Introduction: Hello! I am so excited to teach musical genres including musical theater, classical, opera, R&B, pop and jazz for voice and piano. I am currently working with students of all ages and would encourage anyone who wants to explore their musical potential to take a chance putting themselves out there. I have witnessed music being an outlet for many people, offering relief from our mundane daily lives, and it has been known to release stress, improve memory, help with speech problems, teach us empathy, remember to breathe and strengthen our deepest intuitions.
Singing has become a way of living- a form of expression and I can't wait to continue helping my students find their own artistic outlets as well. I am also a member of the New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and teach lessons regarding vocal technique, repertoire coaching, dramatic or acting coaching, career counseling, music notation and theory. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions.
I feel an innate responsibility to listen not only to external sounds but to the whole human being standing in front of me, just as my most influential voice teachers have done for me. I understand that there can often be 'baggage' that can come with singing either from emotional blockages or physical limitations that a student is dealing with, and that is why I hope to create a safe and nurturing environment for students to explore their potential. At the end of the day the goal of singing is not to imitate our favorite celebrities on the radio; One of my favorite professors once told me “We sing who we are” and once we begin to accept all aspects of ourselves as an individual, the more confidence and enjoyment we will gain from music.
Biography:
With a B.M. in vocal performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts, soprano Selena Siri has developed her interest in music since she learned to play the piano as a child. Her most recent engagements singing Mozart include the 1st Lady in Die Zauberflöte (2020), Susanna and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with the New York Lyric Opera (2019). She received her debut with the Greek Opera Studio as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro (2016) and continues to work in finding a deeper understanding of singing. Other appearances in The Rutgers Opera Chorus include Così fan tutte (2016), L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (2016), Fidelio (2017), Dialogues des Carmélites (2017) and Die Zauberflöte (2017) where she performed Pamina in the Act II finale with the Rutgers Voorhees Choir.
Prior to this experience she also received 1st place in the Washington D.C. regional round of the 水立方 Shui Li Fang pop singing competition where she competed in the final round in Beijing, China and 1st place in the NJ NATS competition (2014). Having done so she is fluent in several languages including Mandarin, Italian and French. She was also involved in many musical theatre productions including TiMoune in Once on this Island (2014) and Rapunzel in Into the Woods (2013). Offstage she continues to encourage students to find freedom in their practice while improving their technique. By doing so she continues to expand her knowledge by teaching piano and voice lessons in her private studio as an apprentice teacher with the New York Singing Teachers Association. Online lessons are offered for voice and piano to protect everyone's health during this time.
