, the New York Voices, legendary jazz guitarist Howard Alden, jazz violinist Christian Howes, Crystal Gale and has sung backup for the alternative hip hop group Deltron 3030. She has appeared at Club Bonafide in NYC, the Jazz Arts Initiative in Charlotte, the Mauldin Blues and Jazz Festival, Mountain Oasis Music Festival, the Spartanburg Jazz Festival, Our World Festival, and the Django Reinhardt Festival in Asheville, NC. In addition to singing with her own jazz quartet, she has also recorded with Darmon Meader of the New York Voices, the Michael Jefry Stevens Trio, and the Richard Shulman Group. She is an NC Chapter of NATS member and has served on the Executive Board. She is also a member of the NARAS (Grammy's), Actors' Equity, ASCAP, the Pan-American Vocology Association, and The Voice Foundation.

David G. Juncos

David G. Juncos, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and performance coach from Philadelphia, PA. He earned his Clinical Psychology doctorate from La Salle University in 2015. He has over 17 years’ experience in treating a variety of clinical problems, including anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders. He specializes in treating music performance anxiety (MPA) and has presented internationally on his research in using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to treat MPA and enhance music performance. He is affiliated with the Voice Study Centre (UK), a provider of postgraduate study in Voice Pedagogy and Performance Coaching. There, he lectures on MPA, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, achieving peak performance, statistics/ research design, and he trains music teachers in ACT coaching to help them manage students’ MPA and related problems. He is also an amateur songwriter and has performed solo and in bands throughout the Philadelphia area as a vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist.

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Kathleen Kelly

Kathleen Kelly’s projects and repertoire are wide-ranging and diverse. From Mozart to commissioned works by her peers, she is both deeply experienced in the classical vocal canon and engaged in new creation. Recent notable projects include a recording with soprano Emily Albrink of four world premiere song cycles, leading the world premiere of Matt Bohler’s opera FAT PIG (composed for activist soprano Tracy Cox), and the filmed opera Interstate, composed by Kamala Sankaram, co-authored and performed by Kathleen and soprano Jennifer Cresswell, produced by Minnesota Opera, and now streaming on Marquee TV. Kathleen has appeared internationally as a pianist in collaboration with singers, including appearances at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Vienna’s Musikverein. She is a published poet and essayist, and she has written several English adaptations of operas as well as several librettos. She has worked with many companies including the San Francisco, Metropolitan, Houston Grand, and Vienna State Operas, and she is regularly invited to speak and write on women’s issues in the opera industry.

James Kicklighter

James Kicklighter is a multi-award winning director and producer of narrative films, documentaries and advertising, including The Sound of Identity (2021), Angel of Anywhere (2018) and upcoming 2024 film The American Question. His work has been recognized by the world’s press, including The Hollywood Reporter, The Times of India, Film Courage and FilmInk Australia. Kicklighter has served as a panelist at the Oscar®-qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival, taught filmmaking courses on Stage32.com, lecturing at colleges across the country, and his interview series with the popular YouTube channel Film Courage has over 250,000 views. Growing up in Bellville, GA, population 123, today he resides in Los Angeles, California. Kicklighter is represented by Travis Tammero (UTA) and Lucius Cary (Rain). You can learn more about his work at jameskicklighter.com

JungWoo Kim

Lyric baritone JungWoo Kim is an active performer in opera, concerts, and recitals throughout the United States, South America, and East Asia. He has appeared with Central City Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Loveland Opera Theatre, Holland Symphony Orchestra, and in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, National Theater of Korea, and the Seoul Art Center. Notable opera roles include Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Marcello in La Bohème, and Forester in Cunning Little Vixen. His concert soloist repertoire includes Brahms’s German Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Mahler’s Lieder “eines fahrenden Gesellen,” and Vaughan Williams’ “Five Mystical Songs.” Kim earned his D.M.A. from the University of Colorado Boulder, an M.M from Indiana University, and a B.M. from Chung-Ang University in Korea. He is currently associate professor of voice at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Carol Krusemark

Carol Krusemark is a voice-specialized speech/language pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation. Current clinical focus includes rehabilitation of the speaking and singing voice, the impact of trauma on the professional and emerging vocalist, and trauma-informed care in voice therapy, the vocal studio, and clinical supervision. She has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, and military treatment facilities, with clients across the lifespan. As a vocalist and former voice teacher, she brings her understanding of voice terminology and technique to her work with vocalists, while her speech pathology background informs her understanding of vocal function.

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Lori Laitman

Described by Fanfare Magazine as “one of the most talented and intriguing of living composers,” Lori Laitman has composed operas, choral works, and hundreds of songs setting texts by classical and contemporary poets, including those who perished in the Holocaust. Her music is widely performed throughout the world and has generated substantial critical acclaim. The Journal of Singing wrote “One cannot help but be astounded by the endless reserves of Laitman's musical imagination as well as her unerring instincts for setting texts with sensitivity and grace.” Laitman's music is praised for its uniqueness, craft and beauty: “unmistakable… masterful” (Opera News); “artistry of the highest order” (Textura.org); “gripping and thought- provoking” (American Record Guide). A magna cum laude Yale College graduate, she received her MM from Yale School of Music, which awarded her the Ian Mininberg Alumni Award for Distinguished Service in May 2018.

Albert Lee

A native of New Haven, Dr. Albert Lee serves as Director of Equity, Belonging, and Student Life. He was previously on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was associate professor of voice and opera and served as faculty adviser to the Black Student Organization and the Phi Beta chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. A classically trained vocalist, Lee has performed with such celebrated ensembles as the Cincinnati Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Opera Steamboat, Palm Beach Opera, and Philadelphia Orchestra. He appears as a soloist on Sinfonia da Camera’s 2013 recording, on Albany Records, of George Walker’s “Lilacs,” for voice and orchestra, which won the composer the 1996 Pulitzer Prize, and has recorded with the American Spiritual Ensemble and the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. Lee holds degrees from the University of Connecticut, The Juilliard School, and Florida State University.

Dana Lentini

After cultivating techniques as a singer, performer, and music educator, US-based voice teacher and mentor Dana Lentini created Born 2 Sing Kids to nurture the development of young singers through a systematic and customized approach. Through various forms of mentorship, she helps teachers learn about the unique differences in teaching singing to children and how to build their own successful studios. Dana has been sought after as a presenter for professional music organizations including the National Association of Teachers of Singing, as well as for universities. Her specialized approach to teaching can be found in Teaching the Child Singer: Pediatric Pedagogy for Ages 5-13. She also shares a unique spiral approach to repertoire development in her Singing Kids’ Songbook, both published by Hal Leonard. More information about Dana’s consulting, courses, and resources on teaching children in the private studio are offered through her website at danalentini.com.

Marcia Lesser

Marcia Lesser (she/her), SEP, is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, movement therapist, and somatic psychotherapist, and has had a private practice in New York City for over thirty years. A former dancer, Marcia works with performers struggling with body/mind disconnection. She combines her rich dance background with the depth of psychodynamic techniques and neurobiological approaches to openness, mindfulness, and change. Marcia’s work is founded on the regulation of the autonomic nervous system. She has been on the adjunct faculty of NYU Steinhardt, Vocal Performance for 12 years, and has recently co-created the Foundations of Performance class for freshman students. She was a guest lecturer at the Juilliard School and conducts master classes, including for the faculty of Tisch Grad Acting. She presented at the MTEA conference in Norway and taught a two-day workshop in Munich for professional Music Theatre performers. Her work has been discussed in academic publications, and she has written a number of articles.

