Professional Women Singers Association
List of Coaches and Accompanists
To make additions or corrections to this list,
or to add your comments about someone already on the list,
send email to elissaaweiss@gmail.com
Thank you, everyone who has submitted information! I will update this page whenever I get more information.
Elissa Weiss
2/25/10
Specialties (see alphabetical list below for more information):
Baroque: Greene, Gundlach, Hart
Musical theatre: Bassi, Brunetti, DeWette, Forman, Kolody, Levitzky, Matthews,Ortman, Ricciardone, Rybeck, Ursua
German: Brown, Cirker, Gundlach, Menendez, Olsen, Ortman, Shrut
Italian: Bracali, Menendez, Morton, Newman, Olsen, Ortman, Veccia
French: Morton, Olsen, Ortman, Saint-Gil, Sirguey, Weiss, Teachout
Many languages: Trudel
Art song: Brown, Buys, Fichera, Horsted, Morton, Ortman, Shrut
Spanish: Gonzalez, Zinger
Opera: Bracali, Brenner, Brown, Buys, Crawford, DeOliveira, Horsted, Malensek, Matthews, Menendez, Morton, Newman, Olsen, Ortman, Pajer, Peterson, Shrut, Tracey
Oratorio: Bassi, Brown, Ortman
Mozart: Singher
Movement: Getke, Rievman
Sight-reading: Brown
Alphabetical List of Coaches
Naoko Aita
mobile: (347) 578-0824, home: 212-740-7419
She is a wonderful person, and a very good rehearsal pianist. She will not
volunteer technical or musical suggestions, however, if asked, she has a
wonderful sense of the whys and hows of vocal music. She also is very
reasonably priced!! And, has a very flexible schedule. (Julia Walsh)
James Bassi
http://www.bwaydirect.com/webpages/bios/bio_jim.html
bassimusic@aol.com
(718) 784-3493
Jim is also a composer and singer, as well as a great accompanist. He is
expert in oratorio.(Phyllis Farmer)
He's extremely talented - as a pianist, director, composer, singer - and a very
nice, fun person as well. He's always very busy, but you would be very lucky if
you could get him. (Robin Lynne Frye)
James Besser
(212) 496-6682
Excellent pianist, powerful playing style & can handle complex music.
Good for all-around putting together of material. (Idelle Nisella) (also
Rena Panash)
Gian Paulo Bracali
(718) 549-1113
His specialty is Italian opera and he also is a wonderful pianist. He can
play anything, as he was a child prodigy in piano. He has intimate knowledge
of all the roles in Italian opera, and will work on the details of the entire
role with a singer. He works out of the Ansonia Hotel. He also teaches at
Manhattan School of Music, is a composer and conductor. (Nanette Bevelander)
Anderson Brenner
917-674-4956
Originally from Brazil. He's played several of my auditions and he is an excellent accompanist.
You never have to worry with him at the piano. He is best with opera repertoire but can
play anything. He is always on time, honest, professional and a pleasure to work with. (Celeste Mann)
Gerry Brown
(212) 580-8538
Whether you need a coach for opera, oratorio or art song, Gerry is one of
the best coach/accompanists in the city (he's also a conductor). Currently
he is studying to become a teacher of the Alexander Technique. He is fluent
in German. He also enjoys teaching singers how to sight read. (Phyllis Farmer)
David Brunetti
(212) 580-3292
Great musical theater coach (Sarah Norris)
Earl Buys
212 355 9747
Earl is a fine accompanist, enjoys playing auditions, and is expert in opera and art song. His score analysis helps singers make musical choices. (Phyllis Farmer)
Mitchell Cirker
(212) 799-6281
He's incredibly supportive, once you're on the same wavelength, so to speak.
He's an excellent musician and knows his stuff. He's wonderful with
German repertoire-Wagner, Strauss. He likes working on contemporary music,
though we've never done this together. And he's good at what's pianistically
very hard. (Stephanie Low)
Steven Crawford
(917) 716-4619
He has worked at the Met for numerous years as one of their staff conductors.
