IVACON 2022 - The Art of Teaching Singing

We have a great range of teachers and speakers at IVACON 2022.

Guest Speakers

  • Joanne Bozeman

    Joanne Bozeman

    A graduate of the University of Arizona, Joanne Bozeman has been a singing teacher for 47 years. She was a faculty member at Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music for 26 of those years, where she taught studio voice and a number of voice-related and singing diction courses. Joanne’s students have been winners in the NATS Auditions and other competitions, and many have continued on to excellent graduate programs and performing careers. Others have become singing teachers, choral directors, music educators, and speech and language pathologists. In addition to her career as a singing teacher, Joanne performed frequently in recital, concert and oratorio. Now retired from academia and professional singing, she continues to be engaged with the voice community as a teacher and frequent presenter on the relationship of female voice and hormones.

    Joanne Bozeman’s Website

  • Ken Bozeman

    Kenneth Bozeman, Professor of Music, tenor, holds performance degrees from Baylor University and the University of Arizona, and subsequently studied at the State Conservatory of Music in Munich on a Rotary fellowship.  He is chair of the voice department at Lawrence University, where he has received two awards for excellence in teaching. He was awarded the Van Lawrence Fellowship by the Voice Foundation in 1994 for his interest in voice science and pedagogy and is the chair of the editorial board of the NATS Journal of Singing. His former students have sung with Houston Grand, Boston Lyric, Opera Colorado, Washington, Wolf Trap, Seattle, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco, New York City Opera, the Metropolitan, and Santa Fe Opera.

    Ken Bozeman’s Website

  • Andrew Bryne

    Andrew Byrne

    Andrew is a singing teacher based in New York City. His students have been seen in over 80 Broadway shows. Andrew also has several Broadway credits, including the pit orchestra for Les Misérables.

    Andrew has served on creative teams for The Sundance Theatre Lab, Yale Repertory Theatre, North Shore Musical Theatre, and many others. On television, he has worked as a vocal coach for America’s Got Talent and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (Showtime).

    Twice named NYC’s favorite vocal coach in the Backstage Readers’ Choice Awards, Andrew travels the world to bring his brand of brain-focused training to singers across the globe. In 2016, he was appointed by the U.S. State Department as the first Arts Envoy to the nation of Belarus, where he led the inaugural Russian-language production of the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Next to Normal. Other international teaching assignments have taken him to Singapore, Switzerland, Denmark, France, China, and four times to Australia. In North America, Andrew has enjoyed four teaching residencies in Canada (including The Banff Centre) and served as guest faculty for the prestigious University of Michigan musical theatre department. 

    Andrew’s side project is songwriting, where his work has been seen in feature films and in many prominent online sources. His YouTube channel has over a million views, and his parody of Heisler and Goldrich’s “Taylor the Latte Boy” is his greatest hit.

    Andrew is a master practitioner of Z-Health, a program of functional applied neuroscience for athletic trainers. Learn more at andrewbyrne.com.

    Andrew Byrne’s Website

  • John Fluker

    John Fluker

    From his bedrock work in Gospel and R&B vocal arrangements to his latest experiments in instrumental Lifestyle Music, John Fluker’s career has been one of constant musical exploration. The L.A.-based pianist, composer, vocalist, arranger—who was equally inspired by the restless funk of Sly and the Family Stone as he was by the classical music he studied at the University of Michigan—has performed for the Grammys to the Nobel Peace Prize to the Michael Jackson Memorial concert. John has participated in a cappella choral work to full symphony orchestras.

    John puts that stylistic versatility and omnivorous taste to good use, backing a roster of heavy hitters including Beyoncé, Dionne Warwick, Oleta Adams, Mavis Staples, Hinton Battle, John Legend, Boyz II Men, Ron Brown, David Hasselhoff, Sam Harris, and Smooth Jazz saxophonist Michael Lington.