Jill Terhaar Lewis

Soprano Jill Terhaar Lewis is Chair of Vocal Programs and Professor at Charleston Southern University where she founded the Musician’s Health and Safety Seminar. A respected performer with beautiful vocal timbre and ability to adapt genres, she has appeared with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Jazz Orchestra, and Charlton Singleton Ensemble with Lowcountry Voices in the Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts. She has presented American art song programs and has collaborated with composers, domestically and abroad. She is also a co-founder of Contemporary Collaborations, a student group that commissions student vocal chamber ensembles, and co-founder of The In-Between, a classical and jazz fusion ensemble. She has presented at NATS Conferences in 2022 with Dr. Lucinda Halstead and Deanna McBroom on vocal health, in 2020 with lawyer Kevin Hackler on music and the law, and in 2016 when she presented a poster on her Contemporary Collaborations project with composer Yiorgos Vassilandonakis.

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Molly Mahoney

After creating a video that reached 1,000,000 people organically, Molly developed her “Go Live And Monetize” method helping businesses to get clients with video. By staying ahead of trends like AI and Chatbots, she stays on the cutting edge of what is coming next so her clients can make the most out of this rapidly changing space. Combining her social media expertise, and twenty years of performance experience on stages from New York to Las Vegas, she even had a viral video hit a reach of 39 million! Molly has been featured by Jasper, Be.live, ManyChat, Social Media Marketing World, Traffic & Conversion Summit, Perry Belcher's AI Bot Summit, Rich Schefren's Steal our Winners, Inc magazine, Forbes, Entrepreneur and more.

Lynn Maxfield

Lynn Maxfield, PhD, is the Director of the Utah Center for Vocology and Associate Professor (Lecturer) at the University of Utah’s School of Music. He teaches applied voice lessons and graduate level voice pedagogy courses at the University of Utah, where he also directs and teaches at the internationally recognized Summer Vocology Institute. Additionally, he is the contracted voice coach at the University of Utah Voice Disorders Center, working in conjunction with the medical speech team to help singers and other professional voice users return to full vocal activities. Maxfield serves as the Associate Editor of the Mindful Voice column of the NATS Journal of Singing and is currently the Western Governor and Interim Treasurer for the Pan American Vocology Association. His research includes the acoustics and biomechanics of voice production, habilitative approaches to voice training, and developing an integrative model at the intersection of art and health.

Deanna McBroom

Deanna McBroom, MM, Singing Voice Specialist-Medical University of South Carolina’s Evelyn Trammel Institute for Voice and Swallowing and Professor Emerita of Voice-The College of Charleston, lectures internationally on “rehabilitation of the singing voice” and “treatment/ prevention/wellness for injured singers,” recently for The Voice Foundation Symposium, Performing Arts Medicine Association Symposium and PAMA’s Performing Arts Certificate, National Association of Teachers of Singing conventions, Music Teachers National Association’s national convention’s Health/Wellness pre-conference, and symposia for the British Voice Association and COMET/Austrian Voice Society in Europe. Throughout her 45+- year singing career, she appeared nationally and internationally in numerous solo/leading roles with orchestras, in operas/musicals, and in frequent recital/chamber music concerts. She serves as national liaison for NATS and The Voice Foundation to Athletes and the Arts and liaison for NATS to Performing Arts Medicine Association. Her students have attained successful singing and acting/film careers and are winners in national and international singing competitions.

Jennifer Quammen McGuire

Jennifer Quammen McGuire is a pianist, coach, conductor and yogi based in Nashville. Hailed by the Journal of Singing as “a most able collaborator, dispatching every pianistic challenge with complete aplomb,” she is Music Director of the Vanderbilt Opera Theater and Principal Senior Lecturer in Collaborative Piano at the Blair School of Music. She is featured on the albums Irrational Exuberance (Beauport Classical) and Sursum (Navona Records), as well the recently released Heinrich Marschner: Songs for Baritone with baritone Jeffrey Williams (Centaur Records). She is a member of the Atlantic Ensemble and the Leela Trio. Faculty appointments at summer programs include the AIMS Festival, Seagle Festival, the Boston Conservatory Opera Intensive, and Poco a Poco. McGuire is a certified yoga instructor. She continues to study the facets of subtle energy with the goal of helping all people, but particularly artists, embrace their authentic selves and reach their full potential.

Natalee Louise McReynolds

Natalee Louise McReynolds holds her B.M. & M.M. in Vocal Performance. She teaches voice privately from her home in Knoxville, TN, in addition to teaching drama at Knoxville Children’s Theatre and Knoxville Jewish Day School and guest teaching at the University of Tennessee and the Harrower Opera Summer Program. McReynold’s students have been accepted to the country’s top musical theatre programs and performed in regional theatre productions. Professional performance credits include Hello, Dolly! (Irene), The Sound of Music (Elsa), Bernstein’s Mass (Street Chorus), Company (Jenny), Sweeney Todd (Johanna), The Secret Garden (Lily), and Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit). Opera and Theatre Companies: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Marble City Opera, Knoxville Opera, Clarence Brown Theatre, Virginia Theatre Festival. In addition to teaching and performing, McReynolds enjoys doing yoga, listening to podcasts, and playing with her baby boys.

David Meyer

A leading scholar and researcher of the singing voice, David Meyer is an active performer, teacher, clinician, and voice scientist. He serves as associate professor of voice and voice pedagogy at Shenandoah Conservatory, and is Director of the Janette Ogg Voice Research Center. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Voice Foundation and co-chairs the NATS Voice Science Advisory Committee. Meyer received the 2010 Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, a prestigious national award in recognition of his contributions to the field of teaching singing and the use of voice science. His students have won numerous awards and have sung in major venues worldwide. To learn more about Meyer, see davidmeyervoice.com

Karen Michaels

Karen Michaels is living the multi-hyphenate life! She's a voice teacher, pianist, performer, writer and social media expert, living life to its fullest potential. She is the heart behind her blog “The Multihyphenate Life," an inspiring tome on balancing diverse passions. She founded the "Social Butterfly Group," and is a vibrant social strategist and social media manager to creatives, voice teachers, musicians. As a pianist and singer, she finds expression through SingingPianist.com, where she works to dazzle audiences with her unique blend of vocal and piano performances in Las Vegas and beyond. Through her multifaceted pursuits, Michaels embodies the spirit of creativity and drive, inspiring others to pursue their passions relentlessly.

Kevin J. Miller

American pianist and collaborator Kevin J. Miller is acclaimed for his dynamically artful performances. Recent collaborations include recitals with international tenor Lawrence Brownlee at Carnegie Hall and Houston Grand Opera, countertenor John Holiday at the Kennedy Center and The Barbican in London, Joseph Calleja and Nadine Sierra at the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as an appearance with Calleja on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Miller prepared soprano Jessye Norman for performances of Laura Karpman’s production of Ask Your Mama, which was performed at Carnegie Hall. He also collaborated with the acclaimed countertenor, David Daniels, in a recital at the Glimmerglass Festival. He can be heard on piano on the recording “Been in da Storm So Long,” which features baritone Kenneth Overton. This New York native has been on the fast track to success since his days as a student at the Boys Choir of Harlem. Beginning his musical studies at the age of eight, Miller was a featured soprano soloist — most notably in Vivaldi’s Gloria and Lake George Opera Association’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While a student at the Boys Choir of Harlem, he studied piano with the late conductor and pianist Warren Wilson. It was also during these years that Miller began his work as an accompanist, having accompanied the choir on its tours of Europe, Israel, Austria, and Japan. Miller studied at the Mannes College of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano. He continued his studies at the University of Michigan School of Music where he received both a Master of Music degree and the artist diploma in collaborative piano under the tutelage of Martin Katz. In addition to his formal studies, Miller has been a participant in some of the country’s most prestigious festivals and young artist apprenticeships that include The Tanglewood Institute of Music, Aspen Summer Music Festival, The Cleveland Art Song Festival, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the Glimmerglass Festival. Upon completion of his apprenticeship at Glimmerglass, he was invited to serve as a vocal coach at the Glimmerglass Festival.

