I am still in love with being a singer and thrilled to pass on my passion and expertise, developed in more than 25 years of performing on the international opera- and concert stage. I am fascinated by music and the human voice in all it’s aspects. My objective is to help young singers discover their individual instrument and unleash their full artistic potential. In order to prepare the students for a future operatic career, I draw on all areas of personal experience.
My lessons address these areas of work:
- Singing/ Vocal Training:
- Release of Vocal Control based open auditive perception: Feel your Sound! Awareness of the Open Resonance
- Physiological Posture
– Body-Breath-Voice Connection and Natural Breathing Patterns
- Musical Interpretation, Role Study
- Expression & Performance, Positive Self-Image
- Stage Presentation & Acting Skills
- Career Planning & Personal Development
As a mentor and partner, I provide guidance, competent skills, support and empathy within an inspiring and uplifting learning environment.Working with and on the voice ultimately results in a heightened awareness for the individual personality of the singer. No work on the voice without considering the singer as a person! Allow me to quote one of my teachers: „Jede Klangveränderung zieht eine Wesensveränderung nach sich.“ (Every change in sound causes a change in being.) Obviously, creating a safe and positive atmosphere is crucial to the process of learning and individual growth. Opportunity needs to be created to experiment: detection and release of unhealthy, therefore undesirable vocal and mental concepts, limiting assumptions and restrictions.
Being aware of the existing needs of our profession, individual goals will be formulated together with the student to fill and develop the personal „toolbox“. The student is challenged and encouraged to self-organize as soon as possible to create a sense of independent craftmanship. The overarching goal is the competent, independant performer who owns the tools for a healthy singing technique and a successful stage career in accordance with a well-balanced personal life.
An active performer in the dramatic repertoire myself, I do understand the special challenges and needs in the development of young dramatic voices. Singers receive a concise and systematic approach to voice training based on the Swedish-Italian vocal method used by great masters of the past and present such as Kirsten Flagstad, Brigit Nilsson, Jussi Björling and others. It consists of exercises focusing on “Chiaroscuro”, i.e. creating a resonating round tone through all vocal registers. Body work and breathing exercises assist in freeing voice and emotion, therefore resulting in a compellingly strong stage presence and authentic performance.
As an artist I understand that a continuous deepening and awareness of personal artistic practice is absolutely crucial to maintain my personal and vocal skills as a performer.
Due to my experience as an opera performer and my time at Maastricht Conservatory a wide and multi-disciplinary network of experts has developed. In regular workshops my singers and therapists from the Zuyd School for Speech and Language Therapy and the MAXQ Institut for Logopädie in Dortmund share their knowledge and experiences. I call upon colleagues from the Wind- and Brass instruments, with whom we singers share the necessity for breath support. The strings confirm our never-ending quest for legato. Alongside one of my Opera colleagues, I launched a series of Lectures called „Opera & More- Music Talks on Mondays“ where we speak about and discuss relevant and/ or curious matters in the life and profession of singers. Lectures are titled „La Voce di Petto“, „Diva vs. Primadonna“, „Visiting Walhall“, just to mention a few. In collaboration with the theory department we developed the module „Music In The Making“. Students of all artistic fields are called to leave their comfort zone to possibly assume unfamiliar roles by experimenting within foreign disciplines. Under the heading „Creative Destruction“ existing repertoire is revisited, destroyed and reconstructed into a new art form.
Personally, I completed my formal education by obtaining a Master of Music Degree (2018) at Maastricht Conservatory, as well as conducting an artistic research titled „Bursting the Bubble: Stepping out of the boundaries of operatic role study“. On the example of Richard Strauss ‚Elektra’ I investigated how to achieve a more authentic and personal performance practice. (link website) Furthermore, I am involved in the European Opera Academy/ EOA as a creative mind and vocal coach. In the framework of the EOA LAB, a strategic partnership of 7 European Institutions for shared competence in opera (http://eoalab-io.eu) I work to push existing boundaries in opera eductaion. Core member of the Maastricht Work Group, I am aiming alongside Peter Misotten, lector Toneel Academy Maastricht(link misotten) to assist in creating an improved and innovative curriculum.