Leda Scearce, MM, MS, CCC-SLP

Soprano

Clinical Singing Voice Specialist

Clinical Associate Faculty, Duke University School of Medicine

Director of Community Engagement, Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences

Director of Performing Voice Programs and Development, Duke Voice Care Center

Soprano Leda Scearce has been featured in leading roles with the National Opera Company, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Long Leaf Opera Festival, Triangle Opera, the Ohio Light Opera Company and Whitewater Opera Company, and has appeared as concert soloist with orchestras including the North Carolina, Toledo and Honolulu Symphonies.   An active proponent of new music, Ms. Scearce has given world premiere performances of works written for her with the Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Nashville, Mallarme Chamber Players, the American Chamber Music Festival and Chamber Music Hawaii.  A winner of the Birmingham Opera Vocal Competition, Ms. Scearce has also been a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.  Ms. Scearce is a graduate of Indiana University with both bachelors and masters degrees in vocal performance.

A voice teacher for over 30 years, Ms. Scearce has served on the artist faculties of Bowling Green State University, Meredith College, Brigham Young University of Hawaii and the University of Southern Maine.

Ms. Scearce obtained the Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University, where she completed an internship in voice disorders and voice rehabilitation for the performing voice at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.  She is currently a Clinical Singing Voice Specialist at the Duke Voice Care Center, where she provides rehabilitation therapy to singers, actors and other vocal performers with voice injuries.  Ms. Scearce is the author of Singing Voice Rehabilitation: A Practical Approach to Vocal Health and Wellness, published by Plural, Inc.  She is a frequent speaker on the topic of the singing voice at national and international voice conferences, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the Voice Foundation, National Association of Teachers of Singing, the International Conference on the Physiology and Acoustics of Singing, the Pan American Vocology Association, the Fall Voice Conference, the Northwest Voice Conference, the Utah Performing Voice Conference, the National Center for Voice and Speech, and the McIver Lecture in Vocal Pedagogy.  She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and is a founding member of the Pan American Vocology Association for which she currently served as President from 2017-2019.

  •  “…a gorgeous voice in all registers…Her bel canto singing is exquisite…clear and gem-like…a force to be reckoned with.”—Bloomington Herald Telephone
  • “The finest voice of the night belonged to Leda …Every note from her was perfectly formed and of a lovely quality.”—Honolulu Advertiser
  • “…her lovely soprano delights.”—Greensboro News and Record
  • “…a marvelous singer with impeccable diction and superb acting skills.”—Spectator Magazine

Upcoming Short Courses

What every singing teacher should know about vocal health: Fact-finding and myth-busting (2-part course)
Monday 21st October 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 22nd October 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

What every singing teacher should know about vocal health: Fact-finding and myth-busting (2-part course)

Leda Scearce

As vocal athletes, singers are at a higher risk for developing voice disorders. Singing teachers are in an optimal position to educate students about vocal health. Informed, evidence-based education can help prevent students from developing voice problems.

Past Short Courses

What Every Singing Teacher Should Know About Vocal Health: Fact-finding and Myth-busting (Part 2)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

What Every Singing Teacher Should Know About Vocal Health: Fact-finding and Myth-busting (Part 2)

Leda Scearce

This workshop will cover a number of topics related to vocal health education, including vocal hygiene, medical factors and the voice, optimising efficiency of the speaking voice, vocal pacing, the singer's role in identification of dysphonia and making appropriate referrals to the vocal health team, and common vocal health myths and how to dispel them.

Working with Muscle Tension in Singers
Wednesday 2nd November 2022
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
(London Time)

Working with Muscle Tension in Singers

Leda Scearce

In this workshop, the presenter will explore these and other questions, as well as strategies for reducing maladaptive muscle tension in the studio and clinic.

Staying In Lane: Exploring The Boundary Line Between Teaching Singing And Therapeutic Practice
Thursday 2nd December 2021
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)

Staying In Lane: Exploring The Boundary Line Between Teaching Singing And Therapeutic Practice

Kate Cubley
Pippa Anderson
Natalie Eastwood
(+ 5 more hosts)

Our open-access symposium will explore the ethical codes of teaching singing and engaging in therapeutic practice. It will form the first of a series of symposia examining the tensions between teaching/coaching and therapy.