Teachers, Mentors, and Influences
Linda’s ability to help such a diverse clientele stems from an enormous reservoir of vocal technical expertise, as well as a world-class musical education in which she was mentored by some of the greatest artists of previous generations. The technical knowledge base was taught to her by her teachers, all of whom were among the most elite performers of their time— the singers whom other singers admired and respected. Although diverse, each teacher, mentor, or influencer passed on something of critical importance, without which Transformational Voice could not have come into being.
Her major teachers are listed below, along with some examples of their singing. They are the “grandparent” teachers of Linda’s students. Click for more information.
Gerhard Hüsch
Gerhard Hüsch, the leading German baritone of the ’30s and ’40 sand renowned song singer, who began his career as a professional actor. Renowned for his resonant tone, sensitive expression of text, clarity of diction, dynamic range, and respecting the limits of the vocal instrument. Musically and aesthetically, Hüsch was Linda’s greatest influence. He was always telling her “You must respect the physical laws!” It took a lifetime to uncover what those laws were!
Watch nowVirginia Zeani
Virginia Zeani, Romanian opera singer renowned for dramatic intensity and beauty, wide range, breadth of repertoire, and her 640 performances of the role of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata. Zeani was the teacher that introduced Linda to the art of breathing.
Watch nowReri Grist
Reri Grist, pioneering African-American operatic coloratura soprano, began her career as a professional dancer on Broadway, and played the role of Consuelo (the first singer of “Somewhere”) in the original production of West Side Story under Leonard Bernstein. She was renowned for her crystalline sound, elegance, superb diction, and beauty. Grist was a major influence in fusing the art of singing with acting, Mozartian style, and clarity of diction, and was an enthusiastic supporter of Linda’s teaching.
Watch nowIn addition to Linda’s major voice teachers, several mentors were of enormous influence.
Balint Vazsonyi
Balint Vazsonyi, a renowned Hungarian pianist, is revered for his performance of all 32 Bethoveen piano sonatas over two days in multiple cities. His storied career led him to teaching at the Indiana University School of Music, where he held gatherings at his home for students to passionately discuss culture and music. At the end of his life, he was a commentator in D.C. on American politics. Though not an official student of his (since Linda isn’t a pianist) Vazsonyi served as a musical coach and mentor and was enormously influential in Linda’s decision to pursue teaching, rather than performance, as her primary career.
Watch nowJulia Cameron
Julia Cameron is the author of The Artist’s Way and numerous other books on creativity. In 1996, Linda met Julia at an Artist’s Way workshop at Esalen, and a fruitful collaboration followed. Having always wanted to sing, and thinking she couldn’t, Julia began studying voice with Linda, and Linda deepened her studies in Artist’s Way processes with Julia. Artist’s Way philosophy and practices were a major influence on Transformational Voice.
Watch nowRosalind Diamond
Rosalind Diamond is a teacher with The Diamond Approach, the work of AH Almaas. Although not an official student of The Diamond Approach, Linda was mentored by Diamond from 2006-2014 in the study of Embodied Inquiry and Body Sensing, the major practice of The Diamond Approach. This influence was as great as any of her voice teachers, as the practice of Embodied Inquiry has been folded into Transformational Voice.
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Meet our Certified Transformational Voice Teachers
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