Information About Hannah - Cambridge teacher

Personal Description:

I am a classically trained, freelance soprano and vocal tutor based in Cambridge. In 2018, I graduated with a first class BMus (Hons) Degree, in which I specialized in solo vocal performance. Following this, I graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Masters in Choral Studies, during which I received regular vocal ensemble training by internationally acclaimed octet, Voces8, and regular solo training. My experience of vocal performance and education includes: membership of the prestigious young artists' programme of The Sixteen, 'Genesis Sixteen'; singing at many BBC Proms as a member of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus and as a member of the BBC Proms Youth Choir; singing as a first soprano and regular soloist with auditioned chamber choirs at the University of Birmingham in 2015-2018 and in Christ's College Choir (Cambridge) in 2018/19; singing regularly at concerts and events across England as a freelance soprano soloist and ensemble member; operatic roles such as Pamilie in Rameau's 'La naissance d'Osiris' (St John's College, Cambridge) and Pallade, Venere and Virtú in Monteverdi's 'Poppea' (Trinity College, Cambridge); the role of Maria in Handel's 'Brockes Passion (Kings College, Cambridge); soloist on tours to Berlin and Leipzig with Birmingham University Singers and to Singapore with Christ's College Choir. Through these experiences I have had the joy of performing in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Usher Hall and St John's Smith Square, and the privilege of working with world-renowned conductors, such as Sir Simon Rattle OM CBE, Simon Halsey CBE, Harry Christophers CBE, Edward Gardner OBE, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, John Wilson, Marin Alsop, and Simon Carrington, amongst others.

Regarding my personal favourite areas of singing, I particularly love the vocal music of Bach, Handel and Mozart, as well as the more niche area of Spanish song. I am a coloratura soprano, meaning that I also really enjoy operatic repertoire by composers such as Donizetti. This said, I believe that there is a unique beauty to all periods and styles of vocal music which I hope to help pupils appreciate as we work through wide-spread repertoire in order for them to find their favourite areas too!

Tutoring Experience:

Being a performer myself, I am extremely pleased to be able to dedicate time to passing on my knowledge to others so that they may also enjoy practical music-making. The more I have learned and experienced as a singer the more I want to have the opportunity to share this with others, to help them unlock the joy that can be found in Classical performance.

Tutoring Approach:

The basis of my teaching is to help pupils to discover how to sing at the highest of standards in the healthiest and happiest way possible. This involves ensuring that pupils have an awareness of vocal physiology, health and wellbeing, which naturally forms part of the work on vocal repertoire and technique in every lesson. As a teacher and performer, I also believe it is essential for singers to maintain the integrity of their unique vocal qualities that are an asset to classical singing. We will work to train the voice into a polished and professional instrument, and this means knowing the individual strengths, weaknesses, characteristics and learning approaches of each pupil and their voice, and tailoring my teaching accordingly to work in the way that best suits them.
I have a wealth of repertoire and training exercises for pupils of all abilities that will always be at hand in lessons, but I am also happy for pupils (especially those more advanced) to bring repertoire that they would like to cover. Furthermore, it is entirely the choice of the pupil whether they would like to take official vocal examinations or not as part of their vocal training - I am more than happy to teach either way and see the value of vocal training regardless of which pathway a pupil prefers.
Singing is all about communication – expressing words and emotions – meaning that the text is of primary importance. As a linguist (with qualifications in both Spanish and Italian), I have enjoyed studying the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and I find it an extremely useful tool when teaching and performing repertoire in foreign languages. A certain level of knowledge of this alphabet is naturally incorporated into lessons as we work on pronunciation of text, and increasingly so with more advanced pupils. Once pupils reach the higher end of vocal training I encourage them to spend time studying IPA independently and to use it during their private practice and preparation of pieces between lessons. There are some very helpful study resources which I am happy to share details of with pupils.