At the Juilliard School of Music

The International Symposium of Voice - W. James Gould, MD, Founder.
1983  - Panelist - The voice teacher and the removal of soft nodes through proper vocal massage -
1984 - Lecturer - Working with the young voice through maturity to a professional career -
Following my lecture mentioned immediately above, Dr. Polizi offered me the next available teaching position at Juilliard which would be available with the pending departure of Giorgio Tozzi. The following year, Helen Vanni asked me to join the teaching staff at Manhattan School of Music. I necessarily had to decline both posts as I had concurrent contracts with the Metropolitan and New York City Operas, in addition to maintaining a heavy private studio when in residence, as well as pursuing my other performances in concert, recital, and performances abroad.
 
1989 - The Portland Opera - Gave overall view of the mechanics of the voice and breathing technique needed to perform at a professional level whether operatic or Pop. Worked with ten singers of all voices, diagnosing vocal problems and furnishing technical concepts producing immediate cognitive response.

The Houston Opera - Gave a Master Class in voice and one in stage movement to apprentices and interested members of the chorus, while directing and starring in Henze's, The Young Lord.
The Honolulu Opera - as above
The Marin Opera, San Francisco. CA  - as above.
El Camino Jr. College - Gardena, CA  - as above
Marymount College, Los Angeles, CA  - as above
Chapman University, Orange, CA
Fort Worth Opera - as above 

A Master Class critique, from Portland Opera's, Michael Berkson

"Dear Richard,

I'm writing to express my vigorous enthusiasm for the splendid work you did last night in conducting your extraordinary master class in vocal technique. The insights you shared provoked significant improvements in all of the singers, and everyone present was most positively enlightened in regard to the very practical ways one can exploit his/her existing resources to sing more powerfully and more beautifully. I was particularly impressed by the comments you made to demystify the vocal process; your emphasis on technique, in contrast to relying on inspiration or good luck, is a most welcome tenet in the arsenal of any artist ..."


FOR THE FULL PORTLAND OPERA LETTER       < click here

YOU MIGHT FIND THIS WORTH A READ ... :)

A letter to:
Gary Glaze
Chair, Voice Dept.
Flora Thornton School of Music
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, April 03, 2002
 
Dear Mr. Glaze;
               As you know, I have been attending USC for three years, working toward my Doctorate in Keyboard Collaborative Arts with Dr. Alan Smith, and have concurrently been a Teaching Assistant with responsibilities for accompanying the vocal studios, vocal auditions and other assorted duties within the vocal arts department. In those three years, I have had the opportunity to see almost every vocal studio in the school and watch how the students grow and develop. Now that my time as a teaching assistant is nearly over, I wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn so much from these teachers. I feel strangely wistful (considering how much work it has all been!) thatt this great time of learning for me is coming to an end.
               With regard to the state of the Vocal Arts Department, from which I think I have a unique view of the standard and progress of the various studios, I also wanted to write and let you know that I was saddened to hear a nasty rumor that there is a possibility that Richard Fredricks may not be teaching here next year. I realize that there are many factors involved in the decisions made with regard to who is teaching here, from year to year, but as a teaching assistant accompanying in his class, I have personally found his energy and vocal standards to be extremely high, and his students have improved unbelievably from last year. Those students who are now under his care, have grown in leaps and bounds from September - I think
there can be no doubt that his studio is dramatically improved over last year.
               It is interesting to watch, from the piano, over the course of the year, how his students have begun to really "buy into" his system, and are starting to really believe in their own vocal potential. Never once has Fredricks been anything but incredibly supportive, and his vocal techniques have all of this students developing both much higher ranges and much higher vocal standards, both in terms of diction and repertoire. It is hard for me to believe, as I have sat in his vocal forum classes over the year, to see students who were struggling with"24 Italian Hits" songs, for their upcoming jury in previous years, now consistently commanding attention with much more major arias. Watching these kids start to actually believe they can sing, is a wonderful gift that Fredricks has given them, and I know that, over the next few years, the seeds that are being planted will bear some wonderful fruit, for the Vocal Arts Department and the School of Music as a whole ...
                                                               FOR THE FULL ORIGINAL LETTER  < click here

I give Master Classes on request, throughout the world .