Jeremy Mims

Dr. Jeremy Mims is an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Winthrop University. He was also on the faculties of Clarke University and Whitman College, conducting the choirs and orchestra. Mims started his career as a public school music educator in El Paso, TX. Mims has appeared on national and international concert and opera stages as a conductor, collaborative pianist, violinist, and a tenor chorister and is frequently engaged as a conductor, clinician and pianist for professional, university, and high school choirs. Mims has conducted his choirs at major venues such as Carnegie Hall and for international festivals such as the Varna International Festival in Bulgaria, and the Prague Choral Festival, where he served as the associate music director and accompanist. In 2022, and received second place for the Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting as the artistic director of Inspirar, his community ensemble in South Carolina. That same year, Inspirar and his university choir received third place for the American Prize. Mims holds degrees from Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance and is the Director of Music at Grace Lutheran Church in Rock Hill, SC.

Stephen Morscheck

Stephen Morscheck, bass-baritone, maintains an active performing schedule with recent appearances as Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra, as the bass soloist in J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passionwith the South Dakota Symphony, the role of Jesus in the St. Matthew Passionwith the St. Louis Bach Society, and Raphael in Haydn’s The Creationwith the East Texas Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared with the Alabama Symphony, the Costa Rica Philharmonic, Festival de Saint-Denis, Laudate Deum Chamber Choir of Lausanne, and Music of the Baroque. Opera engagements have been with Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Liceu Opera Barcelona, Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Philadelphia, the Spoleto Festival USA, Teatro Real Madrid, and Washington National Opera. Mr. Morscheck is a professor of vocal studies in the College of Music at the University of North Texas, Denton.

Mutsumi Moteki

Mutsumi Moteki is professor of vocal coaching at the University of Colorado Boulder.  As a collaborative pianist she has appeared in many voice recitals in the U.S., Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico, Macedonia, Sweden, Brazil, and Germany.  Known for her unique vocal coaching style, which advocates beautiful legato singing as well as the fine details of diction and the interpretation of text and music, Moteki has given many master classes for singers and pianists in the U.S., Egypt, Brazil, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.  She was one of the featured presenters at the NATS Summer Workshops in 2017 and 2021.  A passionate promoter of art songs from Japan as well as from other East Asian countries, she presents these songs in lecture-recitals and workshops.  With Dr. Kumiko Shimizu, she co-created the Japanese Art Song Anthology, volumes 1 and 2, which are available from Classical Vocal Reprints.

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Ayumi Nakamae

Dr. Ayumi Nakamae, soprano, is a native of Wakayama, Japan. She is a Music Instructor and the Head of the Fine Arts Department at Coastal Carolina Community College, NC. She has been a member of NATS for over 20 years teaching a wide range of students at the college and in her private studio. Many of her students participate in the North Carolina Chapter Student Auditions, and some have advanced to the national-level NATS Student Auditions. Her repertoire includes Classical music, Spirituals, and Musical Theater, with a special interest in promoting Japanese Art Songs in the US. Recently, she started learning about Commercial Music because it is tied to her passion: to help students find their own voice.

Theodora Ivanova 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. Theodora's vibrato research work has been published in the Journal of Voice and been awarded best paper, poster, and presentation at international conferences such as National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA). An active, versatile vocalist, Theodora is the first-place winner of the American Prize in Vocal Performance and regularly performs across genres as one-half of the experimental sopranocello duo, Pizzicanto. Theodora 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, Theodora was a Grant Recipient at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. For more information, see theodoranestorova.com/

Stephen Ng

Heralded for his “powerfully expressive voice” (Washington Post), and “a superb singer . . . with a soaring voice in the extreme registers that could be simply described as amazing” (New York Concert Review), Stephen Ng is known as an opera, oratorio, recital, and new music performer. His portrayal of Evangelist in Bach’s Passions has received much acclaim, and he has performed as soloist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, De Nederlandse Opera, Orchestra Iowa, Washington Bach Consort, and Lucerne, Tanglewood and Aspen Festivals, working with conductors such as James Levine, Nicolas McGegan, and Pierre Boulez. His CD Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Vanished was released by Clear Note Publications. Of this, Journal of Singing writes “Ng, a tenor with an impressively eclectic resume, is simply superb in every respect.  His voice is gorgeous and distinctive.” Stephen began his vocal training in Hong Kong and subsequently received his M.M. at New England Conservatory and D.M. at Indiana University.  He has taught at Florida’s Stetson University and is currently Professor of Voice at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Ida Nicolosi

Ida Nicolosi is recognized for her command of a breadth of repertoire that encompasses opera, oratorio, early music, musical theater, and new music. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2012 singing the world premiere of James Eakin’s "Flowers Over the Graves of War." Ms. Nicolosi has sung with the Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center Festival, the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Festival, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Gotham Chamber Opera, OPERA Iowa, and The Des Moines Metro Opera. Nicolosi lives in Malibu with her husband and two sons and has taught voice and courses in Music Education at Pepperdine University for the past 13 years. Previously, Nicolosi taught voice and choral vocal pedagogy at the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, and holds both her BME and MM in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. She is a proud member of NATS and has served as the Membership Chair for the Los Angeles Chapter since 2020.

John Nix

John Nix is Professor of Voice and Voice Pedagogy at UT-San Antonio. His mentors include Barbara Doscher and Ingo Titze. His students have performed with the Santa Fe, Arizona, Chautauqua, St. Louis, Nevada, Omaha, and San Antonio Operas, and two have been NATS Intern Master Teachers. In addition to voice teaching, he performs research and has 50 published articles and 9 book chapters; he co-chairs the NATS Voice Science Advisory Committee, is an Associate Editor for The Journal of Singing, and is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing. Prof. Nix is editor/annotator of From Studio to Stage: Repertoire for the Voice (Scarecrow, 2002), vocal music editor for the Oxford Handbook of Music Education (OUP, 2012), one of three general editors for the Oxford Handbook of Singing (OUP, 2019), and one of two general editors for the Oxford Handbook of Voice Pedagogy (OUP, pending 2025). For more information, see johnnixvoiceteacher.com.

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Kerrie Obert

Kerrie Obert is a speech language pathologist and singing voice specialist from Columbus Ohio. She is also a senior lecturer for the MA program in Vocal Pedagogy at the Voice Study Centre, University of Wales Trinity St. David. Obert has authored four books on voice and is an internationally acclaimed researcher and lecturer. She has conducted MRI and endoscopic studies and she has a special interest in the physiology of twang and ring. Ms. Obert spent nearly twenty years at The Ohio State University working alongside top laryngologists as a part of the JamesCare Voice and Swallowing Disorder’s Clinic. During her time at OSU, Obert co-designed and helped launch the university's Singing Health Specialization and served as the Director of Medical Arts. In addition to her teaching duties with the Voice Study Centre, Ms. Obert now runs a private practice specialized in the care and training of singers. Obert’s research has challenged long-held beliefs about how twang and ring are shaped in the vocal tract. In addition to her degree in Speech Language Pathology, Obert holds a degree in Musical Theatre Performance and she has sung in bands and performed leading roles in musicals.

Jessie Oliver

Jessie Oliver (she/they) is a singer and voice teacher originally from Chicago, IL. She holds a Masters in Vocal Performance with an emphasis in Pedagogy. Their extensive continuing education includes Estill Certification, LoVetri's Somatic Voicework™ (Levels I-III), Linklater training, Gender Affirming Speech and Singing through the Voice Lab, Total Vocal Freedom Body Courses, and multi-year participation, both as a teacher and singer in her mentor, Steve Smith’s Naked Voice Institute. Oliver is passionate for Vocal Rehabilitation and Holistic Teaching. The voice is an intrinsic part of who you are. The goal is to foster that relationship between the self, body, and voice. They have extensive training in both the classical and commercial music fields. They are currently a candidate for the Vocology Certificate from NYU. Oliver is a proud member of NATS, VASTA PAVA, The Voice Foundation, and the Somatic Voicework Teachers Association.

