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Voice

Student performing a song at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, our Boston Massachusetts theater program
Our classical Voice program features a comprehensive pre-professional curriculum on the Walnut Hill campus.

Through this program, our young singers build a healthy, reliable and consistent foundation of classical vocal technique while receiving outstanding artistic guidance and mentorship. Students develop their artistry through level-appropriate classical art song repertoire, from early Italian music, through Baroque and Renaissance, to contemporary living composers. Voice Majors receive weekly private lessons and coachings by our esteemed faculty, alongside weekly voice-specific classes including Master Classes, Vocal Repertoire and Diction & Translation. Voice students also participate in our department-wide Choir.

Our many performance opportunities include recitals, concerts, and a fully-staged one-act opera each spring. We also welcome prominent guest teachers from top conservatories and opera companies. Past guest teachers include Ruth Golden (Manhattan School of Music), William Burden (Metropolitan Opera, Peabody Conservatory), Rebecca Folsom (Boston Conservatory at Berklee), and Penelope Bitzas (Boston University).

Where Can a Walnut Hill Education Take You?

Recent graduates have gained national recognition at events such as YoungArts, National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), CSMusic, and Schmidt Competitions.

Graduates are pursuing performance degrees at institutions such as Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, Cincinnati Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, and Northwestern University.

Required Courses

Choir
Diction for Singers
Ear Training I, II, III
Introduction to Musical Styles
Introduction to Music Theory
January Project
Music Theory I, II, III
Private Piano Lessons
Private Voice Lessons
Private Voice Coachings (with collaborative pianist)
Stage Skills for Classical Singers
Voice Performance Class
Voice Repertoire & Translation
Voice, Speech, and Alexander Technique

See course descriptions here.

Student Work

Opera 2026: Fortunio's Song

Music by Jacques Offenbach; New Adaptation by Teresa Winner Blume

Opera 2025: Cendrillon

Music by Pauline Viardot; English Translation by Rachel M. Harris, Orchestration by Charles Effler

Opera 2024: Desert Journey

World Premiere - Music and Libretto by Charles Turner, Composed for Voice Majors

"Piangerò la sorte mia"

"Piangerò la sorte mia" from Giulio Cesare
G.F. Handel (1685-1759)

Ruth Anne Sowa '26, soprano
Patricia Au, piano

Recent Productions

Voice Faculty

Teresa Winner Blume

Head of Voice, Voice Instructor, Classical and Music Theater; Opera Director; Voice Lesson Coordinator

Matthew Anderson

Voice Instructor, Classical and Music Theater

Paul D'Agostino

Theater Faculty , Voice, Speech and Alexander Technique

Elaine Smith-Purcell

Collaborative Pianist, Vocal Coach, Music Director (Opera)

Sarah Whitten

Voice Instructor, Classical and Music Theater