Voice in Vienna: Recapping the 11th Estill World Voice Symposium
Every two years, the Estill Voice Training community gathers together at an international voice symposium to celebrate and explore the world of vocal possibilities.
This year's Estill World Voice Symposium took place from 1-4 August 2023 at MuTh Concert Hall in Vienna.
I was delighted to participate in presentations and workshops led by my colleagues representing scientific, medical and voice training communities
Day 1
Day 1 was a fun-filled day packed with networking and lots of inspiring, thought-provoking presentations.
Some highlights for me included:
Corinne Mager teaching us the sophisticated Viennese art of dudeln, which is different to yodelling.
Hope McNamara Sear sharing how she trains the boys choir at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.
Karen Perta from The Ohio State University giving us insights into the role of motor learning in voice training.
Patrik Thurner and Ivory Parker ending the day with a fantastic beatboxing workshop.
Day 2
It was another amazing day of inspiring presentations.
Some of my favourite moments were:
Denisslava Stefanova and Anne-Marie Speed talking about traditional Bulgarian women’s singing. It’s an incredible sound! It took me right back to the early 1990s when the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir toured Scandinavia. They were like rock stars!
Dr Kim Steinhauer, President of Estill Voice International, giving us a sneak peak of the new and improved Estill Voiceprint Plus programme that is going to be released soon.
Dr Stefanie Rummel presenting absolutely extraordinary 3D models of the vocal tract in all 6 Estill Voice Qualities.
I also just LOVED listening to Aleksandra Woźniak from Poland sing during the lunch break. The room stood still!
Day 3
The last day of the Estill World Voice Symposium!
Out of all the amazing presentations today, here are three that grabbed me:
Dr Steven Chicurel-Stein talked about how to use your voice at the gym. This resonated with me because I have recently been looking into how footballers use their voices on the pitch.
Judith Dunlore presented on different Fachs in classical singing.
Kelly Burge shared her super creative work with pop singers.
What a wonderful three days in Vienna. Thank you to everyone who made this event such a fun and memorable experience!
I am looking forward to the next Estill World Voice Symposium in Chicago in 2025!
Stefan Holmström is a professional opera singer and voice teacher working with speakers and singers of all ages and abilities with a wide range of goals. He offers online and in-person vocal coaching and workshops from his studio in central Brighton in the UK. As an Estill Master Trainer (EMT), Stefan uses Estill Voice Training (EVT) as a baseline for safe and sustainable voice use.