    Recent credits include singing in The Simpsons, Harriet, Just Mercy, Euphoria, Perry Mason, Sing 2, Dolemite, Delhi Safari (duet with Vanessa Williams), and faith-based performances in local churches and Japanese ministries. He also provides instrumental music for digital and streaming sites. You may see him on television as a member of the Rainbow Tribe Choir in commercials for IBM, Apartments.com (in a Superbowl 50 spot), Chrysler, Match.com, and Hewlett Packard.

    Most notably, John has collaborated extensively with the legendary Gladys Knight. Highlights of this fruitful relationship include service as her primary piano accompanist, musical director, partner in televised duets, and songwriter for her musical, Madame Lily, and arranger, pianist, and soloist in the Grammy award–winning CD One Voice.

    His skill and commitment have made him a go-to for others as well. A sought-after vocal coach, John—who won the Best Male Vocalist category on Ed McMahon’s Star Search multiple times—can count among his clients Jennifer Lopez, Roselyn Sanchez (Rush Hour 2), Kim Fields, Mary Hart, Florence LaRue (The 5th Dimension), and Shawn King (Larry King’s wife). His coaching earned a feature in Seth Riggs’ book, Singing with the Stars.

  • Dr. Marco Guzman

    Dr. Guzman is a voice pathologist with eighteen years of clinical and academic experience. He received his Ph.D. in Speech Techniques and Vocology from the Tampere University, Finland.  He also holds a certification in vocology from the University of Iowa and National Center for Voice and Speech (USA). Dr. Guzman joined the faculty at the Universidad de los Andes, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2018 following a 15-year academic career at the University of Chile. He also works as a clinician in the Department of Otolaryngology, Las Condes Clinic, Chile. Moreover, He joined the Tampere University (Finland) as Adjunct Professor in 2018.

    Dr. Guzman is an active researcher and author of numerous scientific articles and book chapters related to the underling physiology of semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, physiologic voice therapy, and supraglottic constrictions during singing and speaking voice. Dr. Guzman is frequent speaker and lecturer at national and international meetings on topics related to assessment and management of voice disorders.  He belongs to the editorial board of the Journal of Voice and to the Pan American Vocology association (PAVA) Advisory Board.

    Dr. Marco Guzman’s Website

  • Liz Jackson Hearns

    Liz Jackson Hearns

    Liz Jackson Hearns (she/they) Singers, speakers, and fellow voice teachers from all different backgrounds seek out Liz’s teaching to illuminate traditional voice science and pedagogy with transformative relationship-building in a compassionate and playful environment. In 2014, Liz began working with transgender/non-binary individuals, helping clients to develop voice and communication patterns that align with and affirm their identity. Liz also works with trans/non-binary singers, supporting a sustainable, healthy singing voice technique during medical transition (or not) and beyond. Liz teaches fellow voice teachers who are eager to support their transgender and non-binary students through workshops, public speaking, training sessions, and online courses. Liz is the Co-Founder and Owner of The Voice Lab, Inc.; Co-Founder of ResonaTe, Chicago’s Trans Choir; author of One Weird Trick: A User's Guide to Transgender Voice, and co-author of The Singing Teacher's Guide to Transgender Voices.

    Liz Jackson Hearns’s Website

  • Prof. Anne-Marie Speed - Estill

    Prof. Anne-Marie Speed

    Anne-Marie has been working as a voice teacher, singing teacher, vocal, acting and accent coach for almost 30 years within film, theatre, music theatre, TV and CCM.

    She established The Voice Explained (Anne-Marie Speed & Associates) in 2001 in order to promote the teaching and reach of Estill Voice Training within the UK and internationally alongside her other work within the performing arts industry. Since then she has regularly run popular workshops in Voice, Performance and Estill Voice Training throughout the world. She has been Professor of Spoken Word on the Musical Theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music since the course started in 1994 and was President of the British Voice Association 2001-2002.

