PO Box 634, Ardsley NY, 10502-0634
Instruments:Voice

Styles:Classical, Other
Levels:Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Experience:25 years
Rate:$80 / hr

Personal Statement

I recently moved back to New York after having based my singing and teaching career in Europe for many years. I was fortunate to have met Felix Knight, former leading tenor of the Metropolitan Opera, who my first voice teacher at the age of 14 and who remained my vocal mentor until his passing 10 years ago. What was amazing is that although I had a very demanding schedule with over 25 major roles and performed about 80 operas a year, I could fully rely on a solid vocal technique, which stood me by this rigorous schedule! I want to pass on this Italian technique to younger singers. Having lived and worked all over Europe, I am fluent in German, Italian and French as well in the musical style needed for a performing career in Europe. I can help you prepare for a German audition tour. I also sang a great deal of concert music (oratorio, symphony soloist, and recitals) and some musical theater. I can also teach the “belt technique” for musical theater which Felix Knight made me familiar with over the years of my work with him.

“At last, someone who’s willing and able to understand the individuality of my voice. Ms. Girard is a great teacher for the professional singer, though I regret I didn’t study with someone like her when I was a student. She does not require that you start from the beginning again with ‘her’ technique. She is creative and intuitive and has the skill to help you immediately improve upon that which you already have. I am very excited that I have found her.”

Education / Training

New England Conservatory of Music, Boston
Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Ohio
American Opera Center, The Juilliard School, New York

Goldovsky Opera Institute, New York
HB Herbert Berghof Acting Studios, New York
Internationales Opernstudio, Zürich

Teachers: Viviane Mordo, Felix Knight, Frederick Jägel, Jennie Tourel, Luigi Ricci

CONDUCTORS:

Georg Alexander Albrecht, Richard Armstrong, Leonard Bernstein, Sergiu Comissiona, Hilary Griffiths, Armin Jordan, Mihail Jurowsky, Bernhard Klee, Christian Kluttig, Ferdinand Leitner, David Levi, James Lockhart, Giuseppe Patané, Wolfgang Rennert, Donald Runnicles, Nello Santi, Peter Schneider, Stefan Soltesz

STAGE DIRECTORS:

Grischa Asagaroff, André Batisse, Andreas Baumann, Peer Boysen, Nicolas Brieger, Tito Capobianco, Frank Corsaro, Willi Decker, Boris Goldovsky, Eike Gramms, Uwe Jensen, Rolf Lansky, Michael Leinert, David Lloyd, Marco Arturo Marelli, Lofti Mansouri, Joseph McClain, Friedrich Meyer-Oertel, Mathias Oldag, Hans-Peter Lehmann, Christian Pöppelreiter, Peter Rasky, Werner Saladin, Antoine Selva, Roland Velte, Corina van Eijk, Erhard Warnecke.

Video

Bella mia Fiamma – Mozart

Mozart Concert Arias

Valerie Girard