Musical theatre has changed a lot since its early days in the 1800s and especially over the last five decades. For example, in the sixties, musical theatre performers were either dancers who sang or singers who danced. Now, to be successful, a singer needs to be able to move from one style of music to another, including from legit (contemporary and classical), belt, rock, character and patter songs. The more adaptable to the styles, the more commercially successful the performer will be - but it has to be in a vocally healthy way, or it won’t last. A big ask, not just for the performer but also for the one who guides them through this labyrinth of technical challenges – the singing teacher!
In this intensive session, the different stylistic expectations of all Musical Theatre styles will be explored and Good Singing principles applied in a Masterclass setting. In addition, audition techniques will be discussed to assist teachers and singers with current industry expectations.
Kate Schirmer
Kate is a highly experienced singing teacher, currently teaching in the Music Theatre department at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and at JMC Academy in South Brisbane, where she teaches tertiary level contemporary voice students and lectures in Ensemble Studies. Kate also teaches music in the acting department at South Bank TAFE as well as maintaining a private studio. She enjoys running vocal health workshops for teachers, actors and choristers as well as focused workshops on Music Theatre performance. Kate holds a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours, majoring in vocal performance from the University of Queensland and a Masters
of Music Studies in Vocal Pedagogy (Jazz) from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