    Prof. Anne-Marie Speed’s Website

  • Gerald White

    Gerald White

    As one of Los Angeles’ first call session vocalists for 25 years, Gerald White can be heard in over 200 film and television projects, from Frozen to GLEE, X-Men, and Avatar. His studio experience is matched by live singing appearances with industry greats such as Hans Zimmer, Adele, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, and at events like The Academy Awards and Game of Thrones Live. He has provided vocals on albums for artists like Whitney Houston and Paul McCartney. 

    Gerald holds an MA and BA in jazz and commercial music, chairs the Singer Committee at SAG-AFTRA, and is certified at the Institute for Vocal Advancement where he runs a private vocal studio in Santa Monica, California. His expertise as a session singer, artist, and voice teacher is what undergirds his ear as a producer. Gerald’s deep passion lies in bolstering his students to sing with freedom as they too realize their dreams.  

    Gerald White’s Website

IVA Master Teachers

  • Stephanie Borm-Krueger

    IVA Master Teacher

    Stephanie Borm-Krüger was born in 1975 in Munich and has pursued an education in pedagogy and teaching since graduating from high school. She earned a degree as a teacher at the Munich LMU University and has taught at schools in Munich and San Francisco.

    Stephanie is a respected authority in the field of vocal training. She was a vocal coach for the TV show The Voice of Germany in its first two seasons. She has also been a jury member at the West Coast Songwriter’s Competitions in San Francisco several times.

    Among Stephanie’s clients, you’ll find professional and internationally renowned singers, actors, lecturers, speech therapists, and voice teachers.

    It is Stephanie’s mission to familiarize singers of all levels and styles with the best vocal technique possible and to support them in developing their full vocal potential.

  • Roberto Delli Carri

    Roberto Delli Carri

    IVA Master Teacher

    Roberto delli Carri is considered by many as one of the most experienced voice teachers in Italy—and even beyond. As an expert singer and pianist, Roberto has many years of live performance experience. He was a background vocalist for Italian television shows (RAI / MEDIASET) and vocalist/keyboardist for some Italian performers.

    He constantly shares his passion for beautiful and healthy singing by running a very successful vocal studio in Rome, teaching long-distance students abroad, including students from Spain, Switzerland, Poland, the United States, Russia, South Korea, Mexico, Australia, and more. His clients are singers ranging from amateurs to the internationally-acclaimed. He collaborates with ENTs and speech therapists dealing with the vocal re-education of their patients. He is also often called to assist his clients in-studio recording sessions or before their concerts.

    Roberto teaches with great energy and empathy. He is a great motivator and excellent communicator; he knows how to really inspire his students and how to constantly push them toward success

  • Kathy Kennedy

    Kathryn Kennedy

    IVA Master Teacher

    Kathy brings over 25 years of real-world experience as a singer to her thriving teaching practice. She has enjoyed a long performance career in the San Francisco music scene. As a lead singer in one of the Bay Area’s most sought-after party bands, she has performed before thousands at corporate events around the world, opening for acts like Sheryl Crow, Donna Summer, and Tony Bennett.

    She greatly enjoys working with people of all levels of development. As a teacher, Kathy has a wonderful ability to meet each student at their level and tailors lessons to what her students' particular issues are to help them reach their desired goals. She can quickly analyze a voice and get it functioning better. Her students rave about how she has helped them develop the technical skills they need to feel confident. Whether her students are total beginners or seasoned pros, she helps singers understand how the voice works and how to get the most out of it.

  • Jeffrey Skouson

    Jeffrey Skouson

    IVA Master Teacher

    Singer, producer, pianist, and top vocal instructor, Jeffrey Skouson trains some 150+ students from all over the world. Most students study at his studio in Las Vegas, while long-distance students (based in Asia, South America, New York, Australia, and England, to name a few) take lessons by Skype or other internet applications. With extensive experience as both a performer and educator, Jeffrey is a uniquely qualified and effective teacher.