He doesn't talk about technique. He is extremely professional and he has a great
sense of all operatic repertoire. I have only worked with him once thus far, but
I hope to be working with him a lot more in the future. (Julia Walsh)
Judy DeWette
(973) 746-4254
Jdewette16@comcast.net
Studio in Montclair, NJ
Mainly available until 2:30 PM. Some slots on weekends. She is a wonderful
pianist and sight reader. Very, very reasonably priced. If you need to learn
something fast, standard rep or contemporary, she'll be able to play both the
accompaniment and your line. She's also very good at helping you memorize, again
if you don't have time to do it on your own, she'll help you push it in fast. I
use her primarily as a repetiteur although as a wonderful musician, she has good
suggestions musically. She is not a language coach. (Rena Panush)
Mozart DeOliveira
(646)-258-9821
He is a very enthusiastic coach about all repertoire- has worked with New York
City Opera for the past couple years as a coach there. He talks about technique
a lot, but for me that works well. He has worked with a number of reputable
voice teachers in Manhattan (ex: Joan Patenaude-Yarnell, Mignon Dunn, Trish
McCaffrey,) and has worked with a number of teachers at MSM, as he was a staff
accompanist there for 5 or more years (at least). ($65/hour in 2009)
(Julia Walsh)
Martin (Marty) Dillon
(212) 875-0092
Bundle of energy. Is a singer/pianist, good with voices. I will only refer PWSA people to him as he wants to limit home coaching to advanced students. (Idelle Nisella)
Christopher Fecteau
(212) 749-0068
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Daniel Fichera
Marilyn Vondra has contact information
A pianist who perfoms as soloist, accompanist, chamber musician, orchestral
pianist, continuo player and for opera performances. He specializes
in art song accompaniments, especially the works of Schumann, Brahms and
Wolf. A beautiful accompanist, easy going, and a great sense of humor.
(Marilyn Vondra)
Michael Forman
mykul4man@aol.com
Knows the Broadway rep better than anyone i know of in NY right now
(Marianna Vagnini-Dadamo)
Miki Fujihara
(917)-710-2199
Works in the city a great deal playing auditions. Great rehearsal pianist.
(Julia Walsh)
Richard Getke
(917) 671-6605
As an acting coach, he helps to bring life to anything you want to sing -
opera, oratorio, song and even vocalize through acting techniques. He
charges $45 for private coaching and has an ongoing class twice a week
on the upper west side.
(Bebe Broadwater)
Mayte Pilar Gonzalez
Spanish lessons. Michele Palmer has her contact information.
Josh Greene
(212) 864-3177
greenejoshua@gmail.com
Good with Bach. Josh, an assistant conductor/coach at the Met, is still available on a more limited basis.
He is wonderful at everything a coach should do. He is
especially good at coaching whole roles because he can sing (loudly and with
a nice voice) all the other parts. He is also a conductor so can warn you
of ensemble pitfalls. I call him the vacuum cleaner because he can spot every
little thing when you're really polishing. (Rena Panush)
Daniel Gundlach
(917)-318-2301
Countertenor- performed all over- Germany, USA, Baroque specialist, particularly
good at German rep, coaches in Inwood at his apartment- I think his fee was
something like $80/hour when I saw him last in 2008. Nice guy and great ear for
technical issues and will offer technical advice if asked. (Julia Walsh)
Jason Hart
(212) 472-2561
Jasonthart@gmail.com
He is an excellent sight-reader, Baroque specialist and
has worked as a rehearsal pianist/coach for almost 10 years. He was a staff pianist at
Westminster Choir College.
(Christina Rosas)
Liz Hastings
(212) 663-4934
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Walter Hilse
(212) 765-8905.
