Claire is a singer, singing teacher and voice researcher. She currently lectures in singing on the Musical Theatre programmes at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and runs a private singing studio just outside Edinburgh.
She is an alumnus of Glasgow University, Edinburgh University, The Royal Northern College of Music and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Claire has recently completed her Professional Doctorate in Elite Performance, with a focus on muscle tension dysphonia in the Musical Theatre voice.
She has produced an illustrated book of vocal anatomy for singers which will be published shortly. Claire is delighted to be a part the Voice Study Centre team.
Publications:
Methods of Measuring Laryngeal Muscle Tension in Patients with Muscle Tension Dysphonia: A Scoping Review https://www.jvoice.org/article/S0892-1997(23)00106-6/fulltext
The Additional Demands on the Musical Theatre Performer and Potential Links to Increased Laryngeal Tension: A Rapid Review https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28925741
Featured Posts
Director & Team News
VSC Lecturer and Alumna Named Finalists for the Van Lawrence BVA Award
Voice Study Centre
Wednesday 10th December 2025Congratulations are in order, as one of our much-loved Senior Lecturers and one of our wonderful alumni have been selected as finalists for the Van Lawrence British Voice Association Award!
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Director & Team News
Voice Study Centre Senior Lecturer Claire Thomas Publishes in the International Journal of Music and Performing Arts
Voice Study Centre
Monday 19th May 2025We're excited to share that Voice Study Centre’s very own Claire Thomas has just had her latest paper published! Check it out here!
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Blog
What lies beyond independent research? (Are Research-Practice Partnerships a useful next step?)
Dr Claire Thomas
Monday 27th November 2023Theory, defined by Wacker (1998) as being made up of 'conceptual definitions, domain limitations, relationship-building and predictions', is an important driver of practice (Brinegar et al., 2022). Without it, practice can become dull or dangerous (Wacker, 1998). As practitioners in our field, we are...
Read More...Upcoming Short Courses
Friday 27th March 2026
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
(London Time)
Muscle Tension Dysphonia in the Singing Voice!
Dr Claire Thomas
A specialist course for singing teachers and voice professionals! Designed specifically for those working with singers, this in-depth course with Dr Claire Thomas explores Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD) through the lens of the singing voice - bridging clinical research and studio practice.
Past Short Courses
Tuesday 17th February 2026
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)
Simultaneous Singing and Dancing in Musical Theatre: A Cross-Disciplinary Evidence Review
Debbie Winter
Dr Claire Thomas
This short course invites participants to critically examine the latest cross-disciplinary evidence on the physical and vocal demands of musical theatre performance. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review conducted by Debbie Winter and Claire Thomas (Voice Study Centre, University of Essex), the course explores research from voice science, dance medicine, sports science, and performance pedagogy.