I'm going to give some recommendations, but are you at VCU or U of R?
First off, Jeff Riehl at U of R is AMAZING. He's more of a pedagogue than anything. However, he has a pair of golden ears that hear every flaw. He got me ready for auditions in 5 months. Totally reworked my technique, and everyone was/has been amazed by the vocal changes. That being said, don't try for Jennifer Cable, she's really busy from what I understand, and not a great technician. A majority of the VCU faculty are treacherous and that's not a personal opinion. If you can get a hold of Victoria Kinney through Ginter Park united Methodist, I would do so. She's a beautiful person, with a true Italian sound. Very dedicated to hard study, doesn't mess around. Also try Anne O'byrne, her husband is a conductor for the Richmond Symphony. This is a personal stance, but stay away from James Taylor at vcu and jsargeant reynolds. He's a complete waste of time, talks mindlessly in lessons about superfluous content, does not have a direct or logic vocal vocabulary, and is gone quite a bit during the year to gigs. He left me high, traumatized, and dry. If you're curious as to why, just search one of the many threads about "Should I leave my voice teacher if....". My technique grew NONE whatsoever when I was with him, and he blamed ME after a year of passive-aggressive shit talking behind my back with -other students-. Which I think is beyond unprofessional. Anyway, whew.... How old are you? Voice type?
I know this thread was months ago, but I was glad to see this post as I am also looking for a teacher in the Richmond area. I really want a good teacher and sometimes it can be really hard to figure out who is worth studying with, and I can almost never find information about the teachers I find through directories such as the ones on NATS, ClassicalSinger etc. I just don't know if I could take from U of R faculty since I am not a student there. I have degrees in piano and am not looking for an undergrad program, just voice lessons.
Do you (anyone reading this thread) know if any of these people teach privately? Any other recommendations of good, experienced teachers, or sources where I can find a teacher? Ideally I'm looking for a teacher in Richmond, but I'm willing to consider a commute to DC/NoVa or the Hampton Roads area.
This message has been edited by lacat on Jan 25, 2009 10:54 PM This message has been edited by lacat on Dec 17, 2008 11:25 AM
My advice still holds true. Jeff Riehl at U of R teachers students outside of his studio. He's a bit pricey for those who are not students (60 dollars), but it's worth it. I'd look into Victoria Kinney, and Anne O'byrne. Please stay away from James Taylor and relay my message to any singer who's thinking about attending VCU.
It depends on what you're looking for. If you're just looking for a general teacher for fun, you'll have no trouble. Personally I've been heading to Maryland for the last two years I've lived in Richmond. You can e-mail me if you need more info.
I'm originally from Richmond, so I'm sorry to hear the other poster talk about how bad the teachers are at VCU. I graduated from VCU 20 years ago, and TONS of singers I went to school with are working in opera companies all over the world, including the Met, NYC Opera, La Scala, etc. But I guess the faculty is entirely different, now. One of those singers is Tracey, (male) who's a fantastic tenor. I chatted with him briefly after I saw him perform at Lincoln Center a few years ago, and he said he had moved back to Richmond to be near family. I'm pretty sure he said he was teaching, maybe adjunct, at VCU. While I know nothing of his teaching, he has a great technique, and is a nice guy (or at least he was! ha!). Good luck!
I have a couple of students that commute from parts South! Let me know if you'd like to meet.
www.holmesvoicestudio.com
www.novoartists.com/lind
drlorilind@yahoo.com
