Maria Elena Altany - Soprano

Introduction: I'm a professional opera singer who also performs gospel, musical theatre, pop and jazz. I have a Masters of Music degree in Vocal Performance, and I've been teaching private voice lessons in the Los Angeles area for since 2011. I am a regular guest voice coach and clinician for choirs in the Walnut Valley School District, and have been the Music Director for the Diamond Bar High School productions of Sondheim's Into The Woods and Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. As a professional singer, I’ve sung with LA Opera, The LA Philharmonic, The Industry LA, Long Beach Opera, Pacific Opera Project, New Orleans Opera and many others. My goal is always to teach good musicianship and healthy vocalism founded on strong breath technique. My students range in age from 11 to 65, and pursue a wide variety of musical styles. In every style of music, I seek to bring out my student's unique sound, and help them get maximum range, resonance and flexibility with ease. I specialize in helping my students overcome their audition and performance anxiety, drawing on methods derived from renowned sports psychologists, and my own experiences from performing for almost 20 years. I teach my students how to present themselves to their best advantage, and how to look and act professional from the audition room to the stage. The most joyful part of teaching for me is encouraging my students to love and appreciate music even more than they already do. I am passionate about singing as communication, and make sure my students fully understand the music they sing, and connect to it as much as possible. I find that this not only makes them better performers, but makes practice and performance much more meaningful for each student.