VOICE AND ARTISTIC GROWTH ARE ENORMOUSLY COMPLEX SUBJECTS.
We believe that by the conjunction of several techniques, approaches and methods we can help our students to unleash their full potential. In order to provide a more diverse and extensive education for our voice teachers, we have teamed up with many external consultants from diverse teaching and performing backgrounds.
Some of our External Consultants are:
BARBARA TANZE
EXTERNAL CONSULTANT/ Breathing coach and certified advanced MDH Breathing Coordination practitioner
Born in Munich, Germany and raised between Germany, Switzerland and the USA, Barbara Tanze graduated from the Conservatoire de Lausanne with an M.A. degree in vocal pedagogy and classical vocal performance. She has sung opera productions and concerts around Europe, including the role of Violetta Valery (La Traviata) at the Slovenian National Opera in Ljubljana and also performed around the world with her group »The Petticoat Girls«, seeking to promote classical music through humorous and entertaining storylines. Being a very versatile vocalist, she also participated in the electronic music project »The Atlas of the Lost Islands« by the Italian composer/artist Paolo Pascutto and is the lead singer of the symphonic metal band AqvileA. Barbara is one of only a dozen certified advanced MDH Breathing Coordination practitioners in the world today. She also actively pursues her training in different manual practices and vocal approaches. In 2017, she was invited to teach a MDH Breathing Coordination workshop in London for Ultimate Artists, a development programme for young performers created by Joshua Alamu as well as sharing her knowledge at the first World Voice Teachers Expo in Poland. Barbara has taught workshops at Pacific Opera in Sydney and Adelaide State Opera in 2018 and presented her research work in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. In addition to her work with singers of all styles, Barbara is training amateurs and professional athletes to optimize their breathing mechanism for any kind of athletic activity. Her clients include Andreja Sterle Podobnik, winner of the Everest Trail Race in 2016, Slovenian cycling champion Matej Mugerli, Olympian Urška Poje (biathlon) as well as many others.
RICHARD HALTON
EXTERNAL CONSULTANT/ Musical Theatre and Classical Studies
Richard studied singing at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with Renato Cappecchi in the USA. On leaving GSMD he enjoyed a 20-year career continuously in work performing over 40 principal roles with all the major British Opera companies, collaborating with many of the world’s finest conductors, directors and choreographers. He has also given recitals, concerts, oratorios at home and abroad, and taken part in many commercially released recordings. He was also versatile enough to take on, amongst others, the title role in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London and Ravenal in Showboat, which he performed for nearly two years on national tour and twice at The London Palladium. He brings a wealth of experience as an educator, teaching a variety of singers including; young adults, undergraduates, post-graduates, industry professionals on a one-to- one basis as well as directing Choirs and musicals, delivering workshops and summer schools.
JACKIE HOLE
EXTERNAL CONSULTANT / Vocal Effects
Singing since the age of 4, Jackie spent her formative years mimicking her favourite pop stars where she discovered a talent for ‘making strange noises’ and pushing the boundaries of vocal ability. As a versatile and flexible vocalist in her own right, she has sung in various roles in productions ranging operettas, to rock, pop, soul, R&B and metal. Graduating from the Leeds College of Music she became an electronic composer and session singer before taking a career break to study a degree in Interactive Media and Online Marketing, winning the European Search Personality of the Year award and a place on the prestigious list of alumni of note from Huddersfield University along the way. Having an interest in vocal pedagogy and wanting to teach singers how to reach their full potential, Jackie studied at the Complete Vocal Institute in Copenhagen and Estill Levels 1 & 2 and is now one of only 6 qualified CVT instructors in the UK with a speciality in vocal effects. Meeting Andres in 2006 at the Institute, she joined forces with the European Vocal Camp to provide the Vocal effects, lyric interpretation and improvisation workshops since 2006, and has been used as the ‘soundbox’ to demonstrate growl, grunt, tuva, creak, fry, whistle, rattle and various combinations of Vocal Effects at the World Voice Teacher Expo and is now proud to become an external consultant for the Institute of Modern Vocal Training Jackie has been teaching vocal effects to both students and teachers in global masterclasses working with international rock and metal artists, rappers, Jazz, Soul and Blues artists and more recently ‘The Voice’ contestants. She teaches in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Israel, Brazil and the USA, and is passionate about helping singers overcome their nerves, improve their technique and gain confidence to sing from the heart knowing that their voice will never let them down. With an ability to sing all styles she is currently working with an international Prog metal band as both coach and session singer and singing in a rock band, vintage duo, disco / soul outfit and blues trio and brings many years experience in teaching vocal effects, extended techniques and singing in extreme styles to singers of all ages and styles without harm or damage to the voice.
CHRIS JOHNSON
Vocal Science
Chris is a vocal coach, lecturer, podcaster, performer and voice geek. A passionate and experienced vocal coach with a flare for helping vocalists reach new heights in their vocal ability, Chris teaches from his base in London and internationally at world famous development programs. Chris works with a huge range of voices and genres, and his clients include West End leading ladies, touring rock bands and even professional classical sopranos. He also helps young professional singers by lecturing at top UK music institution, The Academy of Contemporary Music. His commitment to helping singers and teachers continues through his mentoring of new vocal coaches, his free iTunes podcast (The Naked Vocalist) and regular articles for iSing magazine and other vocal publications. As a singer, his performance credits include support for Lemar, The Drifters and singing personally for HRH The Prince of Wales. His own acts have also been entertainment for ITV shows “Dancing on Ice” (series 1 & 2) and “Popstar To Operastar.”
LISE LIV SKOVGAARD
Neurological Psychology, Mental Training for Vocal Coaches and Singers.
Lise Liv has both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Psychology from the Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the Department of Education. She is an authorised Complete Vocal Technique Coach and was one of the first teachers qualified to teach this approach. She has been teaching singers internationally for 17 years and is a teacher at Complete Vocal Institute in Copenhagen. Lise Liv also works as a therapist in a clinic with people suffering from stress, anxiety and depression. This combination of professions, therapist and vocal coach, is brought together in her innovative work providing Mental Training for Performers, through her company, Ownership Balance. She works with performers experiencing stressful situations, anxiety, worries, stagefright, mental blocks and of course people who have had traumatic experiences on stage, anything from forgetting the lyrics to fainting. In addition, Lise Liv works with finding the ideal development/learning path and needs for the individual performer. Lise Liv has been singing since she was a child. Her own route into singing professionally, at the age of 17, came from a teacher asking if she could sing lead vocals on a big tour with a choir, after the lead singer took ill. Lise Liv was not the type of person who wanted to be centre stage and didn’t enjoy the attention. In spite of this, she has found herself singing in front of thousands of people and today, she gives lectures to large groups of people from all over the world. What drove her past her reticence of the limelight is her passion for, and focus on communicating and wanting to share music and knowledge with others. When our focus is on the music we love or the meaning of the words we are communicating, we can learn to let go of the focus on ourselves that is holding us back. If something is hindering a performer in achieving goals or technical skills it can be due to mental strategies, that prevent new things from happening, by the brain keeping old patterns as the dominant and active ones. Lise Liv has specialized in working with all kinds of performers. She is working with Music Unions in different countries to get performers to focus on mental health. A long career requires a healthy technique, body and mind. It requires choices and prioritising as a performer to stay in balance and mental training is a part of that balance and a part of making good choices, whatever they are to the individual. We are all individual and so are our choices.