Rene Orth

Rene Orth has been hailed “a master composer” with a “sophisticated sound world” (Classical Voice North America). She writes music described as “always dramatic, reflective, rarely predictable, and often electronic” (Musical America). She recently completed a three-year tenure as Composer-In-Residence at Opera Philadelphia. This season, Opera Philadelphia presented the “triumphant world premiere” (Wall Street Journal) of 10 Day in a Madhouse, co-commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera. The New York Times writes, “opera needs works like 10 Days, which treats the medium with affection and respect while also chafing at its tropes throughout history.” Other projects include a song cycle for Vocal Arts DC and mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, premiering at The Kennedy Center; a new song, A Prayer, for baritone Will Liverman and mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges; and an electronics and voice piece for mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis’ forthcoming debut album, Stand the Storm. The Chautauqua Institution also premieres Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (libretto by Jerre Dye) with a 13-piece orchestra. Learn more at reneorth.com.

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Daniel Parsley

Daniel Parsley enjoys an active career as a conductor, conductor, scholar, church musician and professional chorister. Parsley currently serves as Director of Choral Studies and Chair of Graduate Conducting Programs at Boston University. Daniel currently holds dual appointments in the Boston University School of Music and School of Theology where he leads the comprehensive MM, MSM, and DMA conducting program. Prior to joining the faculty at BU, he served as Director of Choral Activities and program head for the music department at Thomas More University. Parsley currently serves as associate conductor for the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) and artistic director for the CCO's We Are One festival series. He has performed with many choruses himself as a professional singer, including the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival Chorus and Youth Chorus, Toledo Opera, Tuscia Opera Festival (Viterbo, Italy), and Berkshire Choral Festival.

Rebecca Pieper

Rebecca Pieper studied Vocal Performance and Music Education at Westminster Choir College.  She loves being on both sides of the stage as a director/music director as well as an avid performer in Cabarets, Musicals, Opera and Plays.  In her over 20 years as an independent voice teacher, she has grown her private music and performing arts studio into a Multi-Teacher Studio that serves 300 families in the Lehigh Valley area of PA and beyond. She thoroughly enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities privately and has served as Voice Faculty Liaison and Professor of Voice at DeSales University since 2011.  Within NATS, she has been serving as the President of the Lehigh Valley Chapter and is the newly elected governor of the Eastern Region.

Deborah Popham

Dr. Deborah Popham currently serves as the Associate Director of the School of Music at Sam Houston State University, where she is also an Associate Professor in the vocal area. She has presented her research on both vocal repertoire and voice pedagogy nationally and internationally, including ICVT, NATS, NOA, and CMS. Having made her Carnegie Hall debut in a solo recital in 2015, she is a champion of art song and a frequent performer of new works and living composers. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance, and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Philosophy from University of Akron. She concluded her studies at Arizona State University, where she earned a Master of Music in Music Theater Performance (Opera) and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice Performance. Dr. Popham is an NCVS-trained Vocologist.

Eric Posada

Eric Posada is the Director of Choral Activities at Angelo State University. Previous appointments include Visiting Professor of Choral Music at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Director of Choral Music at Tyler Junior College, Associate Director of Choral Activities at Texas A&M University, and Lecturer at Texas Tech University. Posada has presented for twenty-five regional and state music conferences. In addition to his work in academia, he has served fifteen years as Director of Music in liturgical settings, the highlight of which was a performance at Notre-Dame de Paris. Posada has also held conducting posts with civic choruses such as the East Texas Symphony Chorus, Brazos Valley Chorale, The Lubbock Chorale, and his newly founded San Angelo Chorus. Posada’s professional chorus Pasión won third place in The American Prize for two categories and was selected as Performing Choir for the 2021 Texas Choral Directors Association Conference.

Jessica Posada

Jessica Rosas Posada is a native Mexican soprano, voice pedagogue, and Latin American Art Song specialist. Dr. Posada is currently in her third year as Visiting Director of Voice Studies at Whitman College. Her singing experience includes masterwork and leading operatic soprano role performances in stages across Mexico and the United States. Posada’s performing accolades, awarded by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, include 1st and 2nd place division wins, an Aspiring Artist Summer Program Grant Award, and the Waldman Award for Best Performance of Spanish Song. Posada is also a member of Pasión, The RGV’s Professional Chorus, and the Director of Vocal Editions of The Ponce Project. A champion of Mexican Art Song, Posada has presented her research on Manuel M. Ponce at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Posada holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of North Texas.

Kathy Kessler Price

Kathy Kessler Price, (M.M., Ph.D.), soprano and Professor of Voice at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, teaches voice/voice pedagogy and directs both the Presser Voice Laboratory and Westminster’s Voice Pedagogy Institute. In 2018 she was awarded Rider University’s Distinguished Teacher of the Year. Dr. Price is currently the Governor of New Jersey NATS. She has performed as a soloist at The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, The National Museum for Women in the Arts, in numerous performances throughout Europe, and has sung and conducted at The White House. Her writings are published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, and the NATS Journal of Singing. She co-authored the books “The Anatomy of Tone and Intonational Solfege” and contributed a “recipe” to “The Voice Teacher’s Cookbook.” She is a chapter co- author of the upcoming “Oxford Handbook of Voice Pedagogy.”

Craig Philip Price

Bass-Baritone Craig Philip Price, holds degrees in Voice Performance from Furman University and Manhattan School of Music, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina.  He has been seen with opera companies across the United States including Central City Opera, Opera Saratoga, FBN Productions, Kentucky Opera, the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, and Charlottesville Opera.  In concert, he has sung with the Greenville Chorale, the Herring Chamber Ensemble, Carolina Master Chorale, the Florence Masterworks Choir, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, the Owensboro Symphony and Varna International.  He is frequent recitalist including his performance which launched the Bach Ascending concert series in Savannah, Georgia in early 2020. He currently resides in Greenville, SC where he teaches on the voice faculty at Furman University, is Director of Marketing for the Greenville Chorale, and he teaches at weekly voice class for adults 55+ at Senior Action Greenville.

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Kari Ragan

Kari Ragan holds degrees from the University of Washington (DMA), and Indiana University (MM, BM). In 2012, Dr. Ragan was the recipient of the prestigious Van. L. Lawrence Award, the NATS Foundation Pedagogy Award (2009), earned the NYSTA Distinguished Voice Professional Certificate (2009), the Wicklund Singing Voice Specialist Certificate (2010), and was selected to be a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program (2021). As a singing voice rehabilitation specialist (SVS), Ragan works in affiliation with the University of Washington Laryngology program to help rehabilitate singers with injured voices. She has maintained a thriving Independent Voice Studio for nearly forty years and served on the voice faculty at the University of Washington. Ragan serves as the NATS Advancement Committee Chair and on the NATS/Rowman & Littlefield Editorial Board and is the moderator of NATS Chats. She is the co-founder and organizer of the Northwest Voice: Art and Science of the Performing Voice Conference. Plural Publishing released her book A Systematic Approach to Voice: The Art of Studio Application in 2020.

