Meredith Borden

My dream is for my students to find their true voices and stoke the fires of inner passion that brought them to singing in the first place, and to guide each student to a high level of vocal proficiency and musical artistry. I want my students to feel empowered to discover the technical tools they need in a variety of vocal styles, whether it's opera, rock, blues, jazz, musical theater, or R&B; to understand their vocal instruments and what it is they have to express through song that is unique to them. I want students to have a deep understanding of the overtone content of their individual voices through study of vowel sounds and the unique interior filters that form their resonance and tone. I feel it is important for every singer to learn how to sustain and craft beautiful tone that emanates and speaks from the heart chakra as the physical “launch pad” into vibrational energy.

My guiding star is based on energetic principles fueled by many of my past teachers/mentors, including John Moriarty (New England Conservatory/Boston Conservatory), H. Wesley Balk (Minneapolis Opera), Neil Semer (New York City voice teacher), Meredith Monk (composer and performer), Marie Traficante (former Metropolitan Opera artist and voice teacher), Elodie Lauten (New York City composer), and Joe Maneri (charismatic microtonal music professor at New England Conservatory). H. Wesley Balk was a fifth-degree reiki master who taught the principle of "priming the pump," tapping into the innate energy systems of the body to free physical and vocal energy. Our body is our instrument, and I find that singers who are able to tap into the energy of their bodies—dancing through the voice, and singing through the body—are the most expressive artists. My expertise in the art of diction is also at an advanced level due to vigorous training with John Moriarty in his opera program and in practical application via hundreds of performances of the operetta repertoire of Gilbert and Sullivan, perfecting the craft of English diction. In addition to vocal accomplishments, I have an extensive background in dance (ballet, Duncan-style modern, tap) and feel that my passion for the art of dance informs my style of singing in all genres, whether it be a classic waltz or Texas blues boogie. I pride myself on my experience and mastery of a myriad of vocal styles and making those styles my own, rather than a carbon copy of other artists. I have a deep love of birds and have studied birdsong extensively, and feel very connected to the sounds of nature as channeled through the human voice.