Olga Lisovskaya's Voice Studio
1 employee
17 years in business
About this pro
Olga Lisovskaya is a critically-acclaimed singer, voice teacher and director of Talents of the World, an international concert organization, as well as Executive Director at Commonwealth Lyric Theater, an award-winning opera company. Ms. Lisovskaya performs regularly at some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world. Her most recent performance was at Carnegie Hall, featuring distinguished colleagues of the legendary Dmitri Hvorostovsky and received glowing reviews in the press. Olga Lisovskaya combines her busy performing career with teaching, because teaching is her passion. Olga's teaching experience, combined with constant perfection of vocal technique with master teachers and colleagues from LaScala, Metropolitan Opera and Bolshoi Theater, offers a rich and profound knowledge to her students. Having worked with singers of all ages and levels, Ms. Lisovskaya has individual approach to her students. She teaches wide range of repertoire - from opera, operetta, oratorio, classical songs, to Broadway, musical theater, and pop. The main focus of her lessons is the technique: breath support and breath/tone coordination, clarity of intonation and diction, flexibility in the sound, focused resonance, etc. She also helps with interpretation. Olga's students have gone on to win competitions, were admitted to conservatories, hired by opera companies. Some of her students receive opportunities to participate in productions and concerts with Talents of the World and Commonwealth Lyric Theater. OlgaLisovskaya.com
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Credentials
Newton Centre, MA 02459
Email verified
Phone verified
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She is very patient. Her voice is so beautiful and my voice is not as beautiful. However, she makes me feel as though it is! I would highly recommend her as a voice teacher.
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I greatly enjoyed the wonderful results which I achieved over a short period of time; after just three months of practicing with Olga Lisovskaya, I was able to be part of a talent show and could proudly say I had participated in a major show of my school.
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Olga is one of the most supportive teachers I have had in my life, and not just when it comes to singing. She never made me feel bad about singing, even at the very beginning when I wasn't that good and was always encouraging me. Rather than focusing on my flaws, she constantly points out what I'm doing right and points me in the right direction. I don't think I have ever heard negativity from her as a person, which is really important when you are learning. She constantly believes in me and wants what's best for me as a singer, and has improved my vocal technique tenfold over the past six years I have worked with her. Definitely could not have asked for a better teacher!
FAQs
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
During the first lesson I do an evaluation of the singer's technical abilities at that point in time and listen to the singer's dreams and wishes. Frequently, the singer's dreams about their singing indicate a path, which we would pursue as a teacher/student team. I firmly believe that any voice can produce beautiful sound (unless there is something technically wrong with the voice, in which case I use my experience with voice rehabilitation and therapy to help the student). With my students, who are professional singers or working towards a professional career, we develop a solid plan of pursuing the goals in technique/repertoire/career. Every lesson is fun and a step towards a student's goal.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I graduated from Youth Music School, majoring in piano. My piano skills are helpful during lessons, although I do prefer having professional accompanists, when we are working on the repertoire. I graduated from Middlebury Colleage, having majored in International Politics and Economics and minor in music/voice. I went on to earn my Voice Certificate at Ecole Normale de Musique d'A. Cortot in Paris, France (a prestigious private conservatory) and then finished many opera/voice programs for professional singers. Having won several voice competitions, I pursued voice training with world-renowned teachers and singers. My career as an opera/operetta/classical singer took me all over the U.S. and Europe, performing with opera houses and concert halls. After I was invited to perform with the international organization, Talents of the World, I made my Carnegie Hall début and performed there twice, with three more performances there coming up this year.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My fee is $70/hour for adults and $60/hour for children.
How did you get started teaching?
Even though I had a naturally well-balanced voice and a beautiful sound from the beginning, I had to work hard on developing certain aspects of my singing, especially the middle register, complicated coloratura passages, and reaching a solid breath support and breath/tone coordination. Studying the voice and technique is fascinating, and it's my passion to help others achieve their most beautiful, most balanced and free voice. Each individual is unique, and each voice is unique. I love hearing the voice bloom and open up. I began teaching in 2002 and have been teaching for 16 years with much success.
What types of students have you worked with?
All different ages: from 7 years old (yes, I had to teach the song "Let it go" from "Frozen" and "Somewhere over the rainbow"), to teen-agers, whose voices are going through the process of maturing (so, I have experience dealing with voices that are changing, and give careful instruction on how to handle the voice during this very delicate period of time), to young adults - some of whom were serious about being accepted to conservatories and succeeded, and some of whom just wanted to experiment with their voice; to busy adults, who found our lessons therapeutical and stress-relieving (some have nothing to do with the music business, and some professional singers), and, finally, to people in their 60's and 70's, who are seeking to expand their horizons and repertoire, try something new. It is always a pleasure and great fun working with such great variety of students.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
In December, 2017, I made my Carnegie Hall début in a sold-out performance, featuring colleagues from the Metropolitan Opera. It was an unforgettable evening wtih standing ovations and great personal achievement. And, even at that level, we help our colleagues with an advice on a certain technical aspect. We never stop learning.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
I would strongly recommend for students, who are fond of any musical genre - classical, pop, rock, etc. - to have a solid foundation in voice technique. It is the technique that will give you longevity and protect you from doing damage to your voice. So, look for a teacher, who has experience in both performing and teaching. Someone, who knows the voice and how it works very well. You can always study with a classical teacher, who can adjust the technique for various genres, and also have a coach, who will drill you on your specific repertoire. That is how the professionals do it. They all have a teacher, who is like a voice "doctor", and a voice coach, who is an accomplished pianist and connoisseur of the particular genre you are working on.