Beyond the Notes: How Opera Singers Express Emotion Through Voice and Face
Tuesday 11th March 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
Opera singers are unique performers who must balance vocal mastery, emotional depth, and theatrical expression. Unlike actors, who can rely solely on dialogue, opera singers must convey emotions through their voices while adhering to the demands of music, technique, and expressiveness. This intricate interplay between facial expressions and vocal parameters is central to the emotional authenticity of operatic performances.
This course, " Beyond the Notes: How Opera Singers Express Emotion Through Voice and Face", dives deep into the multimodal communication of emotions in opera, focusing on how facial movements align with vocal acoustics to convey anger, joy, fear, and sadness. Drawing on research and practical insights, participants will explore the facial action units (AUs) most relevant to emotional expression in singing, such as eyebrow movement (AU1, AU4) and jaw displacement (AU26), as well as the corresponding vocal features like vibrato rate, pitch modulation, loudness, and spectral characteristics.
A key highlight of this course is demonstrating a new motion-capture method developed specifically to analyse singers' facial expressions during performance. This innovative system, which combines lightweight motion-capture helmets and video analysis tools, allows for the accurate tracking of facial markers even in non-laboratory settings. Participants will gain hands-on exposure to how these tools can quantify subtle changes in facial dynamics during emotional singing, offering valuable insights into performance practice.
We will discuss practical applications of this research, such as how performers can refine their emotional portrayals while maintaining technical precision. For example, anger may involve pronounced jaw lowering and vocal fold adduction, leading to greater vocal intensity, while sadness may exhibit softer dynamics and subtle facial movements. By understanding these correlations, singers, vocal coaches, and directors can optimize emotional expressivity.
The course will be structured into two main segments:
- Theoretical Foundation: An overview of the emotional communication framework in opera, integrating studies on facial expressions and vocal acoustics.
- Practical Demonstration: A step-by-step presentation of the motion-capture method and examples of emotional singing analysed through facial markers and acoustic data.
By the end of this course, participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the dynamic connection between facial expressions and vocal emotion in opera. This knowledge will provide individuals with tools and insights to enhance their performances, enabling them to strive for a balance between vocal mastery, emotional depth, and expression, tailored to their unique strengths and styles.
🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available
Tiago Lima Bicalho Cruz
Tiago has dedicated his career to helping singers from various musical genres refine their technical skills and enhance their expressive potential, always focusing on individual development.

Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

Thursday 3rd April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 17th April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Tongue Tie: The Hidden Limitation Destroying Singers’ Technique, Progress, and Potential

Jessica Luffey
It holds true that improving vocal technique creates better sound and vocal freedom. But what if I told you there’s a hidden physical issue preventing some singers from progressing—one that most pedagogues, teachers, and even medical professionals are unaware of…?


Tuesday 8th April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Student-Centred Voice Pedagogy: Working with your Students to Develop Artistry

Jeanne Goffi-Fynn
In this seminar, we’ll discuss the five aspects of student-centred pedagogy. Voice instruction is in many ways a personal journey toward artistry and this path involves an intimate and individualized educational experience that occurs between the student and their teacher. This relationship is an integral part of the teaching and learning process.

Thursday 10th April 2025
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
(London Time)
It’s Personal: How Personality Impacts Perception and Symptoms of Voice Problems

Lynn Maxfield
This course takes you on an intriguing journey into the relationship between personality traits and voice fatigue, shedding light on how specific personality characteristics can predict the likelihood of experiencing voice disorders. Students will dive into cutting-edge research examining the correlation between the Big Five Personality traits and various voice conditions.