Teaching
At the heart of my teaching is the Appoggio Method—a living approach that has evolved over many years and continues to grow.
It combines the vocal ideals of the great Italian bel canto tradition with contemporary insights from anatomy, physiology, reflex science and the functioning of the nervous system.
More importantly, it bridges the gap between knowledge and lived experience. Because I believe that understanding alone does not transform a voice. Lasting change happens when we experience these principles directly in our own bodies.
It is with great joy that I guide people in rediscovering the natural connections between body, breath, and voice. Again and again, I witness how deeply rewarding it can be to trust the body's innate wisdom—to discover not only a freer voice, but also a deeper connection with oneself.
For me, appoggio means trusting nature and remaining in awe of its beauty, diversity and wisdom. I like to think of myself as a voice gardener:
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Nature is the true teacher.
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Awareness is the key.
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All we need are favorable conditions in which to grow.
Every person is unique - I find it endlessly fascinating to explore together the individual conditions that allow body, breath and voice to reconnect and flourish.
I teach professional and dedicated non-professional singers, who want to learn the basic principles of a natural vocal coordination. I also support professional singers, who search for inspiration or have developed vocal problems.
Testimonials
I'm grateful and thankful for the trust and dedication of my students.
Maria Katrivesi
opera singer, coloratura soprano
Working with the Appoggio Method, my singing experience has changed completely on how I sense my vocal and physical instrument. As a professional opera singer who also has a solid musical theater background, I was often feeling frustrated, because I couldn't be vocally consistent in my performances. There were my bad and good days - I didn’t know how to put into practice all the information about singing in my brain...
Applying this method, everything settled inside of my brain and my body.
I developed a clear vision of what I want to do and how to organize myself so it can happen. Connected to my senses, I have always a good or an excellent day, nothing less than that!!
Now, after several years with the Appoggio Method I feel confident to pass this method on to my students.
Dimitris Paksoglou
opera singer, tenor
I have been a professional singer for over 20 years and have studied with several famous coaches around the world.
Coming across the Appoggio method, I was able to experience and use the connection of my my sound producing system towards my body = appoggio. As a consequence, I feel that I don't have to create or support my voice. The sound comes out naturally and effortlessly. Especially singing in the high register feels less stressful and more secure.
Phillipp Maas
choirmaster, bass
Being a passionate singer and a professional choirmaster, I was used to „support“ my voice with a certain tension from my diaphragm.
This, however, caused an inflexible tone as well as the tendency to denotate. With the appoggio-method, I learned to sing on a continuous stream of air. By continually leaning into the diaphragm unit and the connectedness to my whole body, an effortless singing evolved. To sing in this way is above all a lot of fun!
Online Teaching
Welcome to my Online Classes!
I have to admit that in the beginning, I was quite skeptical about teaching voice online - and was surprised at how well it works for many students. It has it's advantages!
In my general classes, I explain a basic parameter and show a suitable exercise. I demonstrate how to practice it and you can freely try it out for yourself in the privacy of your home. Since nobody can hear you, the opportunity for a playful self-regulation arises- singing your heart out (or whatever you feel like in the moment), without the interference of a teacher. If you have a question, you can always ask for additional explanation. Since we often use props to clarify a function, I can visually check, whether you understood correctly what to train and how.
In individual sessions, the online situation is particularly suitable to focus on a special topic, e.g. how to practice legato, a messa di voce, agility, triplets...and how to incorporate this in your literature.
All you need is a computer and a room, where you feel free to sing. Check out the seminar offers.