Stefanie Greene

ARTIST BIO
Stefanie Greene is an up and coming young lyric mezzo-soprano, currently pursuing a Master's in Vocal Performance at North Park University under the tutelage of Karen Bauer, and in New York with Sherry Overholt. She has performed operatic and musical theater repertoire in recital as an undergraduate at the University of Rochester, and performed and studied voice internationally at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. At the University of Illinois, she has previously appeared with the Illinois Opera Studio and in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance at the Allerton Barn Festival. She participated in the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute in 2011 and was honored to be a member of the 2012 Westminster Choir College Chamber Choir in a concerted performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass. Roles include Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Meg Page (cover) in Falstaff. Select opera scenes and roles performed include Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Sister Helen (Dead Man Walking), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos), and Annio (La Clemenza di Tito). Stefanie recently performed the roles of both Mama McCourt and Augusta Tabor in North Park Opera's production of Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe, Second Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflote with Chicago Summer Opera, and made her European debut Frau Reich in Lyric Opera Studio Weimar's production of Nicolai's Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor.

VOICE STUDIO TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
The voice is a mysterious creature. Everyone has a voice and all voices are unique. We use it every day, and can use it to express a wide array of emotions through speech and song- yet we cannot see it, since it is housed inside of our bodies in a system of cartilages and muscles called the larynx. As you can train these muscles, your voice will grows and matures with you as you continue to physically mature over time.
Just as each individual’s voice is unique, so is each individual’s personality. Through my teaching of bel canto (“beautiful singing”) pedagogy, technique and principles, I seek to guide each student to find their most natural voice and provide them with a solid, go-to technique so that they can use their voice healthily to express themselves in a wide variety of styles and genres for many years to come.
To achieve this healthy production, I emphasize an open-body and open-throat approach to singing. Though just two little folds in your larynx create the sound, a proper concept of breath and posture is a huge factor in how these little folds function. Therefore, my teaching to students at every level is always rooted in the basics of posture and breath management to achieve the freest and most efficient tone possible. Much like an athlete, learning to sing is training the correct muscles to work efficiently and relaxing and eliminating unnecessary tension in muscles that interfere with optimal performance. Therefore, daily mindful practice of technique through exercises and specific repertoire taught in lessons is essential to a singer’s continued development.
Because our voices are part of our bodies, voice study is highly personal. Therefore, a healthy student- teacher relationship and rapport is of the utmost importance. I strive to create a supportive environment for an open dialogue with students (and parents) about both their goals and areas for improvement. I tailor lessons to my students and progress with them at the pace they need, while also challenging them musically and intellectually.
I require that all students record their lessons (either with a smartphone app or a separate voice recorder) so that they can listen back to their lessons, and the 24 Italian Songs and Arias book (G. Shirmer edition) for technique, in addition to 2 copies of any other repertoire they would like to work on in lessons.
Because teaching of singing is highly linked to physical development, I recommend that beginning singers be at least 10 years old when starting lessons.
Please contact me via email () or phone ((phone number hidden)) to set up a trial lesson and for pricing with Sheridan Music Studio.