John D. TakeLessons Instructor voice, opera, music theater, youth, adult, choir, acting San Francisco, CA

John is accepting a few new students to study bel canto singing technique. Bel canto means beautiful singing. Learn how to maximize and control the natural beauty of your voice. Develop easy power with proper breathing and energy control. Take your performance to the next level with dramatic coaching.

John has been a first Tenor with the San Francisco Opera. He holds a Masters degree in Voice Performance from Arizona State University. John has sung with many professional organizations in both opera and music theater. Companies include; Phantom of the Opera - Toronto Canada, San Francisco Opera, San Fancisco Lyric Opera, San Francisco Sinfonietta, Tennessee Valley Orchestra, Mission City Opera, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Bach Choir, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Baha'i World Unity Chorus - Russian tour and many others.

John is also Music Director of the Award Winning Adda Clevenger Youth Chorus of San Francisco and Adda Clevenger Junior Prep and Theater School for seven years where he directs 4 musicals and operas and 2 concerts a year.

Students will learn how to breath for singing and support their natural voice in an easy to understand manner. Dramatic growth can be achieved with some simple techniques. The best results of singing come from a combination of strong technique using a combination of resonance and breath control and dramatic expression. Students will be vocalized in technique and given some exercises to work on at home. We will also work on songs that interest the student ranging from Music Theater and Choral Music to Opera.

Italian school bel canto, non-belt music theater singing

voice, opera, music theater, youth, adult, choir, acting

San Francisco June 30, 2008, To Whom It May Concern: I would like to recommend John to you. I have had the opportunity to work with him for the past 8 years. He is wonnderful voice teacher and coach as well as a gifted singer. I have had the opportunity to employ John as a soloist with my orchestra, the San Francisco Sinfonietta, on many occasions. Most recently, he was hired as tenor soloist for the 28th annual Sing in Yourself Messiah at Davies Symphony Hall. He is, in my opinion, one of the finest tenors of the San Francisco Bay Area. In the classroom, he communicates the very difficult task of teaching voice in a concise and clear way. His choice of choral repertoire is varied and entertaining, ranging in style from major classical works with orchestra to popular modern musicals. His choirs sing with beauty of voice along with great expressive energy. He is a very organized classroom teacher and handles his classes with wit and vigor. Over the last two years, I have employed John to substitute for me with my San Francisco Community Music Center Chorus. He has been a very popular sub for them, particularly with his help on teaching the singers how to technically master some of the difficult passages of the Beethoven 9th Symphony choruses with ease, power and beauty in a bel canto style. Over the last few years, John has taken on the difficult task of staging large concerts and musicals involving more than 170 children ranging in age from 4 to 14. He has shown a remarkable talent in this area and gets rave reviews from parents, friends and families for his work. He is able to coordinate well with all of the artistic staff in a supportive and creative way which leads to professional quality productions of his students. I believe John would be a wonderful addition to your institution. Sincerely, Urs Leonhardt Steiner Music Director San Francisco Sinfonietta Community Music Center Or