Amanda Reckonwith (David Sabella)

Amanda Reckonwith first came to prominence in the title role of the highly controversial (and completely naked) staging of Lucia di Lammermoor, at the Baths of Caracalla, where she made quite a splash. Famed pianist Liberace was at the baths that night, as he often was, and immediately took her under his wing (and towel). Her rise in opera mounted as she performed throughout the United States, South America, Great Britain, Spain, The Netherlands, West Berlin, and the Eastern-Bloc (when those things existed); And, with such legendary artists as soprano Vera Galupe-Borszkh, and tenor Juan Pondalinguini. However, fame was cut short when Amanda met and married her first husband, millionaire Paulo Ferdinand Castrato, who, soon after their honeymoon, was arrested as one of Columbia’s most notorious drug lords. After his untimely (and purely accidental) death, Amanda withdrew from performing in an effort to “let the dust settle.” Returning to the stage, after the Castrato years, Amanda decimated both her completion and her audience, in roles like Aida, Madama Butterfly, and Lakme with her own eunuch vocal style and dramatic flair. However, several subsequent marriages (and children) proved too much for Amanda, who once again withdrew from public life in 2002, making her one of “Time-less” magazine’s “Most Notorious people” of the century. Now, (legally allowed to return to stage) after a 20-year retirement/rest cure, (and rumored incarceration) Amanda is considered the world’s most beloved “Spento” soprano, (known on Broadway as a “belter.”) Touring the world with her partner in music, Maestro Marco Carouomo, she continues to transport audiences and transcend taste with her eunuch interpretations of Broadway, Great American Songbook, Popular favorites and opera.

Yvonne Gonzales Redman

Yvonne Gonzales Redman is an Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She began her musical career as a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Award. She was accepted as a Lindemann Young Artist and enjoyed an 18-year career as a main stage soprano at the Metropolitan Opera with nearly 200 onstage performances as a principal soloist, including 26 live radio and television broadcasts that are still regularly broadcast over Sirius XM radio. Her experience rehearsing, performing, and teaching in multiple acoustic spaces has inspired her current research interests related to the impact that our musical work environments have on our voicing, hearing, and perception. This has resulted in several interdisciplinary research studies presented at multiple national and international conferences and publications in the Journal of Voice and the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. For more information, see https://music.illinois.edu/people/profiles/yvonne-redman/.

Rebecca Renfro

Rebecca L. Renfro is a Professor of Voice at Sam Houston State University, where she holds the title of Director of Opera in addition to her work as a studio voice teacher. Under her leadership, SHSU Opera has garnered national recognition, having been selected as an NOA Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition finalist from 2011-2022, with numerous first and second place commendations. The ensemble has been awarded an NOA Production Competition prize and as well as the American Prize in Collegiate Opera. SHSU Opera made its international debut in May 2018 with a performance of Dido and Aeneas at Kobe College in Nishinomiya, Japan under Renfro’s direction.  She currently serves on the Executive Board of Greater Worcester Opera in Massachusetts and serves as Treasurer and Executive member of the Board of the National Opera Association. Renfro resides in Texas with her amazing special needs son, Owen.

Nicole Robinson

Dr. Nicole R. Robinson (she/her), Founder & CEO, Cultural Connections by Design. Before launching Cultural Connections by Design in September 2018, Nicole R. Robinson was the Associate Vice President for Equity and Diversity at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah). Throughout her 25+ year academic career, Robinson served on the music education faculty at the University of Utah as the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Presidential Endowed Professor of Music Education, the University of Memphis, Syracuse University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Robinson founded Cultural Connections by Design (CCBD) to support higher education institutions in establishing equity-centered processes and best practices to shift the campus culture towards a culture of belonging — a culture that accepts, values, and leverages the strengths among differences. Drawing from her extensive educational background, Robinson understands that for transformation to occur, learning about diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility had to evolve from a “training” process to an “educational” process. Using her knowledge about teaching and learning and her creativity as a music educator, Robinson has the candid ability to help institutions navigate the complexities of the cultural landscape using creative, innovative, and “out of the box” techniques that make her approach like no other. Her proprietary, technology-driven educational tools, including the “Matrix of Intersectionality©” and “impact©,” form the foundation of her work. While she initially created these tools for her own classroom, their popularity soared as their effectiveness became widely recognized, leading to increased demand. Since the company’s inception in 2018, CCBD has provided professional development sessions, workshops, and consulting services to academic institutions, health care organizations, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporations across the United States, Canada, and abroad. Robinson is a nationally acclaimed educator, scholar, speaker, and author who has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences, published articles in several industry-leading research journals, and co-authored three academic textbooks. Robinson holds BME and MM degrees in music education from North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, and a Ph.D. from Florida State University in music education. She started her career as an elementary and middle school music teacher in Durham Public Schools and Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools in North Carolina.

Trineice Robinson-Martin

A specialist in the pedagogy and performance of Black American music styles, Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin serves on the faculty at Princeton University as the Jazz/Pop vocal instructor, lecturer, and ensemble director. In addition to Princeton, she is a teaching resident at Yale University, Institute of Sacred Music for Music in the Black Church program, and is an internationally recognized clinician and performer. The creator of Soul Ingredients® Methodology, Voice & Teacher Training Academy, Dr. Trineice serves as guest faculty for the LoVetri Institute of Somatic Voicework™, is the executive director of the African American Jazz Caucus, board vice president for the Jazz Education Network, editorial board member for the Journal of Singing, and a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing. Her latest album All or Nothing was released Aug 2021 and is available on all digital platforms. Visit  DrTrineice.com  for more information.

Kate Rosen

Kate Rosen is a singer, voice teacher, advocate, and researcher. She co-wrote the two-part article “Anti-Fat Bias in the Voice Studio” with Dr. Elizabeth Benson, which appears in The Journal of Singing. She has presented on this topic for the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance, the Speakeasy Cooperative, the Association for Popular Music Education, and the Pan American Vocology Association. Kate earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory and her Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, both in Voice Performance. She maintains a private studio outside of Detroit, MI, and is the founder of Fat Joy Voice, a specialized voice studio for musical theatre students in larger bodies who have traditionally been underserved and mistreated in 1 to 1 training. Katerosenstudio.com and fatjoyvoice.com

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David Sabella

David Sabella (Amanda Reckonwith) is best known on Broadway as the original “Mary Sunshine,” in “CHICAGO, the musical” (1996 revival), and as a leading countertenor in classical music, cited as one of the “originators of the new American countertenor sound.” Sabella toured Europe and the U.S. as one of the reigning “divas” in La Gran Scena Opera Company (1987-93) singing arias, scenes and duets from Die Walkure, Aida, Madama Butterfly, Lakme, and many more. Sabella also made history winning the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition when Maestro Pavarotti publicly declared him to be “Excellent! Not good, excellent!” In 1996 he co-starred in the revival of CHICAGO with Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, and Joel Grey. On hiatus from CHICAGO, Sabella continued to sing leading roles in opera houses and concert halls around the country, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. His voice can be heard as the title role on the Koch International’s live recording of Julius Ceasar, (Virginia Opera.) As a voice-over artist he has worked for both Disney (“Teacher’s Pet” with Nathan Lane), and Fox Animation (“Peter Pan and the Pirates” with Tim Curry). Recently, he has starred Off-Broadway in Jules: The Julian Eltinge Story, and The Phillie Trilogy, for which he won the “Fresh Fruit” award as “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play.” Other accolades include the 2022 MAC Award for “Major Artist,” the 2023 BroadwayWorld Award for “Best Drag Artist, and the 2024 MAC Award for best “Impersonation/Characterization/Drag Artist.” Sabella continues to perform throughout the U.S., and abroad, singing concerts as both himself and his legendary drag diva, “Amanda Reckonwith” For even more info, (and visit our store) please visit davidsabella.com or amandareckonwith.com.

