“I wanted to thank you so much for taking a chance on me and my voice. The two weeks I spent in Savannah were probably the best two weeks of this year. I learned so much about myself technically and who I am as an artist. I got the chance to work with the BEST teachers/coaches in the business and for that I would have gladly paid tuition and then some!”
JONATHAN WALKER-VANKURENTENOR
“This is a program full of love, with opportunities for real growth. With the environment that you and sherrill have created, one is comfortable and at the same time challenged to take risks that in the professional world are so hard to take.”
VALERIA BIBLIOWICZSOPRANO
“You have developed one of the most formative, enjoyable, and rewarding festivals I have ever participated in!”
PETER LAKETENOR
“Thank you for being such a positive force in this business and inspiring everyone around you!”
VINCENT CONNORVOICEXPERIENCE FACULTY
“This is my third time at VOICExperience, and every year I am amazed at how much you are able to put together. You put your heart and soul into this program and your genuine love for all of us is deeply felt, appreciated, and reciprocated. Thank you for all you do!”
LIZZIE BURMEISTERSOPRANO
“Congratulations for all the outstanding work that you and Sherrill are doing for all of us. I can’t thank you enough for the hard work that you both went through to gather an entire program like this with beautiful and memorable concerts. The program gave me a lot of opportunities to hear different people, opinions and work with them in order to give me more conviction regarding my future choices.”
PAULO LAPATENOR
“Anybody can point out somebody’s strengths and weaknesses – I feel VOICExperience took that a step further and really taught me how to use my strengths, and how to strengthen my weaknesses.”
ASHLEY CURLINGSOPRANO
“Thank you so much for putting on this joyous VOICExperience. It completely blew my expectations out of the water. VOICExperience has been the highlight of my year and the most amazing summer program I’ve ever been a part of. Maria, you were right when you said I wouldn’t want to leave. Thank you for being yourselves.”
JILL SESSOSOPRANO
“I hope to be able to continue to train and visit at VOICExperience. The program is really special and different from any other out there. I came away with a lot to process and work on. One phrase that sticks in my mind is from Sherrill’s masterclass: “Opera is about hundreds of details.” Thanks for helping me identify the details in my own performance and to develop an awareness of these many aspects of opera.”
CELESTE MANNMEZZO-SOPRANO
“The atmosphere at VOICExperience is conductive to personal growth as a singer. The program offers unlimited coaching opportunities and daily voice lessons. Also, there are several performance venues for singers to participate in either to further develop personal strengths or to venture into something new. The faculty and staff are caring, dedicated and approachable. They are also very organized! After the program, singers have a much clearer idea of where they are going and what they need to accomplish; short term goals and long term aspirations. Some may realize they need to reexamine their expectations.VOICExperience is about telling the singer the truth without being negative about it.”
GREGG BRUCEBARITONE
“One of the outstanding privileges of VOICExperience New York was observing the faculty among the patrons and guests. Even exhausted from long days of rehearsal, directors, coaches and teachers connected with the public before and after masterclasses and performances. Cocktail hour was their opportunity to exude passion for their projects and pride for their participants. This breeds for attendees a familiarity with our struggling art form. For the audience member, it replaces an often misunderstood and decreasingly familiar world of opera with glowing faces of inspired, successful artists. We are so privileged to be a part of it.”
ELIZABETH TREATSOPRANO
“We want to thank you for all you’ve done for us. Participating in VOICExperience has been so important for so many reasons! It’s helped us grow as singing actors, reminded us (when we needed it) of why we love it, brought us together as a couple and enabled us to get to that next level of performance. Not to mention, it’s a FANTASTIC TIME with FANTASTIC PEOPLE. It is truly a family!”
BECKY SKAAR & BEN HILGERTSOPRANO &TENOR (WHO MET AT VE 2005 AND WERE MARRIED IN 2006)
“In looking over your schedule in NYC, as well as the information from last summer, I am particularly impressed that you cover so many extremely important areas of singing career that are not treated by most programs – history, movement, health, presentation, finances. Just super!”
JANE POOLEAUDITOR
“In the weeks since [Opera is Drama], I have been reflecting on what an amazing experience I had! I cannot thank you enough for believing in our development as young singers so much that you’ve created this opportunity for us! Having a place that was safe enough for me to take risks again and again was invaluable to my development. Additionally, thank you for putting enough faith in me and my artistry to challenge me. Because of this, I’ve started to see myself differently on my career path.”
KATE JANSSENSOPRANO
“I am making my New York City Opera debut this fall. Thanks for your support in past. You’re one of the reasons I am here.”
ANDREW OAKTONBARITONE
“I wanted to extend a thank you to you and Sherrill for really helping me along over the past several years. The VOICExperience has played a seminal role in my development as a singer and as a professional. I owe you all a great deal.”
DARIK KNUTSENBARITONE