    Jeffrey’s abilities as a vocal teacher have expanded to many professionals throughout the music world, including bands such as The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Panic! At The Disco, and over 30 Broadway Stars.

  • Linda Tomkinson

    Linda Tomkinson

    IVA Master Teacher

    Linda Tomkinson is the vocal coach and owner of SingWithLinda’s Artist Hub. She is known as the voice teacher who gets results. Linda enjoys the challenge and satisfaction of helping develop the vocal talent of both professionals and non-professionals alike. She has been teaching voice lessons for over 22 years. 

    Many of Linda’s clients have met with great success, having performed with Rihanna’s world concert tours,The Voice,American Idol,The X Factor, Disney, Jimmy Fallon, Capitol Records, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Cascade Recordings, Dreamworks, Big Idea Productions, Hale Center Theater, Usana, BYU Young Ambassadors, Noteworthy, and Vocal Point. Many of Linda’s clients have won numerous talent contests and scholarships.

  • Spencer Welch

    Spencer Welch

    IVA Master Teacher

    After a successful career as a recording artist, studio musician, producer, and vocal coach, Spencer Welch is known for his ability to quickly assess a singer’s challenges, and prescribe solutions that produce healthy, marketable results. Trained by some of the top voice teachers in the industry, Spencer has been recognized as a Master Teacher of vocal technique by two of the most prestigious certifying programs in the world, including the Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA) where he is currently the Director of Education.

    Based in Vancouver, Canada, Spencer is often called upon to prepare recording artists and actors for studio, concert, theatre and film work. His clients include Juno Award winners and artists signed to Universal, Interscope, Capitol, and Integrity Hosanna.

The IVA Ambassadors

  • Charlene Adams

    Charlene Adams

    IVA Ambassador

    I love what I do and it makes me so happy to be able to share my passion with others. 

    As a performer I was looking for ways to improve my craft. I tried different teachers and techniques over the years but still struggled with inconsistencies in my singing and performance. I just never felt like I could really trust my voice. 

    In 2005 I found a voice teacher who taught a technique that changed and improved my voice in a way I never thought possible. I finally had the right tools to give my voice consistency and my performances greater confidence.

    With a love for teaching, I joined the Speech Level Singing Teacher Certification Program. After certifying to a Level 3 Instructor, I moved to The Institute for Vocal Advancement to continue my education and certified to a Level 5 Mentor Instructor.

    Now I am privileged to help so many students discover their natural abilities and reach results they never dreamed were possible.

  • Heather Baker

    IVA Ambassador

    Heather has studied voice and the teaching of voice continually since 2001, working with some of the world’s greatest vocal experts to perfect her knowledge and teaching abilities. She is a Mentor Teacher and Ambassador with IVA, and she has a love of sharing her knowledge with teachers and singers.

    Heather runs a large vocal studio in the UK and has several other IVA Teachers working for her, training singers of all ages, abilities, and styles. Her private client list includes gigging musicians, songwriters, television personalities, journalists, signed artists, MOBO Award and Mercury Award nominees, Malta Music Award winners, and a vast selection of amateur singers. She has been consulted for nationwide music industry books and local news articles. She has taught at performing arts institutes in the UK, Malta, and Israel. For two years, she lectured regularly at The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) on the music course. Heather has also taught at the Institute for Vocal Advancement’s teachers conferences (IVACONs) in California, Edinburgh, and Vienna.

  • Rafa Barreiros

    Rafa Barreiros

    IVA Ambassador

    Rafael has studied voice and the teaching of voice continuously since 1998, working with some of the world’s greatest vocal experts. He has been a musician since he was eight years old. Rafael has performed as a singer, drummer, bassist, and guitarist, besides his work as a composer and bandleader.

    Rafael’s client portfolio in Brazil includes gigging musicians, songwriters, actors, entrepreneurs, lecturers, vocal groups, and many clients via Skype. He worked at Gabriela, Um Musical and in the Sunset Boulevard musical as voice teacher of Marisa Orth (actress) and Daniel Boaventura (actor).