William Sauerland

Dr. William Sauerland is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies for the School of Music at Purdue University – Fort Wayne, conducting choral ensembles, teaching classes in applied voice and music education, and supervising student teachers. Sauerland has presented at dozens of international, national, and regional conferences, most recently for the American Choral Directors Association, International Society for Music Education, Narrative Inquiry in Music Education, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Research in Music Education, and the Royal Musical Association. His publications appear in the Choral Journal, Journal of Singing, Journal of Music Teacher Education, and in two choral textbooks, “Resonance” (Pavane Publishing, 2021) and “The Choral Conductor’s Companion” (GIA Publications, 2020). Sauerland’s book “Queering Vocal Pedagogy” was published by Rowman & Littlefield in June 2022. He has forthcoming chapters with Oxford University Press and Routledge Press.

Rachel Schutz

Welsh-American soprano Rachel Schutz is known for her sensitive and evocative performances and wide range of repertoire. She enjoys a multi-faceted career which includes opera, concert, and recital performances, and in recent seasons won first place in both the 44th NATS Artist Award Competition and the Pro Musicis Competition. A seasoned recitalist, Schutz has been invited to perform at prestigious venues around the world including Carnegie Hall's Stern, Zankel and Weill Halls; the Ravinia, Ojai, and Yellow Barn Festivals, and the Tanglewood Music Center. In addition to her performance career, Schutz is a dedicated teacher and active scholar. In the fall of 2018 joined the faculty of Ithaca College and is currently writing a book on Welsh vocal repertoire and diction for Routledge Press. Schutz holds degrees from Stony Brook University, Bard College, and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. For more information, visit rachelschutz.com

Zach Schwartz

Zach Schwartz, Director of Admissions for the BU School of Music, is keenly interested in the intersections between enrollment management, data science, sociocultural dynamics, psychology, economics, and marketing. Schwartz takes pride in “demystifying” the world of arts education for students, families, and communities. Previously, Schwartz was a member of the Enrollment team at New England Conservatory for six years, has worked as a contract publicist for PARMA Recordings, and formerly co-headed the arts marketing agency Promote Classical. Trained as a classical saxophonist, Schwartz is the founding baritone saxophonist of the Pharos Quartet, with whom he has performed all over the Northeast, recorded, taught masterclasses, and commissioned new chamber works. Schwartz holds the degree of Master of Performance (MPerf) from the Royal College of Music in London, and the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees, both from Boston University.

Carissa Scroggins

Carissa Scroggins serves Southern Illinois University as Voice Area Coordinator, Opera director, and Assistant Professor of Practice in Voice. She has her Doctor of Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Northern Colorado with a secondary emphasis in musicology (2021). Scroggins is a member of several music organizations, including National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), National Opera Association, Opera America, College Music Society, and Music Teachers National Association. She also serves on NATS’s Development Committee. Carissa Scroggins has a diverse performance resume, having been invited to perform in operas, oratorios, and concerts across the country. Her most recent opera roles include Marie from La fille du regiment [2020], Die Königin der Nacht from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte [2018], and Ännchen from Weber’s Der Freischütz [2018]. Moving forward, Scroggins is building a reputation as a Benjamin Britten and Peter Warlock interpreter and a specialist in new music. Scroggins’ current research is focused on lullabies as an art song repertoire choice and teaching community classes in how to sing to babies. Scroggins has a recording titled “Beautiful Dreamer: a collection of classical lullabies.” She is also writing an opera using specifically undergraduate voices for young audiences she hopes to use at SIU in 2024-25.

Natalie R. Sherer

Dynamic pianist and vocal coach Natalie R. Sherer thrives in collaboration with singers and instrumentalists and fosters security, confidence, and creativity with her musical partners. This past fall, she began teaching and performing at Florida State University as Assistant Professor of Vocal Coaching and Collaborative Artist. A recipient of the Brown Loranger Fellowship at SongFest 2022 and former Fellow of the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, she has recently performed and coached at University of Michigan, Sparks & Wiry Cries' NYC SongSlam Festival, National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Intern Program, NATS National Conference, and Prague Summer Nights Festival. Sherer studied at Manhattan School of Music, Wheaton College, Roosevelt University, and University of Michigan where she completed a DMA in Collaborative Piano with renowned pianist Martin Katz. | collabpianist.com

Emily Siar

Emily Siar has been hailed by Opera News as “charming and memorable.” The Boston-based soprano is making a name for herself as a sensitive and vibrant performer of opera, early music, art song, chamber music, contemporary music and cabaret. In recent seasons, Siar has been featured as an artist with Boston Baroque, the Henry Purcell Society of Boston, Emmanuel Music, Boston Opera Collaborative and Mass Opera. This season she makes make her debut with the Grammy® Award-winning Boston Early Music Festival. Alongside her career as a singer, Siar is a skilled and passionate voice pedagogue, serving on the voice and vocal pedagogy faculty of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She is a graduate of New England Conservatory (Doctor of Musical Arts, vocal performance and pedagogy), Eastman School of Music (Master of Music) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Kenan Music Scholar earning her Bachelor of Music degree. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband, Nick, and vocal yorkiepoo, Teddy. After advancing through multiple levels of competition, Siar was chosen as the 2024 NATSAA winner by a distinguished panel of finals adjudicators including internationally renowned pianist, conductor, and coach, Warren Jones; soprano, Susanna Phillips, who has performed in more than 10 seasons at the Metropolitan Opera; and talent representative, founder, and president of Stratagem Artists based in New York City, Justin Werner.

Donald Simonson

Donald Simonson is Emeritus Morrill Professor of Music and Theatre at Iowa State University. There he taught voice, voice pedagogy, and conducted musical theatre and opera. He has served NATS at all levels, from chapter auditions chair to regional governor. In 1998, he conceived and coordinated the first ever Call for Papers for a NATS Conference. He continued coordinating poster papers for both NATS and ICVT until elected VP for NATSAA in 2006. In 2008, he was elected President Elect, moving to President in 2010 and Past President in 2012. His service includes numerous designations as a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program. In 2015, he was elected to membership in the American Academy of Teachers of Singing. In addition to his NATS activity and teaching, Simonson has been active in the lab, with the results of his research published/presented at conferences and symposia both here and abroad.

Loraine Sims

Loraine Sims is Edith Killgore Kirkpatrick Professor of Voice, Vocal Studies Division Chair and Vocal Area Coordinator at Louisiana State University. Recent presentations include “Gender Neutral Voice Pedagogy: It’s Not just for Transgender Singers Anymore!” for the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT) in Vienna and the National NATS Conference in Chicago in the summer 2022. Recent performances include “Comedy in Song: Humorous Art Songs in English” at the 2017 International Congress of Voice Teachers which she also presented at the 2016 National NATS Conference. Other professional activities include Voice Masculinization and Voice Feminization: Vocalises for Trans and Gender Expansive Singers for the 2020 NATS Virtual National Conference as well as co-chairing the Plenary Session, The Ethics of a Profession: Diversity and Inclusivity. Sims is a past Southern Regional Governor of NATS and is also a member of NOA and MTNA.

David Sisco

David Sisco (he/him) is adjunct voice faculty at NYU Steinhardt in New York City. In his over 20 years of teaching, he has served on the facilities of Northeastern University, Suffolk University, Marymount Manhattan College, and Wagner College. Sisco maintains a private studio and teaches around the country and internationally. Sisco has given multiple presentations at ANATS, NATS, MTEA, and ICVT conferences over the last 10 years. David co-founded ContemporaryMusicalTheatre.com, which became the largest online database of contemporary musical theatre writers and songs. He also co-authored two books with colleague Laura Josepher: “Performing in Contemporary Musicals” (Routledge) and “Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions” (3rd edition). A recipient of the 2010 NATS Art Song Composition Award, David is an award-winning composer. His work has been heard at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and he has been commissioned by Cayuga Vocal Ensemble, FlU Concert Choir, Manhattan Girls Chorus, and MSUM Concert Choir. davidsisco.com

Norman Spivey

Norman Spivey is professor of voice and voice pedagogy at Penn State. An active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, he has served at every level, from chapter officer to national president. He participated in the NATS Intern Program as intern, local coordinator, master teacher, and national director, and his writings on teacher development and musical theatre singing have appeared in the Journal of Singing. He was awarded the 2003 Van L. Lawrence Fellowship by NATS and The Voice Foundation and the 2012 Penn State College of Arts and Architecture Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching. With longtime collaborator Mary Saunders Barton, he co-wrote Cross-Training in the Voice Studio: A Balancing Act (Plural Publishing 2018). In 2011 he was invited to join the distinguished American Academy of Teachers of Singing.