Bach coach (Julie Nord)
David Holkeboer
(212) 874-1050
Very thorough and kind, knows voices and can iron out quirks. A bit expensive,
nice space. I haven't worked with him for awhile, but he may remember my
weird name. (Idelle Nisella) (Also recommended by Rena Panush)
Kelly Horsted
(212) 662-4102
Classical accompanist (Sarah Norris) (also Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
I worked with him at Intermezzo's YAP in 2005. He was nice, but very straight to
business, which can be a good thing for some people, but I didn't feel we jived
right away personality-wise. He knows all rep- opera and art song, and he plays
for a good deal of auditions in the city. (Julia Walsh)
John Kolody
103 2nd Ave(nr 6th St)
(212) 477-3862
VERY musical, encouraging, knowledgeable about voice (teaches voice too). Is very helpful in selecting repertoire appropriate for each voice, knows wide range of music and styles, both classical and musical/pop genres. Not a language specialist but can help with the basics. (Kim Hughes)
Joan Krueger
(212) 877-9622
Very positive, but also straightforward. Very musical, and quite opinionated
about how to sing a particular phrase. Has a good ear for the sound of the
voice. (Elissa Weiss) (Also recommended by Rena Panush)
Howard Levitsky
VM. (212) 769-7664
HowLevMuso@aol.com
725 W. 184th Street, #6L, NY, NY 10033
He specializes in Musical Theatre. Has toured extensively and subs on Broadway
and with symphonies on keyboards and percussion. He's very nice, and really
good at what he does. (Connie Koppe)
Ben Malensek
bmalensek@aol.com
I don't call him- I just email--but, he is fabulous, and works at the Met- and
he never rushes you in a coaching, he knows all the rep- and has all the scores-
so he is always prepared, and he is a steal at $80/hour- his knowledge is worth
every penny! (Julia Walsh)
Roger Malouf
(212) 595-1708
Classical accompanist (Sarah Norris) (also Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Doug Martin
West 103rd St.
(212) 864-4431
Great with classical repertoire, also good acting and language coach. Reliable, honest, supportive. (Kim Hughes)
Nathan Matthews
(212) 665-1437
Nathan (also a conductor and composer) is expert in both opera and musical theatre. He is also a fine art song coach. He has developed an acting technique for singers that works whether you're auditioning or performing a full production that brings out your uniqueness. (Phyllis Farmer)
Louis Menendez
(212) 942-2052
He is the music director of the New York Opera Studio (Nico and Carol Castel), and was on staff at the Curtis Institute and the Vocal Arts Academy in Philadelphia for many years. He has played and worked for just about every famous opera singer you have ever heard of. He has been an assistant conductor to many well-known conductors, including Placido Domingo. He understands the internal world of singers and the art of bel canto. He can sight read anything, is fabulous for all operatic repertoire, speaks Italian, knows German, is very supportive and reasonably priced. He is on staff this summer for the New York Opera Studio at Vassar, as well as Ms. Arroyo's training program. And, he is a fantastic pianist! (Zoe Vandermeer)
Susan Morton
(212) 663-0007
Susan works at NY City Opera and Glimmerglass Opera. She is fluent in Italian,
and also loves coaching French. Opera is her specialty, but she also knows
standard art song repertoire. I just recorded some pieces with her; she's
great to work with. (Ruth Cunningham) (also Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Chris Mueller
(212) 501-6533
General accompanist/coach, excellent musician, can transpose. (Sarah Norris)
Ken Newbern
(212) 864-5467
Language and learning/memorization techniques specialist. Ruthlessly attentive to the correct sounds of a language. (Idelle Nisella) (Also recommended by Rena Panush)
Marijo Newman
(212) 663-9156
All around good coach, upbeat and positive. Wonderful, expressive pianist.
