In Conversation With… Besfort Williams
Tuesday 7th July 2026, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM (London Time)
As part of the Musical Theatre Research Alliance and Voice Study Centre, Strand 1: Vocal Health and Sustainability in Musical Theatre launches with a unique interview series: “In Conversation With.”
Three leading practitioners from across the musical theatre industry will each take part in an individual online interview, responding to the same core questions around vocal health, sustainability, and current professional practice. By exploring shared themes through multiple professional lenses, the series aims to capture a rich range of perspectives, experiences, and approaches, generating valuable qualitative data that can help shape future research, training, and industry practice.
Designed to be inclusive and collaborative, the sessions will also be open to observers, with opportunities for audience-submitted questions in a final discussion segment. Each conversation will run approximately 30–45 minutes, with questions shared in advance while allowing space for wider dialogue and emerging topics.
Free and open to all, this second of three live online discussions features Besfort Williams, Singing Teacher and Clinical Voice Rehabilitation Coach, whose work spans performer training, vocal rehabilitation, and professional musical theatre practice.
With nearly two decades’ experience working with singers, actors, and dancers, Besfort brings a valuable clinical and pedagogical perspective to this wider conversation around vocal health and sustainability in musical theatre. He is the Singing Voice Rehabilitation Coach at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, teaches at ArtsEd and the Royal College of Music, and has consulted for Cameron Mackintosh Ltd, The Young Vic, and the RSC.
This conversation will explore vocal health and sustainability in musical theatre through the lens of Besfort’s professional experience working across performance training and voice rehabilitation.
Essential viewing for performers, teachers, students, and anyone interested in the future of healthy and sustainable musical theatre practice.
This series is part of the Musical Theatre Research Alliance (MTRA).
Events are free to attend publicly. MTRA members also have opportunities to participate in aspects of the research process and future research conversations.
Besfort Williams
Besfort Williams has been teaching singing for almost 20 years. He is a Somatic Voicework ™ Faculty Member, and is a Franklin Method Movement Educator.
Sorry, 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.
Monday 16th November 2026
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
(London Time)
Introduction to Postgraduate Academic Skills (IPAS): Online Information Session & Q&A
Debbie Winter
Interested in developing your academic skills or exploring a pathway onto our MA Voice Pedagogy? Join our free online information session to learn what IPAS involves, how it works and whether it's right for you.
Tuesday 17th November 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
A (Very) Brief Course in Linguistics!
Miranda Guettlein
Join Miranda Guettlin (editor of the Voice and Speech Review) for an empowering introductory course in linguistics designed specifically for voice and speech practitioners. She will break down the six major subfields (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) in order to provide voice and speech practitioners in with a more clear understanding of the components of language and usable tools to incorporate into their teaching.
Wednesday 18th November 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Expiratory Pressure Regulation for Power, Pitch and Vocal Health
Barbara Tanze
How does the pressure beneath your vocal folds affect your sound? And how can you learn to regulate it efficiently and make sense of what it means to “support your voice”? Join Barbara Tanze for this practical short course exploring the role of expiratory pressure regulation in singing and its relationship to vocal power, pitch control, efficiency and vocal health. Learn how singers can develop a more precise understanding of the interaction between respiratory activity, subglottic pressure and vocal fold function!