About Us

NYSTA Activities 

NYSTA Governance

Join NYSTA or find out more about membership.

NYSTA traces its history to 1906, when it was established as the first association of singing teachers in the United States. Founding members included such luminaries as Enrico Caruso, Emma Eames, Geraldine Farrar, Mary Garden, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, and Marcella Sembrich, who joined together for the cause of promoting high quality singing in America.

Today, NYSTA defines its mission as follows:

• To establish and maintain a standard of vocal production and voice instruction based on scientific principles.
• To encourage the highest standards of musicianship and artistic singing.
• To promote American vocal music and the craft of singing in English.
• To uphold a code of ethics governing the relationship of voice teachers to each other, their students, and the public.

NYSTA strives to provide voice professionals, both locally and globally, with the tools and inspiration needed for an increasingly informed and creative pedagogy. Immense advances in voice science, neurology, psychology, education theory, medicine, and mind/body healing offer new information and techniques from which voice teachers can draw. By making these resources accessible to our members, we foster twenty-first-century pedagogy, rooted in the great traditions of the past, incorporating the new knowledge of our time.

Over the years, NYSTA has played an important role in breaking down barriers among teachers, as well as between teachers and those in related disciplines. We encourage a free exchange of ideas about the principles of good singing and the practices of good teaching. NYSTA events may include debate, but always within the context of mutual respect and high ethical standards. This atmosphere in turn enhances the standing of voice teachers among other professions, as attested by the invitation extended to NYSTA to co-sponsor a panel at the prestigious Voice Foundation Symposium, the nation's leading forum for otolaryngologists, speech pathologists and voice scientists.

NYSTA events, held regularly between September and June, feature leading figures in vocal performance, interpretation, pedagogy, and health. Among those presented in recent years are international artists Regina Resnick, Teresa Stratas, and Elly Ameling, master teachers Oren Brown, Cornelius Reid, and Ruth Falcon, Dr. Peak Woo, formerly of the Grabscheid Voice Center, Anat Keidar, PhD, CCC-SLP of the Department of Otolaryngolgoy at St.Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, and Dr. R. J. Baken, Director of Laryngology Research at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Since its earliest years, NYSTA has sought to foster standards in the profession. In the 1920s and 30s the organization led efforts to require certification by the New York State government for all voice teachers. While state certification was never implemented, its intent came to fruition with the establishment of our Professional Development Program (PDP), spearheaded by our past President, Janet Pranschke. The program offers a series of outstanding courses in Vocal Anatomy and Physiology, Voice Acoustics and Resonance, Vocal Health for Voice Professionals, Singer's Developmental Repertoire and Comparative Pedagogy, taught by leaders in each field.

And now, through the efforts of President David Sabella-Mills, our PDP courses are available online and On Demand 24/7/365 to teachers and voice professionals all around the world. One graduate credit can be earned for each course successfully passed, and those who complete all five courses earn the designation Distinguished Voice Professional. (more on PDP)

NYSTA Activities

In addition to programs aimed at voice teachers and coaches, NYSTA offers training, career guidance, and performance opportunities for singers in the classical, musical theater and contemporary commercial/ pop music fields. These include:

• Lectures and panel discussions with leading experts
• Master classes by renowned artists
• Hands-on workshops on pedagogy, voice science, and body work
• Student competitions, awards and recitals
• Special programs for music theater and contemporary music performers

This season's upcoming events

NYSTA Governance
Officers and Board of Directors

NYSTA is governed by a constitution regulating its activities and decision-making processes.  We have five officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Registrar, all of whom report to the Board of Directors. Officers are elected by the membership for a three-year term. Voting is done online, via our website. Each new President appoints board members who will govern during his / her three-year term.

NYSTA's Officers and Board, all of whom serve on a strictly volunteer basis, meet periodically to make decisions about all aspects of NYSTA's activities:  programs, courses, publications, finances, special events, and membership issues. With significant increases in both membership and the scope of activities in recent years, the responsibilities of the board have increased concomitantly.

Committees

NYSTA has no professional staff. Much of the day to day work of running the organization falls to committees, each having a specific sphere of responsibility.  These committees change from time to time, reflecting the organization's current aims and needs.  At present, the committees are as follows:

• Event Programming
• Professional Development Program
• VOICEPrints Publication
• Finance / Treasury
• Website Administration 
• Membership
• Marketing and Publicity
• Internet Technology
• Hospitality

Committee chairpersons are appointed by the President, based on the interests and skills of individuals able to take on the tasks. The President, board members and chairs consult to find additional members who can assist with committee work. It is not necessary for committee members to be board members.

Officers
President: David Sabella-Mills
Vice President: Nancy Adams
Treasurer: Peter Ludwig
Secretary: Rebecca Sharpe
Registrar: Judith Nicosia

Board of Directors
Nancy Adams
Glenn Seven Allen
Leonard Birnbaum
Jennifer Cece
Ellen Domingos
Matthew Hoch
Katherine Hoffman
Ronnie Lederman
Sally Morgan
Michael Mott
Judith Nicosia
Anette Norgaard
Jackie Presti
Lindsay Rider
Elizabeth Saunders
Patrick Michael Wickham

Advisory Board

Alison Behrman, PhD, CCC-SLP
Denise Coleman
Linda Carroll, PhD, CCC-SLP
Josephine Mongiardo, Past President
Lori McCann, NATS Liaison
Janet Pranschke, Past President, Founding PDP Director

Committee Chairs:
Finance: Peter Ludwig, Treasurer
Professional Development Program: Patrick Wickham, PDP Director
Membership: Judith Nicosia, Registrar
Website Administrator: Ronni Lederman
Event Programming: Elizabeth Saunders & Rebecca Sharpe, Co-Chairs
Publicity: Jennifer Cece, Chair
David Adams Competition Committee: Nancy Adams, Chair
VOICEPrints: Matthew Hoch, Editor-in-Chief
Internet Technology: David Sabella-Mills, Chair
Hospitality: position vacant