About Debra:
Debra has been teaching Voice for over 30 years. In addition to her private studio, she has taught at institutions such as the University of North Carolina, the MacPhail Center for the Arts, and currently, at the University of St. Thomas. She holds a doctoral degree in Voice Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she studied under the late William McIver and coached under Benton Hess.
A classically-trained Soprano, Debra has performed orchestral solo work and opera roles including Blanche de la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites and Rose Maurrant in Weill’s Street Scene, and as a recitalist, has performed throughout Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. During her graduate study and dissertation research, she developed an interest in the music of contemporary and historical women composers and enjoys performing and sharing this literature with her voice students.
In addition to her classical teaching background, Debra now frequently also coaches performers in contemporary and commercial music, specializing in reducing tension through healthy chest/belt technique, and recently completed certification at the Contemporary Commercial Music Institute of Vocal Pedagogy at Shenandoah Conservatory.
She has served as an adjudicator for the NATS and Miss America organizations, and her students have placed in vocal competitions through Classical Singer Magazine, Schubert Club, NATS, and final round local auditions for the television show The Voice.