Voice Study Centre Online Symposium 2025
Wednesday 26th November 2025, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM (London Time)
Welcome to The Athletic Artist: Physical and Vocal Demands in Musical Theatre, a symposium dedicated to bridging the gap between artistic training and athletic conditioning for performers.
Musical Theatre performers are athletes balancing the demands of singing, dancing and acting. The purpose of this symposium is to ask important questions, share research and disseminate good practice. It is an opportunity for researchers and industry experts to come together as a hive mind to stimulate further research and work collaboratively as a network.
Schedule
5:00 pm (GMT) Welcome and Introduction, followed by:
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
5:05 pm |
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Amanda Flynn |
5:55 pm |
Simultaneous Singing and Dancing: A Cross-Disciplinary Review with Debbie Winter |
6:05 pm |
The Additional Demands on the Musical Theatre Performer and Potential Links to Increased Laryngeal Tension: A Rapid Review with Dr Claire Thomas |
6:20 pm |
Interactive Workshop: Excavating Emotionally Engaged Performance. What is the physical and mental toll for Musical Theatre singers? With Louisa Morgan |
6:50 pm |
The Vocal Athlete: A Literature Review of Physiological Resilience to Performance Adrenaline in Professional Singers with Dan Cassin |
7:00 pm |
Cross Training and Conditioning for Musical Theatre Performers: A Theoretical Framework with Jennifer Myers |
7:10 pm |
Psychological and emotional well-being of undergraduate theatre artists in Nigerian HEIs with Abimbola Adetola Stephen-Adesina |
7:20 pm |
Singing as a triple threat: A qualitative study of professional, semi-professional, and vocational trainee performers’ experiences of singing while simultaneously performing the three musical theatre disciplines of singing, acting, and dancing with Christine Descher. |
7:30 pm |
Integrating acting through song and extreme singing techniques for sustainable performance with Kaya Herstead–Carney |
|
|
Finding Wonderland: A case study of the teacher as coach in supporting undergraduate musical theatre students in an industry-facing production of Wildhorn's Wonderland with Racheal Owens and Frances Williams |
7:50 pm |
Vocal Health Practice for Musical Theatre Students with Catherine Kimmance |
8:00 pm |
Voice as Gesture and Experience: Two Performative Paradigms in Contemporary Musical Theatre with Anca Markos |
8:10 pm |
Technique You Can See with Jeremy Ryan Mossman |
8:20 pm |
And All That Jazz: How professional musical theatre performers experience and manage vocal challenges when executing Fosse choreography, and how these insights inform more integrated and sustainable voice and movement pedagogy in training institutions: A Practice-led investigation with Cathrine Hopkins |
8:30 pm |
Round Table DiscussionExpert Panel: Mary Saunders Barton, Besfort Williams and Scott Harrison.
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The full symposium will be recorded for catch-up at a later date if you cannot attend live.
View the full programme:
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 20th April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 21st April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 22nd April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 23rd April 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Certificate in Acting Approaches for Singing Teachers
Louisa Morgan
Are you a singing teacher looking to elevate your students’ performance? This 4-part course is perfect for those who want to help their singers connect deeply with the character and the story behind the song. Many singing teachers have lots of brilliant ideas about coaching vocal performance but often don’t have a background in acting. Learning more about acting techniques can build structure into your performance-focused lessons and add depth to the song. Gain practical tools and techniques that you can apply to your teaching.
Tuesday 21st April 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Understanding the How and Why of Vocal Dosimetry in Musical Theatre and Contemporary Singing
Dr Ana Flavia Zuim
Vocal dosimetry has emerged as an important tool for understanding the physiological demands placed on singers in contemporary musical theatre and commercial singing styles. Join Ana Flavia Zuim as she explores the principles behind vocal dosimetry and how objective measurements of vocal use such as time dose, cycle dose, distance dose, and sound pressure level can help quantify the vocal load experienced by performers during rehearsals and performances.
Thursday 23rd April 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday 24th April 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Singing and the Brain: A Harmonious Connection!
Dr Patricia Izbicki
Unlock the transformative power of music with our two-part lecture series that delves deep into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, music education, and music therapy.