Research interests: Applied vocal acoustics, articulatory phonetics, habilitation for the aging elite singer, historical voice pedagogy, the low male voice (LMV), the male expanding voice, motor learning theory, queer and trans voice pedagogy, sung Russian, world lyric dictions.
Accepting Mentees: Yes (2)
Biography
Independent voice teacher and researcher Dr. Dann Mitton is passionate about connecting low male voice singers with the information they need to excel. In response to the world’s collective migration online in 2020, Dann’s low male voice studio now serves clients wherever the internet reaches. Dann is a proud alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center, the Aspen Music Center, the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme, Jane Eaglen's Wagner Intensive, the Highlands Opera Studio, and Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. His roles as a professional basso include Angelotti, Don Alfonso, Bartolo, Rossini’s Basilio, the Commendatore, Hard-Boiled Herman, the Narrator in Britten’s Paul Bunyan, Sarastro, Sparafucile, and Zaccaria. Well-read in voice literature, Dann happily occupies the editing niche that he has established among colleagues who write about the voice, by polishing their output in tone, style, and content. Dann created and co-moderates two active Facebook fora: the New Forum for Professional Voice Teachers (NFPVT), and Lyric Diction and Linguistics (LDL). Born and raised in Moncton, New Brunswick on Canada’s east coast, Dann and his husband Bob share their east-end Toronto home with Rory and Anson, two giant, fluffy, ridiculous Bernese Mountain Dogs. While they haven’t quite mastered barking in harmony yet, it is a musical family, so it is only a matter of time..
Qualifications
2020 Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Voice), specialization in voice pedagogy University of Toronto
2014 Master of Music in Performance (Voice). University of Toronto
2002 Artist Diploma (Voice). The Glenn Gould School
1997 Bachelor of Music in Performance (Voice). University of Toronto
Publications
“The Cannabis Question: Insights for Singers.” Three-part series examining how cannabis use influences the health and performance of the singing voice: Part I, Foundational Knowledge and Context; Part II, Health Impacts on the Singer’s Body; Part III, Practical Strategies and Harm Reduction. [forthcoming in 2025]
“Habilitation for the Aging Avocational Singer.” Journal of Singing 78, no. 3 (January/February 2022): 349-355.
Review: A Systematic Approach to Voice: The Art of Studio Application, by Kari Ragan (Plural Publishing, 2020).” VOICEPrints, January/February 2021.
“Sung Russian for the Low Male Voice Classical Singer: The Latent Pedagogical Value of Sung Russian.” Dissertation, University of Toronto, 2020.