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Active - Public

Singing

Hello, I'm Elena! I started my musical studies at age 4, singing with the "New York City Opera Children Chorus". I have studied at Manhattan School of Music, Hunter College and Queens College of the City University of New York and the Bejar Conservatory in Salamanca, Spain. I have performed in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and throughout Europe as a soloist.  I have played Mimi in La Boheme, High Priestess in Aida, Ines in Il Trovatore, in addition to singing other operas including Othello, Carmen, Mephistopheles, The Magic Flute, L'Italiana in Algeri, Le Nozze di Figaro. I have participated in the Master Classes of Alfredo Kraus and Monserrat Caballé and David Jones.  I currently study under the vocal direction of David Jones who is the foremost voice teacher pedagogue. I have also directed summer performing arts programs and high school and college preparation workshops throughout the New York and New Jersey areas.

Choosing the right repertoire for your voice, getting over stage fright, techniques to better vocal performance. finding the right song for you. Open to all students and age levels.

Vocal Auditions Preparation 

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

NYSMTA is dedicated to furthering the art of music and promoting the growth and professional development of its members.  It seeks to enhance the educational and performance expertise in all areas of music teaching, including performance, pedagogy, theory, and composition.  In addition to the Annual Conference, Local Associations throughout the state sponsor musical and educational events of specific interest to those in their communities.

Alfredo  Kraus Scholarship Winner

Montserrat Caballe International Master Class Paticipant

Vocal Performance

Many Broadway Show and Musical Theater excepts with staging,acting, costumes and ensembles.

Music Teacher

Voice Faculty

Voice teacher at Burgos International Music Festival

English

Spanish

Italian

German

I have
 found throughout my 25+ years of teaching that learning to sing is much deeper than just singing. It is also learning confidence, how to become an artist how to develop and  how to break through emotional blocks that we have all put on ourselves. It is a great way for children, teens, and adults to become stronger, happier, and more confident individuals not only in singing, but in their life. I have seen this confidence blossom over and over especially with my students.

I have studied voice with Elena for the past 10 years. Thanks to her, I have understood the proper way to sing with her wonderful technique. I'm a performance major in a Conservatory and I've seen peers feel pain in their throats when they sing. I feel truly lucky to have a teacher who is so knowledgeable in all areas of singing. She goes over technique in a way that is easy to understand. I have won competitions and have been given lead roles in the musicals I've auditioned for. She also gives many opportunities to perform in recitals. I love singing and it's all thanks to her patience and dedication.

I'm so fortunate to have found Elena's studio. For a while I've been looking for a voice teacher to help me improve my technique and advance my career. Elena's mastery over her craft is unparalleled and she makes every effort to explain things in a way that is easy for me to understand. She is very patient and kind and I look forward to many more lessons with her. Thank you!

If Elena doesn’t see potential on her students, she will not work hard enough to train you. I really wanted to study  classical but I didn’t feel her support.  But she will keep praising the students to keep them in her lessons.  So she end up saying  “We will work on your high note next time!” then end up repeating same songs you are doing for years with her and NOT the song that needed help. There is no growing with her professionally, unless you are her favorite.  Bias happens a lot in her class. Hence many students left. They are the smart ones. Not us, we stayed for 5 years and end up being her driver.  For 5 years I never perfected an Aria. She kept jumping everywhere. My husband and I are trained singers, we should have known better.  We were manipulated with her kindness and inappropriate stories. We tried to contact her to resolve these issues but she do not want to be professional and face the fact that she mistreated “some” of her students.  Communication is the key.

My wife and I are hurt. We expected professionalism from someone who claims to "teach voice for a living"  After years of lessons we end up nowhere: no recital, with no idea what is my voice, no Music Theory, and no harmony.  We just want her to listen and apologize for her mistakes.  

We were with Elena from 2012 until 2017 promising us a recital as long we stayed.  It never happened and blamed us for "not reminding" her.   So we returned to her a few years ago to support her. She keeps blaming us for not improving just because we can't see her every week anymore.  But what happened from 2012 to 2017: weekly sessions and 3  workshops per week. 

We told her our feelings but she never apologized. So please read, this is not an attack, these are real incidents. She made me believe that I have something. Just like my wife, we have been with other teachers before her.  But she treated us as basic so we can stay longer with her.  I left my piano lesson with her sister because I thought she would be a good teacher.  

