Somerset, NJ Opera Voice Lessons

I am available to teach beginning opera voice.

My lessons are fun, engaging and productive. We will work together to improve your:

*breath support
*passaggio
*vowel formation
*jaw, neck, shoulder and/or tongue tension
*posture
*pitch
*dynamic range
*musicality

Gain optimal vocal alignment with Classical and Operatic technique. Emphasis is on flexibility/strength, extension of vocal range, and beauty of tone.

I teach the same technique that the greats of the Golden Age used. Lots of science-backed technique designed to strengthen your voice and help you sing healthily. We will choose material appropriate for your voice type/age/range and apply the technique. I also place heavy emphasis on breathing technique, vowel modification, diction and foreign language pronunciation.

If you can talk, you can sing! And even if you can't talk - there may be hope still! Singing should always be a rewarding experience for the singer. The freer the voice is, the better the singing feels, and the more we can express ourselves through singing. But how do we find vocal freedom? Self-knowledge, technique, practice habits, and attitude, for starters...

Some of the areas of singing we'll work on are
- relaxation
- body awareness
- breathing
- resonance
- articulation
- intonation
- rhythm
- style
- stagecraft
- basic music theory
- ear training

We'll use exercises from my background in general music and studies of the "Italian School" of classical singing. We'll also draw from the Feldenkrais Method, yoga, acting and theater techniques, and what I've learned as a certified Music Together teacher.

Other topics we can cover are:
- basics of Italian, German and French language, and lyric diction for these languages and English
- concentration and ...

My focus in lessons is on healthy vocal production with an emphasis on physiology. Because singing is very technical I want my students to feel comfortable in their understanding of their instrument. In this way, during performance situations they are able to let their musicality and acting shine without being hindered by vocal difficulty. Depending on the students need diction, music theory, and sight singing will be addressed.

Music acts as a medium of expression and communication and it acts as a great tool to foster positive changes in people.
Voice is the most unique instrument and I take great pleasure in cultivating and harnessing its full potential through scientific vocal techniques and aesthetics.
A student's overall vocal and musical development is utmost interest.

I am a professional operatic soprano who has performed leading roles with the San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Opera Project and so many more. I recently relocated to NYC from LA, so my rates are on the low side as I build a new studio. I specialize in helping students relieve vocal tension and pressure, as well as teaching proper breath support and Bel Canto technique. During my training as an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera, I performed everything from Sondheim to Wagner, and I firmly believe that with good technique, you can easily sing in any style, as I often do. I can work with any age of student, and I am excellent at balancing professionalism with accessibility. My lessons are a completely judgement free zone, your comfort and freedom to relate to me on your level are of the utmost importance. Most importantly, you WILL make progress in each lesson and you will leave feeling better and more confident after each lesson. Let's get to work!

My name is Cristina and I'm from Barcelona. I'm a classically trained singer. I studied belcanto in 'Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia' in Rome. I've also studied musical theater for 3 years here in New York using the Speech Level Singing technique and I'm working in Bway at the moment. I studied jazz and contemporary music in Berklee School of Music, in both locations: Boston and Valencia. I speak spanish, english, italian and french, so the lessons could be in any of these languages. I use all the registers the human voice has: chest, head, mix and whistle. I can belt and teach how to do it for rock singers and how to mix for musical theater and pop music. If your interested in opera, I will teach you how to develop your full and real voice using your whole body, not just your head and 'mask'.
There's just ONE technique for all singing styles. You can sing anything and sound great and big, even without the microphone. I'll help you to reach that goal.