(Idelle Nisella)
Excellent coach for opera and lieder. She speaks Italian and is very helpful
with languages. (Donna Slawsky)
(Also recommended by Rena Panush)
Gary Norden
212-666-1527
Very gentle and encouraging while still demanding precision. (Lucille Windsor)
Emily Olin
(212) 570-0887
She is Russian and a treasure trove for Russian repertoire. She is very demanding
but extremely musical. She is wonderful at connecting the musical idea/impetus
with the dramatic one. Works each phrase until it's perfect. (Kristine Hurst)
Kathy Olsen
(646)-552-3959
She is fantastic! The total package- knows the business- she's an agent and owns
her own agency- Encompass Artist Management- her husband sings at the Met- she
has been all over this country and Europe and knows what each place is looking
for in terms of singers and styles, has great connections with all the major
opera companies in this country and abroad, knows Italian repertoire best
(language-wise) but has a great ear for German and French as well. She is
engaging to work with, will not give negative comments, always upbeat, and most
of all, makes something which could be grueling, fun! ($80/hr--but it's worth
it!).(Julia Walsh)
Dr. Mory Ortman
646-319-9201
He is an excellent coach of: Oratorio, Musical Theater, Opera, Art Song, German, Italian, French;
Doctoroate in Accompaniment from ASU;
Masters in Accompaniment from Eastman;
Bachelors from Bethel, majors in German and Keyboards (Martha Bartz)
LeAnn Overton
(212) 875-8986
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Curt Pajer
(212) 595-0101
He is involved with the Wexford Musical Festival, Opera Theatre of St. Louis,
and Toledo Opera. He travels outside of NYC often, but he is easy to reach
through email, facebook or phone, and he charges a very reasonable rate for NYC
($65/hr.). He has worked with NYC Opera, as well as other major opera companies
in the USA and knows all of the operatic rep like the back of his hand. A
congenial person, he is a wonderfully assured pianist (which makes it easier to
sing for the singer), and he is also a very picky language person (in a good
way)! A really great person to work with- and very professional- he treats
singers with respect, in terms of valuing the singer's own musical opinions. (Julia Walsh)
Jennifer Peterson
917-520-3163
Jennifer Peterson is a sensitive musician with experience in the standard operatic repertoire, especially Mozart and Handel. She is also a harpsichordist, and has worked as a coach and assistant conductor with regional companies. Jennifer always has lots of superb insight from the point of view of the conductor (and what a conductor will expect from the singer) and her knowledge about the orchestra and how it relates to the vocal parts is helpful. (Celeste Mann)
Michael Ricciardone
(212)222-2031
He's an excellent voice teacher/coach in musical theater repertory and is currently on the faculty at New York University. (Suzanne Lodato)
Ellen Rievman
(212) 421-6877
For movement. She was a ballet dancer with the Met for 25 years, and does
stage direction/movement at Sarasota. A very positive experience. She is
wonderful at giving very specific stage direction ideas for arias. Wonderful
for polishing those audition arias so that they are different than singers
who just plant and sing! (Kristine Hurst)
Alex Rybeck
(212-586-5272)
Very good musical comedy/cabaret coach. Has a huge knowledge of that repertoire. Has been the music director/accomp for Sara Lazarus musical theater classes in the City.. Don't know what he currently charges. (Rena Panush)
Audrey Saint-Gil
917-575-3480
She is an excellent French coach---as she is a native speaker (Parisian) but,
she has worked with so many voice teachers at Mannes and local opera companies-
that she really has a sense of how the French has to be altered for singing
(instead of just speaking diction). She has a very energetic and vibrant
personality, and she will iron out all details thoroughly, but is never harsh in
her suggestions. $60/hour in 2010 (Julia Walsh)
Arlene Shrut
(212) 873-9610
Arlene is great to work with. She'll record your session if you provide a tape.
Her specialty is German rep - Mozart,
Wagner, and lieder. She has a vast opera and art song repertoire and plays
like a goddess, in my opinion. She's on the faculties of Juilliard and Manhattan
School, working with accompanists and singers, and has upcoming gigs at the
92nd Street Y and other places this summer. (Ruth Cunningham)
She's at Juilliard and the Manhattan School, was at Aspen for many years. She's excellent. I like her because she's very specific and works me hard, yet is so positive and supportive, that I leave feeling great. She knows lots of people in the business, including good voice teachers. She knows where to send young singers and why...everything from programs to cities to everything else. She specializes in Mozart, but she knows ALL the rep and is very good at suggesting new pieces/packages for her singers. She's also an incredible accompanist, and just singing with her at the keyboard brings out your best. (Kristine Hurst)
We get a lot done every session, and she is meticulous about things one can and cannot do when singing with an orchestra. (Lucille Windsor)