I was Countertenor, I gave her two classical songs to work on, but she dumped them and made me sing inappropriate songs for Countertenors.  If She doesn't know how to teach me, refer me.  Then she told me I was a Tenor, she never trained me enough either.  If she is a teacher with a goal, she should know what to do and encourage me with a purpose.  

As Tenor i ended up singing the same Broadway songs. She doesn't have good selections. She never gave me a good repertoire.  Then switch me again to Countertenor then Tenor. As countertenor, she forced me to sing  church songs that were below my range or songs like Lonely Goatherd! Besides I am an ex-seminarian and an organist, I know church songs.  Why she doesn't know my range?

We sang A Heart Full of Love or I Have Dreamed so many times and every lesson she pretended we didn't know what to do. She taught us a bit of techniques and then stopped.  

She promised performances  but The recital she was a lie.  We learned the same songs and no  repertoire.  Recital is required for music students, why?  So we have a reason to work harder.   But no, she was stalling!

She even asked us to ask our parents to pay for extra lessons since we can't pay enough because we are disabled.  Why is that?  We should have realized it.  It's very impersonal. 

She asked us always to drive her around, like to her paid performance where she was paid and she can't afford to even give us french fries.  She also tells us to drive her favorite students or go to their  concerts.  We dropped her off to many places as if we should be doing that.  Gasoline is not free.

She is so hyper when she taught us and she was not focused on training me.  She even talked about her personal stuff to us and even to her teenage students that is not appropriate. Oh I wish I can tell them here. 

I should have stayed with my other voice/piano teacher to be a better a Music Director. I told her that my goal is to learn techniques  so I can help my church choir.  She never did.  She never acknowledged that.

She seems to not like me because I am blunt to her about her techniques. I thought I could be very open because we ended up becoming friends.  Once we were asked to video her favorite students in the room.  They not  kind.

My wife and I already had lessons. Maybe we let her manipulate us with her charisma.  My wife who is according to her is a lyric Soprano, but rarely taught her any Arias.  We hoped to have a recital to learn a repertoire, then she blamed us that we never reminded her.  

We visited her place for lessons and use karaoke.  We are Asians and WE HAVE KARAOKE AT HOME, we don't need to pay a voice teacher to sing karaoke. 

My wife and I joined a professional choir to hone our skills.  Elena  told us that we are "soloists" and we don't belong in a choir.  So we were back to her singing the same songs again. 

We came back to support her. When we told her our concerns, her response was "I let you in the workshop for free".  Workshops is disorganized.  And even then we gave to drive her or some of her favorite students.  So much for free huh?

I hope she understands that these hurt us professionally and personally.   I feel she dislike me and wouldn't teach me properly.  Although she denied this, after years being with her she knows what she did.  For her It is still our fault.  We thought she is the teacher.

She was insensitive me wearing my denture. I end up getting new denture which cost me thousands of dollar.  I thought it's my fault.

We told our concerns but she kept defending herself. Shouldn't she listen to her clients to learn?

I was scared my son would not like to meditate or find it boring but he can not wait to go back next week! She really was so wonderful with him. Thank you so much

I have been literally to 4 youtube teachers and though I have nothing bad to say about  any of them,  i know that I need a long term teacher that I can see myself growing with as a singer. Our personalities just meshed. She knows how to make one feel comfortable. She is very encouraging to students with zero self confidence like me. I think I have found the teacher I’ve been looking for in Elena! i’m excited to see what she can do to transform my voice. Her resume  as well as her reviews( students spoke highly of her character) are what stood out for me out of thousands of teachers online! It is also important that I love to listen to my teacher’s voice and i love her voice😊

Elena was great! She helped me start new ways to sing. I have sung for years, but these news ideas had immediate results!😊

My daughter is very shy but felt very comfortable.

Wow!  She was so in synch with my son’s style & helping him pick a song & her exercises really helped him get a nice strong sound.

My son enjoyed very much the singing lesson!  He is already looking forward for the next lesson.

Elena was patience with my daughter and willing to work with her to accommodate Her needs acting and musical  inner theater talents

Elena is  a very warm and inviting teacher, she has the depth of knowledge in an array of different styles of music.  Her own voice is remarkably powerful and beautiful.

I absolutely love going to my lessons. They are enjoyable and really help me to progress. All I have to do is ask and she will help me with anything I need. I couldn't imagine a better coach than Elena

Elena is a wonderful instructor.  She is very knowledgable and made me feel very comfortable while taking lessons. She customized her training to my needs.

Vocal Auditions Preparation - Singing Class

About Elena D.

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