Michael with Pavarotti

No singer myself, I was introduced in my early teens to the glories of the human voice largely through my work as an organist. As I then began working as pianist in voice studios, all the issues of language, diction, text interpretation, performance practice as well as breathing and other technical matters excited my interest in art song and opera. To be clear, I am not a voice teacher. Nevertheless the vocal coach must often touch on technical matters from the perspective of the way in which they influence, and sometimes interfere with, interpretation and presentation. As such, I point out technical issues without attempting to correct them; the latter is a matter for the singer’s voice teacher.  It is always my hope to work collaboratively with voice teachers.

I am available for regular coaching sessions, for temporary engagements to assist in learning a new role or specific work or prepare for a concert, and of course to play for performances (see the Collaborative Pianist section of this website under Services).