    He is currently an IVA Ambassador and Worldwide Area Representative Coordinator.

  • Sharon Erman

    IVA Ambassador

    Sharon is an Mentor (Level V) certified instructor for the Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA), a global organization of voice teachers offering high quality continuing education and training to its members. 

    In addition, Sharon is a certified Level III instructor in Somatic Voicework - The LoVetri Method, a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the Voice Foundation. She attends voice conferences regularly including IVACON, NATS National Conference, World Voice Teacher EXPO, Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop at NEC, Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and The Voice Forum conference.

    With her blend of formal music training, continuing education, vocal skill, performance history and teaching experience, she has all of the elements needed to be a successful vocal instructor. 

  • Andreas Grussl

    Andreas Grussl

    IVA Ambassador

    Voice instructor, vocal producer, and lawyer, Andreas Grussl runs a very successful voice studio in his hometown of Graz, the second biggest city in Austria. He trains singers from all over Austria and Europe in-person and over the internet. Andreas is known for high-quality vocal instruction, effective in helping singers of all genres and levels.

  • Sue Kingham

    IVA Ambassador

    Sue Kingham has been performing and teaching singing in Perth, Western Australia, for over 30 years. She has been running her own successful singing studio for 18 years and was instrumental in bringing out SLS™ and IVA Master Teachers to WA. She has studied under some of the world’s top voice and vocal pedagogy trainers. In 2013, after ten years of training to the highest level, Sue left SLS to join the new Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA). Sue became an IVA Mentor Teacher in 2014 and was made an IVA Ambassador in 2017; she served as the Area Representative (AR) for IVA in Western Australia until 2021.

    Sue taught principal studies and performance skills for over 26 years at the prestigious West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in the Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance and Contemporary Music Education courses.

  • Renee Maranan

    Renee Maranan

    IVA Ambassador

    Renée Maranan is a vocal instructor and singer/songwriter.

    Renée has over 17 years of experience as a vocal instructor, starting as a teacher in Vancouver, BC (Canada) before establishing her private studio in the United States Pacific Northwest. She is a certified Mentor-level instructor and Ambassador with the Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA) and a full member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

  • Gary Peinke

    IVA Ambassador

    Gary-John Peinke, born in South Africa, has been involved in theatre and music productions since the age of 10. He studied piano and flute through the Royal Schools of Music and Trinity College London. In 1996, he moved to Germany to begin his professional training in the performing arts, including a teacher training course in theatre and mime. Afterward, he began working at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. He has also toured with various performance ensembles throughout Europe, Japan, and South Africa. He started his voice studies with SLS (Speech Level Singing) and left the organization to join the newly formed Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA) in 2013. He is currently a certified IVA Mentor (Level 5) Instructor.

  • Lara TenHoorn

    IVA Ambassador

    Lara is a Sydney based vocal coach, vocal producer, session singer, songwriter and musician.

    Raised in a family of singers, music has been Lara's passion her whole life. Since studying with IVA (The Institute for Vocal Advancement) for the last 8 years after transferring credits from SLS, Lara has excelled in the organisation and set herself apart from other vocal coaches by being examined yearly by a master trainer within IVA and consequently is now an Advanced, Level 4 educated voice instructor. 

    With her expertise in vocal technique and her ability to get amazing results from a multitude of different singers, all styles and genres. She is a sought after coach, vocal producer and voice/film editor.

    Her student base includes Sony signed artists, finalists in X Factor and Australia's Got Talent, voice instructors, International touring singers, beginning singers, recording artists and future artists in development.

  • Jay Veerayano

    IVA Ambassador

    Jay Veerayano is an accomplished vocal teacher, singer-songwriter and business executive, and TV personality of GMM Grammy, Thailand largest record label and entertainment empire. He began working professionally as a voice teacher since 1999.  