Laura Storm

Soprano Laura Storm is a devoted pedagogue and an active performer of stage, concert, and chamber repertoire. Opera and musical theater highlights include the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Salerno, Italy; Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus; Alice Ford in Falstaff; The Governess in The Turn of the Screw; Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown; Desirée Armfeldt in A Little Night Music; and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. As a clinician Storm has worked with students at venues in Texas, California, and Nevada, and in 2019 she presented Master Classes at Hebei Art Academy in Shijiazhuang, China and Guizhou University in Guiyang, China as part of a student/faculty cultural exchange. Before joining the Butler faculty, Storm served as Professor of Voice at Henderson State University where her teaching duties included applied voice, vocal pedagogy and lyric diction.

Kourtney Strade-Austin

Kourtney R. Austin is Assistant Professor of Voice and Choir at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She earned her Ph.D. in Performing Arts Health at the University of North Texas, and also holds degrees in voice from University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and music education from Northwest Missouri State University. Austin also studied Speech Pathology and Voice Science at the University of Iowa and is a Certified Vocologist. She previously used this expertise in her own business, Heartland Healthy Voices, providing vocal health seminars, voice rehabilitation, private voice lessons, and transgender voice training in Saint Louis, Missouri. She has held teaching positions at Midwestern State University, Grayson College and the Community Music School of Webster University. Austin is a frequent presenter of performing arts health research throughout the United States and in Australia. She is a member of PAMA, PAVA, The Voice Foundation, and NATS.

Marita Stryker

Marita Stryker is a voice and movement specialist, PAVA-recognized Vocologist, and yoga instructor. She serves as an Assistant Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, teaching contemporary styles and musical theatre voice. She is a DMA Voice Pedagogy Candidate at Shenandoah Conservatory (concentration Voice Science), where she was previously the primary voice teacher for the Contemporary Musicianship and Entrepreneur Development Program in its first year. She has also served as voice faculty at Oklahoma City University and Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in Japan. An active member of PAVA, NATS (Intern 2022), Voice Foundation, MTEA, and AEA. Her teaching brings together a passion for contemporary singing styles, accessible functional voice science, and the mind-body connection that keeps the artist balanced, aware, and receptive. In addition to her collegiate studio, she maintains a small virtual voice studio with clients in New York, Austin, LA, and Tokyo.

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Michael Tan

Michael Tan is associate acquisitions editor at Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, where he oversees publications related to music, Latin American studies, and conflict resolution. In 2022, he was one of forty-one honorees for Publisher’s Weekly “Star Watch,” which recognizes innovators in book publishing.

Renée Tatum

Noted for her “commanding and dramatic presence” (Opera News), mezzo soprano Renée Tatum continues to garner recognition in the most demanding of operatic repertoire. In the 2022-23 season, Tatum returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto, performs selections from a new opera by Mark Adamo and Odyssey Opera, sings Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Palm Beach Opera, debuts her first Verdi Requiem with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra, sings a recital for the Needham Concert Society, Mozart’s Missa Brevis and Vesperae solennes de confessore with the Masterworks Chorale, Maddalena in Rigoletto with The Rochester Philharmonic and finishes the season with Verdi’s Requiem in South Carolina. Future seasons include Flosshilde and Waltraute in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in concert with The Dallas Symphony, Verdi's Requiem, Dame Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff and engagements with the Metropolitan Opera. Tatum holds degrees from the Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music and Cal State University Fullerton. She was an Adler Fellow with The San Francisco Opera as well as an alumna of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program. Tatum is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Tennessee.

Sahoko Sato Timpone

Japanese American mezzo-soprano, Sahoko Sato Timpone, is a native of Tokyo who grew up in Germany and the U.S. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and has since performed in many operas and concerts throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Her recent engagements include Mary in Der Fliegende Holländer with Opera Maine and alto soloist in Verdi’s “Requiem” at Carnegie Hall with Masterwork Chorus. Her first solo CD ‘Songs of Japonisme’ was released in 2021. She graduated from the New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music and her DMA from Rutgers University, where she received the Irene Alm Memorial Award. She is an associate professor of voice at Florida State University and an artist faculty at the Lunigiana International Music Festival in Italy. sahokotimpone.com

Jennifer Trost

Jennifer Trost had a fifteen-year solo career as an operatic soprano, the majority of which was in Germany including four years at the Wuppertal Opera and nine years at the Bavarian State Opera.  She has also performed as a guest artist at the Salzburg Music Festival, the Komische Oper in Berlin, the Opéra de Paris Garnier, the BBC Proms in London, the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the Munich Radio Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. She taught three years at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich and one year as a visiting associate professor of voice at the University of California-Santa Barbara. She is currently Professor of Music at The Pennsylvania State University, where she teaches voice, as well as the song literature and opera literature courses.

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Rose Van Dyne

Rose Van Dyne exemplifies the integration of acting, music direction, and education, with a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusivity. As an actor and music director, her credits span from Broadway to regional theatre, demonstrating her versatility and commitment to the performing arts. Van Dyne's innovative approach to education, particularly through the Social Justice in Theatre course at the University of California- Chico, highlights her dedication to fostering an inclusive and reflective theatrical community. Her contributions, both on stage and in the classroom, reflect a deep understanding of the transformative power of theatre and its potential to engage with contemporary social issues.

Shelby VanNordstrand

Shelby VanNordstrand has appeared as a soprano soloist from Omaha to Indonesia, China, Japan, Hawaii, Lithuania and Oman. You can hear her on the 2024 album Storms and Stars: Songs for Soprano by Jodi Goble, which was awarded Honorable Mention in The American Prize’s Women in Art Song division. As a teacher, her students have been named winners of the National Association of Teachers of Singing NSA at the state, regional and national levels and winners of the National Opera Association’s Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition. As a clinician, she has presented at the National Collegiate Music Society conference, the National Opera Association conference, the West Central Region’s NATS conference, and other state and regional conferences. She currently serves on the National Opera Association board and the Opera Omaha Advisory board. VanNordstrand is associate professor of voice at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she serves as voice area coordinator. Learn more at shelbyvannordstrand.com or on Instagram: @shelbyvn

Cynthia Vaughn

Cynthia Vaughn is a respected singer, voice teacher, author, and clinician. She and the late Meribeth Dayme coauthored three editions of The Singing Book, a leading college group-class class textbook and song anthology published by W. W. Norton. A new fourth edition was published by Rowman & Littlefield with editor Matthew Hoch in June 2024. She has taught group-voice classes for university students, teens, and community adults. Vaughn serves as associate editor for the NATS Inter Nos “Independent Voices” and was an invited master teacher for the 2020 NATS Intern Program (postponed to 2021 due to COVID). Vaughn has performed in opera, concert, and musical theater in New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, San Francisco, and Denver. Vaughn recently retired from Magnolia Music Studio, the multi-teacher studio she founded and directed 2008 to 2022. Previously, she was on the voice faculties of Colorado State University, Cedarville University in Ohio, ArtConnects International in Urbino, Italy and The Arvada Center for the Arts in Colorado. She joins the voice faculty of Summer Music Studio in Hungary July 5-19, 2024. cynthiavaughn.com

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Ivy Walz

Dr. Ivy Walz currently serves as an Associate Dean at the Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance where she is also an Associate Professor of Voice. In 2019 she was a participant at the HERS Institute. As a mezzo soprano she has appeared with Cincinnati Opera, Syracuse Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Spoleto Festival, and Tri-Cities Opera. An active concert soloist, she has been featured with Symphoria Syracuse, Binghamton Philharmonic, Akron Symphony, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes. Her scholarship within art song has burgeoned invited performances with the International Music by Women Festival, Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble, SongFest, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Denver Art Song Project, Civic Morning Musicals, and Middlebury Song Fest. She holds the DMA from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a BM and MM from Ithaca College.