Michel Singher
212-946-5005
conductor, Mozart
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Gaït Sirguey
440 West End Avenue (at 81st St.)
(212) 874-0741
She is the most helpful coach and one of the three or four most musical people I have worked with in all my years in New York. She coaches French vocal literature at the Manhattan School of Music, but that is certainly not her only strength. I have worked with her on music of all styles, periods and languages. I don't know that she is the person I would go to if I felt I needed major language work in a language other than French, but this wasn't the case here, and the interpretive understanding she brings to any piece I put in front of her makes her a very worthwhile investment for any repertoire. She also plays like a goddess. She's not cheap - $60 per hour - but I feel I accomplish so much with her in really giving shape to a piece that she is worth a couple of somebody else's coachings. Among all the people I've worked with in 21 years in New York, she is my first choice both as a coach and as a pianist. She specializes in French repertoire, but she has never failed to give me incredibly helpful insights regarding style and interpretation regardless of period or genre (classical only). (Robin Lynne Frye)
Dan Smith
(212) 874-0826
I recommend Dan Smith because he's a great pianist, good coach, wonderful accompanist and lovely person to work with. (Stephanie Low)
Elaine Smith
(212) 539-8498
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Liliana Sotirova
(212) 841-5584vm; (212) 567-9501
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Ted Taylor
(212) 307-5368
He is an incredible coach and accompanist who plays everything. (Madeline Abel-Kerns)
Liz Teachout
(212) 580-3646
French
(Lynn Hayden-Findlay)
Bill Tracy
973-275-5364, 212-330-6878
tracianno@aol.com
Coaches both in Manhattan and Maplewood, NJ
Works with big voice singers especially, but also very well with other voices.
His forte is working with the basic vocal sound using vowels to get the best
possible sound at each pitch and dynamic level. Bill tracy is now head coach of the opera studio at the Manhattan School and available on a limited basis.
He Was a coach at San Francisco
opera for many years. Easy going, nice guy. Very supportive. (Rena
Panush)
Eric Trudel
(203) 777-8543
he is very very good, especially with languages: French, German ,Italian, Czech,
Russian, Spanish - he also speaks Japanese and some others that I can't recall right now -
his knowledge of repetoire is vast. He is very inspiring to work with and has always brought
out the very best of me, whether in a coaching or at an audition. He teaches in both CT and NY.
(Marianna Vagnini)
Michael Ursua
(212)262-1363
Great musical theater pianist and musical director (accompanist/coach?) He can do anything. (Sarah Norris)
Luigi Veccia
(212) 246 3254
Vecciavoce@aol.com
His fee is sliding depending on how much one can afford.
Specializing in Italian repertoire. A voice technique specialist from Rome and one of the few New York teachers who has put singers on the stage, including Sharon Miller Spinetti, a major singer in Germany, Angelo Veccia, his son who is making a huge international career, and Fransisco Casanova who sings at the Met as a cover and elsewhere in the world. He occasionally travels in Europe for master classes and vocal consultation, but usually lives in the city. Anyway, he knows the repertoire and is great with the language, including dialect, (Napolitano for instance). (Nanette Bevelander)
Emily Weiss
(212) 874-7378
Good accompanist, French expert. We're not related. (Elissa Weiss)
Pablo Zinger
pablozinge@aol.com
specializes in Spanish art song and Zarzuela, and is a fabulous accompanist and Spanish diction coach. He has a recording studio and is also a composer, arranger, producer and conductor. He considers teaching, coaching, and performing the music of the Spanish-speaking world his vocation, and indeed, with his generosity of spirit, kindness to singers at whatever level of study, and desire to help the singer create the best musical performance possible, vocation is definitely the right description of his work. (Phyllis Farmer)
End of List