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.
Tuesday 18th August 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 25th August 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 1st September 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 8th September 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 15th September 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 22nd September 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)
Musical Theatre Vocal Pedagogy Certificate
Kevin Wilson
Join Kevin Wilson for this six-part certificated course, offering an in‑depth, practical exploration of contemporary voice teaching for musical theatre. Across six focused classes, participants develop a systematic approach to vocal technique, diagnosis, and repertoire selection that reflects the stylistic, physical, and emotional demands of the genre. The curriculum integrates vocal science, embodied voice work, registration theory, and stylistic awareness across the five major sub‑genres of musical theatre.
Thursday 20th August 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
AI Assisted Voice Training and Business Development
John Henny
Join John Henny as he builds on the foundations of AI for voice educators by focusing on practical applications for running and growing a teaching studio. Designed specifically for voice teachers, the session shows how AI can support studio operations, content creation, research, and business development, with one foundational skill at its core: training AI in your own teaching voice, pedagogy, and communication style.
Wednesday 26th August 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
The Vocal Tract and Singing: A Research Overview!
Dr Brad Story
Fine control of the vocal tract shape is important for producing acoustic characteristics that may be targeted in singing. Join Dr Brad Story as he focuses on how the vocal tract shape can be tuned (i.e. modified) in both large and subtle ways to enhance the signal radiated from a singer to an audience. The session will include the vocal tract shape contributions to the ‘singing formant’, enhancement of vibrato, and harmonic/formant alignment.