Edrie Means Weekly

Edrie Means Weekly is the co-Founder of the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute. 2021 Van Lawrence Fellowship Awardee. Recognized expert in training singers in all vocal styles and an active professional singer. Master teacher, NATS Intern Program, 2012. Students on Grammy recordings, films, Broadway, Off-Broadway, national/international tours, television (The Voice, American Idol, Kidz Star USA), cruise ships, concert halls and opera houses. Regularly presents at the Voice Foundation, NATS Chapters/National Conferences, PAVA, SETC, and universities throughout the United States. Authored several publications in Journal of Voice, Journal of Singing. Contributing author; “Teaching Singing in the 21st Century,” “The Vocal Athlete,” “The Voice Teacher’s Cookbook” and “Training Contemporary Commercial Singers.” Edrie’s performances have been broadcast on radio/television, recorded by Decca and Koch. Standby for Broadway stars Patti LuPone, Elaine Paige, and Linda Lavin. On the Advisory Boards for the NATS NMTC and NSA, Voice Foundation, PAVA and MTEA. Biological father is The King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin.

Jeffrey Williams

Jeffrey Williams has been hailed by Baltimore Sun, as “very likable, a winning performance sung with much confidence, phrasing everything stylishly,” by Miami Herald as possessing a “commanding, sizeable, effortless, manly baritone” and by Opera News as a “versatile, fearless performer.” Regarding his most recent recording project, Heinrich Marschner: Songs for Baritone with pianist, Jennifer McGuire, on Centaur Records, the November/December 2021 issue of the Journal of Singing declared, “Jeffrey Williams is a superb singer in every respect. His voice is opulent and beautifully balanced, and he sings with flawless musical polish and insightful expressiveness.” Williams received his D.M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music and M.M. in Voice Performance from the Peabody Conservatory. Williams is Associate Professor of Voice at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. For more information, visit jeffreywilliamsbaritone.com and marschnersongdatabase.com

Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson is the Director of Vocal Pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. At the conservatory he developed the Masters of Music in Vocal Pedagogy and Masters of Fine Arts in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy degree programs. An esteemed pedagogue and voice teacher, Wilson travels throughout the world as a guest clinician and master teacher. He recently guest taught at major universities and conservatories worldwide. Wilson has presented for the National Association for Teachers of Singing, the Southwest American Choral Directors Association, and the Pan European Voice Conferences. He is featured in the texts Performing in Contemporary Musicals (2022) and Training Commercial Contemporary Singers (2019). In 2019 Kevin served as Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program. His students have appeared in over 40 Broadway productions, at the Metropolitan Opera, and in numerous National tours. His former and current students are teaching at prestigious institutions throughout the United States.

Gretchen Windt

Originally from Chicago, mezzo soprano Gretchen Windt has performed with companies including Cincinnati Opera, Sarasota Opera, Utah Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Opera Southwest, Opera Huntsville, Chesapeake Chamber Opera, and Opera Idaho. She has performed roles including Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Meg Page (Falstaff), and Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia). She has been invited to present and perform at conventions including National NATS Conferences, SERNATS Scholar and Artist Series, Music By Women Festival, Darkwater Festival, and Sam Houston State University Art Song Festival. She was selected to participate in the prestigious NATS Intern Program in 2020. She has degrees from the University of Utah, the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and North Park University. Currently, she is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at the University of North Alabama. For more information: gretchenwindt.com

Khyle Wooten

Khyle B. Wooten is Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Performance at Ithaca College. He maintains professional activities as a conductor, educator, researcher, and composer. Previously, he maintained middle and high school teaching posts with charter schools in the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia. At present, Wooten leads ongoing research on the choral works of Black women composers, presenting regularly at regional and national conferences. He is an inaugural fellow of the Future of Music Faculty Fellowship with the Cleveland Institute of Music. His choral recent works include an arrangement of Samuel Coleridge Taylor’s “Life and Death” (TTBB) and “The Dream Keeper” (SA). Wooten is the co-founder and conductor of the Sankofa Vocal Collective in Atlanta, Georgia. Wooten holds degrees in music education and choral conducting from Lincoln University of PA (BS), Georgia State University (MM), and Florida State University (PhD).

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Georgeanne Elisabeth Yehling

Georgeanne Elisabeth Yehling is a dynamic cross-genre singer, actor, and educator passionate about storytelling through song. Georgeanne received her Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma City University, where she sang Mother Marie (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Gertrude Stein (The Mother of Us All), Jack’s Mother (Into the Woods) and Enid Hoopes (Legally Blonde). Her Master of Music is from Wichita State University, where she appeared as Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito), Zaïre (Les Indes Galantes), and Signora Naccarelli (The Light in the Piazza). She has performed with Central Kansas Concert Opera and Opera Kansas including Miss Hedgehog (Fantastic Mister Fox) and two world premieres: Narrator in Anthony R. Green’s Mr. Brewster’s Invigorating Invention (2018) and Olive Ann Beech in Peters/DeSpain’s Staggerwing. Yehling teaches applied and group voice at Friends University. Her private studio in Wichita is rapidly growing with students as young as five and as old as 83.

Charbel Yubaile

Dr. Charbel Yubaile was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He is a Staff Collaborative Pianist at the University of Houston, Piano Instructor at Houston Community College, and Kawai Piano Medallion Educator. Yubaile completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Zacatecas, an M.M. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Oklahoma State University, and a DMA in Collaborative Piano at the University of Houston. His doctoral dissertation focused on the Multicultural Art Songs of Manuel M. Ponce. Recent performances include a lecture recital of vocal music by Ponce at the NATS 2022 National Conference in collaboration with Dr. Reverie Mott Berger, as well as a recital of songs by Ponce and Maria Grever at Sam Houston University and the Dallas Latino Cultural Center. Yubaile is the Director of Vocal Performances at “The Ponce Project”, a Houston-based non-profit whose mission is to promote the rich and exceptional music of Mexican composer Manuel Ponce.

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Dana Zenobi

Dana Zenobi is a nationally recognized interpreter of Art Song by women.  She has also garnered operatic success in roles ranging from Mozart and Verdi to Mark Adamo and Philip Glass. Her performing and studio teaching have received accolades from The American Prize. At Butler University, she teaches studio voice, pedagogy, diction, and vocal literature courses, and directs the Butler University Vocal Competition.  A grateful recipient of the 2020 NATS Vocal Pedagogy Award, Zenobi has presented at events including National and Regional NATS, International Music By Women Festival, Voice Foundation, Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), and Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference.  She currently serves as Indiana NATS District Governor. From Northport, NY, she earned both DMA (Voice Performance & Pedagogy) and MM (Opera Performance) from The University of Texas at Austin, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and Women’s Studies from Duke University.

Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards

Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards is an auxiliary adjunct Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Voice at Shenandoah Conservatory and Faculty at the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute where she trains teachers in evidence-based voice pedagogy for CCM styles. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (with a minor in acting from Case Western Reserve University) and Louisiana State University, and has performed professionally in musical theatre and opera. Current and former students have performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, on cruise ships and national tours. Her current research investigates the roots of Euro-centric vocal music education in the United States and the biases that have limited the inclusion of CCM styles in university curricula.