Desiree S.

I'm excited to be a TakeLessons instructor and to be able to share my experience and knowledge with you. I have been a singer and performer for over 20 years and have taught voice and beginning piano for over 12 years.

I received a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. I continued my studies in New York City in voice, acting and diction.

I continue to be an active performer specializing in musical theater, opera and concert. I began my professional career as an apprentice with the Portland Opera in Oregon. My love for music has taken me across the U.S. and around the world. I come to Pittsburgh via Memphis, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Portland, New York City, ports around the globe through Cunard Cruise Lines, San José, and Chattanooga.

Currently, I can be seen performing the first Tuesday of each month with Aria412 at Wallace's at Hotel Indigo. I especially enjoy new music and have premiered new works with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Alia Musica and the New Dischord Festival. The most exciting premiere was the title role in Eve Apart by composer Tim Hinck and my husband, which was produced both in Chattanooga and Pittsburgh. My favorite operatic role is Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and I have had the pleasure of singing it with Undercroft Opera, Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera, Stockton Opera, Pocket Opera and as a Resident Artist at Portland Opera.

I premiered the role of Flora Dart in A New Kind of Fallout by composer Gilda Lyons and playwright Tammy Ryan with the Pittsburgh Festival Opera. That same season I portrayed Joe Boyd in PFO's gender bending Damn Yankees. Other theatrical performances include Roselinda in Die Fledermaus with Undercroft Opera, Despina in Cosi fan tutte with Mission City Opera, Blonde in Abduction from the Seraglio with Pocket Opera, Cunegonde in Candide with Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood with Chattanooga Theater Center. I have appeared as Abigail in The Crucible, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Lucy in Threepenny Opera and Celeste #1 in Sunday in the Park with George.

As a soloist with Pittsburgh's new music ensemble Alia Musica, I premiered Kierkegaard's Pantoum by composer David Lidov, was soprano soloist in Shadow in the Hot Sun by Paris-based composer Nissim Schaul and Al Vacio by composer Federico Garcia, a work she premiered at the inaugural New Dischord Festival in Chattanooga. I created the role of Pamela in the premier of TOOWHOPERA by composer Sorrel Hays in Rome, GA.

I was named a world finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a semi-finalist in the Jenny Lind Competition and a regional winner in the MacAllister Competition.

*** Lesson Details ***

Whether it is preparing for a competition, an audition or a role for the school play, I enjoy helping students of all ages reach their goals. I structure the curriculum to the individual needs of my students, focusing on healthy vocal technique, musicianship, stage presence, and joy in music.

During your first lesson, you will sing various vocalises to determine how you negotiate the changes in registration, what your vocal range is, and what you have to work on to improve your vocal quality, stamina, and flexibility.

If you do not see an available time, please call Takelessons. I sometimes have availability that is not visible on my calendar.

*** Studio Equipment ***

Living Room: baby grand, couch, chair, bench, small table, adjoining dining room where parents can wait.