Working With Aging Singers with Karen Brunssen

At every age, singing depends on where the body is within progressive and constant changes. Senior singers benefit from a working understanding about their singing voice as they experience ageing. Those teachers and voice experts equipped with knowledge about ageing factors relative to respiration, vibration, resonance, hormones, and peripheral factors can be strategic and impactful for these singers. Exercises, concepts, and realistic expectations all contribute to vocal longevity with age-appropriate expectations for these singers. 

About Karen:

Karen Brunssen, mezzo soprano, is Professor of Voice at Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. She is Past-President of NATS. Her book, The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Lifespan, chronicles changes in respiration, vibration and resonance, and realistic expectations for singing throughout life. She has done teaching residencies in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Zurich, and Cambridge, and is a frequent master teacher and presenter. Her singing career included appearances with orchestras, festivals, and ensembles across the United States and Europe. Karen’s students have gone on to win major competitions, perform with orchestras and opera companies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as Broadway and national music theater tours, and teach privately and at the collegiate levels. Karen is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.