About
The Charismatic Voice is led by international opera singer, multimedia composer, vocal pedagogue, and creative director, Elizabeth Zharoff. As an educator, she is dedicated to developing technique and musicianship, with particular focus on forming productive work habits & confidence - benefitting all areas of life. She is enthusiastic and empathetic, and holds herself along with her colleagues & students to high daily standards. Ms. Zharoff holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Berklee School of Music. She continues to further her knowledge by producing music for new genres, teaching all ages and levels, and regularly creating educational videos for her Youtube channel, The Charismatic Voice. She regularly works with grammy-award winning artists as a vocal coach and accompanist, and frequently lends her talents to the video game music industry. She is the director and vocal producer of "Song Cycle: The History of Video Games," an album combining classical and video game music, which was released on iTunes in November 2016, and printed sheet music in April 2019. Ms. Zharoff has performed in 17 languages, throughout major venues in Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Seattle Opera, Opera Internationale de Bordeaux, the Hollywood Bowl, Metropolitan Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Philadelphia, Los Angeles Opera, and English National Opera. Ms. Zharoff offers voice, piano, and music theory lessons, as well as combination lessons. She loves teaching in all genres, including classical, musical theater, jazz, soul, R&B, country, rock, and pop.
I love helping people build confidence through tools and practice, and enabling them to express their message. Taking music lessons is more than just developing a skill - it reaches into and benefits all areas of life.
Photos and videos
Reviews
Roseann M.
Brian D.
Darby C.
Koriel
Sarah J.
Kellan K.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I conduct a brief interview first, to ascertain my new customer's dedication, and also outline goals. I tailor lessons to each student, and create exercises to suit their needs. I want to make sure we have the same target in mind before embarking.
I create a shared online folder for each student, where I keep notes from our lessons. I also upload reference documents there, as well as notes from our "getting to know you" interview.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Master's Degree in Opera - Curtis Institute of Music
Bachelor's Degree in Voice - Oberlin Conservatory
General Certificate in Music Technology - Berklee School of Music
Extensive work in opera houses and concert halls around the U.S. and in Germany, Italy, France, England, and China. Extremely proficient at singing in foreign languages.
Currently working with award-winning artists in video game music, pop, hip-hop, and R&B.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Weekly lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes long.
My rates start at $50 per half hour. I give discounts for longer lessons, and if you pre-pay a 10-lesson package.
How did you get started teaching?
I got an early start in music because my mother was a piano & voice teacher. I began winning large piano competitions in middle school, and originally thought I would be a concert pianist. However, when I discovered that my voice was even more capable of moving people's hearts, I decided to single-mindedly pursue singing.
After performing for over a decade, I decided I wanted to expand my reach again, to reach even more people. I expanded to coach in multiple genres, and started passing on the tools needed for my students to communicate their message to the world.
What types of students have you worked with?
I work with a huge range of singers! Some have never sung for another person in their life. Some have been singing opera for years.
I'm honestly very excited to work with any and all ages. I can also teach piano to help with music-reading and pitch-matching.
Genre is never a barrier: in additional to classical music, I've worked with singers in R&B, country, hip-hop, pop, musical theater, heavy metal, soul, etc.
I've also worked with special needs children, and can provide references as needed.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Make sure you find someone who understands the science behind your vocal folds. You can do irreparable vocal damage by learning the wrong techniques. You use your voice every day, and this just isn't worth risking.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Students should carefully consider their goals, and also consider how much practice time they will have available to dedicate to those goals.