    At GMM Grammy, He oversees a part of its artist development program and new artists recruitment. As one of the most successful vocal teachers in Thailand, he was awarded with The Excellence In Music Teaching Award for Pop Rock Vocals from the Trinity College London in 2019. Jay's students have become popular recording artists, won national and international singing contests, scholarships of prestigious music colleges, and landed roles on TV shows on a major network like NBC. He helped discover, train and launch the careers of many GMM Grammy's performing and recording artists that have hits after hits on the charts. His vision is to help lift the standard of Thai singers to international levels.

    Jay travels across Thailand to conduct vocal workshops and seminars for schools and universities as a part of his community outreach program to help improve the quality of vocal education in Thailand.

    Jay is proud to be certified as a mentor Instructor of an international vocal instructors organisation, the Institute for Vocal Advancement.

  • Darren Wicks

    IVA Ambassador

    Darren Wicks is a vocalist, jazz pianist and choral director with a passion for helping people achieve their vocal potential. His career spans 30 years and includes: work as a high school music teacher; work with community music groups; studio teaching; directing school and community choirs; musical theatre; university lecturing and teacher education.

    Darren’s holds 5 degrees in music, including qualifications in jazz, choir conducting, aural training, a Master of Music Education degree and is one of a few contemporary voice teachers in Australia to hold a PhD in voice pedagogy. Darren’s doctoral studies looked at the practices of exemplary voice teachers and how these can be used to build models of professional development for singing teachers.

    Darren has studied many different approaches to singing and music education; is widely-published; and regularly presents at teacher conferences and workshops. Darren maintains a busy studio in inner Melbourne specialising in vocal techniques for contemporary commercial music and working with artists, university and high school students. He also directs the Melbourne Singers of Gospel, a 120-voice adult community choir, that has achieved national acclaim for its soulful performance style.

    Darren teaches on a variety of topics, including: performance, voice technique, correcting vocal faults, musicianship, sight-singing, ear training, choral music, music education. He has a special interest in mentoring teachers, teaching musical skills to singers and supervising academic projects. His musical tastes include jazz, pop, music theatre, blues, soul, RnB and gospel.

  • Chelsea Wilson

    Chelsea Wilson

    IVA Ambassador

    Chelsea Wilson provides unparalleled vocal training to singers worldwide via online lessons. Her students are on Broadway and are playing leading roles on Broadway national tours, have been featured in national commercials, and are pursuing independent musical careers. Chelsea is also the vocal coach for School of Rock and The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

    Chelsea began her voice teacher training in 2007 with Speech Level Singing™. In 2013, she joined the newly formed Institute for Vocal Advancement, where she earned her Mentor-level certification after over ten years of rigorous education. She is one of 13 IVA Ambassadors that provide education and mentoring to IVA teachers worldwide. One of her greatest joys is helping to create “light bulb moments” for her students when they realize something is possible within themselves that they never imagined before.

  • Megan Yates

    IVA Ambassador

    Megan is the co-owner of Yates Vocal Studio and teaches professional singing lessons and performance/style coaching in Utah and internationally via Skype. She specializes in Musical Theatre, audition training, pop riffing and stylization, and performance coaching. With over 10 years of teaching experience, Megan has trained hundreds of voices to sing with functional freedom and vocal balance. She is a Mentor Level Certified Instructor with the Institute for Vocal Advancement- an international organization dedicated to the education and integrity of voice teachers around the globe. Megan has an extensive performance background in National Tours, US Premiers, and professional theaters across the nation. She feels especially grateful to be following and living her passion of teaching singers to utilize their complete instrument and watch them dominate! And being able to do all of it alongside her incredible husband and business partner, Preston Yates!

IVA Advanced Instructors

  • Tom Bathgate

    Advanced Instructor

    Tom Bathgate is an Advanced Level Certified IVA Instructor and has been teaching voice lessons for 14 years. Tom is one of the nine Founding Members of the Institute for Vocal Advancement and serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation.