Elizabeth Saunders, President, New York Singing Teachers Association

Elizabeth Saunders, award winning mezzo-soprano, trainer of singers and actors, and President of the New York Singing Teachers Association, grew up speaking with a stutter and came to singing as a means to become more comfortable with her voice and vocal communication skills.

As a conservatory trained opera singer who sang internationally before retraining her voice for other singing styles and working as a non-singing actor as well, Elizabeth has a wealth of unique training, professional musical experiences, and sensitivities that help her meet students where they are and help them find their way out of what may be trapping them physically, vocally, and emotionally.

This workshop was created at the behest of a colleague who exhorted her to create a workshop that shared how she became the type of artist and communicator that she is. Each of the 4 training elements in the workshop are pulled from the training and professional activities that made the biggest breakthroughs in her ability to communicate with greater ease and authenticity both onstage and in real life.

Whether teaching private voice lessons or facilitating this workshop, the following ideas and thoughts guide her approach with each individual:

“We are one, after all, you and I, together we suffer, together exist, and forever will recreate each other.” Teilhard de Chardin
“The human voice is the organ of the soul.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“To free the voice is to free the person.” Kristin Linklater
“There is a Voice that Doesn’t Use Words. Listen” Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī
“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.” Isadora Duncan