Testimonials
"Dr. Querns' deep insight into the mechanics of building an operatic voice is
invaluable to budding vocalists and prepares them for the difficult rigors of
performing the great music of that time. His festival is truly a mecca for
young singers!"
- Bruce Ford
"Being a professional opera singer, my lessons with
Ken Querns has not only served to polish the bel Canto technique I
already possessed, but virtually opened up to me a whole new world of
shaping my sound. He has given me more colors on my palette to play
with, so to speak. And for that I am truly grateful!
On top of this Ken is a very sympathetic person, who is easy to like.
And he cares about his students careers like a mentor. This has great
value to me.
Ken Querns is my favorite teacher of all the ones I've ever met."
-Nina Sveistrup Clausen, Soprano - Denmark
"I have been a student of Ken's since 2008. I had recently
left a full-time public school music job, and was singing professionally
with the Philadelphia Singers. I hadn't studied since college (2003)
and I knew that lessons would give me an advantage in my re-auditions
with Philly Singers. I was also struggling with frequent loss of my
voice due to using improper techniques while teaching. I was working at
Starbucks at the time, and one of our regular customers was a student
of Ken's and recommended him to me when I mentioned wanting to get back
into lessons. Throughout college I had struggled with my upper
register, and my voice teacher there even classified me as a
mezzo-soprano at one point, which I am most certainly not. I tended to
crack on anything above a G on the staff, which made professional
singing a challenge, especially considering my other vocal issues
mentioned earlier. At my first consultation with Ken, I knew he was the
absolute best teacher in the area - I was able to vocalize easily up to
a high E-flat (8 semi-tones higher than my former range), and he was
able to show me techniques to better support my sound so I didn't crack
at all. It was amazing and I regretted that I had not been a student of
Ken's since my high school days, as I would have been saved from so
much of the poor technique I had suffered with since I began my vocal
studies at age 16. I decided to join Ken's studio, and have been with
him ever since. I have resolved my vocal issues, specifically due to my
improved breath support techniques and through use of my pharyngeal
voice which allows me to "belt" loudly and easily while teaching my 80
high school musical theatre students. Also, because I have found so
much success with my pharyngeal voice, my classical professional career
has also improved. I am more easily able to relate my upper register
with my "belting" voice, which has made operatic singing so much easier
and more free. I have promoted within Philadelphia Singers from a
member of the very large Chorale group that only sings with the
Philadelphia Orchestra, to a member of the smaller, more elite Expanded
Core, and have even been selected for small group work (8 people) within
that group in their concerts without the Orchestra. Ken has helped me
maintain and improve my voice via Skype through my pregnancy and
following the birth of my first baby (no small feat - I promise you!)
and through the many iterations of my professional and teaching
careers. He also frequently offers advice for me in my own vocal
studio, and I often wish I could just send all of my students to Ken
because I know they would advance more quickly and find success more
easily. I recommend Ken's studio to everyone I know who is looking for a
teacher, and will continue to do so as long as he is teaching voice
lessons.
I switched to Skype lessons even before Ken left for England,
and I chose to do so because it was much more convenient for me than
driving into Philadelphia with my busy schedule. I live near Trenton,
NJ, and being able to make a cup of tea & sing in my slippers was a
really great feeling after a long day of teaching or during a busy
concert season. I have found very little difference between my Skype
lessons and studio lessons, and have continued to progress
successfully. I am so grateful that Ken is still Skyping with me from
London, as I have never in my 16 years of vocal study found a teacher
that is as knowledgeable and clear as he is. In fact, I still have to
work on correcting vocal issues I developed because of the
teaching techniques of my past teachers. I am terrified at the thought
of another teacher, and will study with Ken as long as he will teach me,
via Skype or any other medium he chooses to adopt in the future.
As
I mentioned before, I wish that I had been able to study
with Ken when I was in high school. I was doing some very unhealthy
belting at that time, and the pushing I was doing was compounded by poor
teaching for the next 5 years, which nearly ended my singing career.
Had I been able to study with Ken, I would have learned the healthy
techniques I know now, without having to constantly combat my bad habits
developed during my years with other teachers (who are quite renowned
in their field, despite not having the abilities that Ken has). I have
worked with many other students both privately and in the
classroom/theatre setting who study with other teachers in the Bucks
County / Philadelphia area, and they all have issues that have either
not
been corrected by their teachers (but are easy fixes with Ken's
techniques), or worse have been developed because of those
teacher's instruction. That is sadly so often the case, and in fact, I
think it's more common than not. I tell everyone who approaches me for
lessons that they should look into studying with Ken first, and I
recommend him to everyone who asks me for teacher recommendations - I
refuse to recommend anyone else. If you want your own or your child's
voice to improve, stay healthy, be competitive and blossom, Ken is the
best you can find, via Skype or any other way you can study!"
-Stephanie Overton-Hall - SopranoChoral Director, North & Southampton Reformed Church
Private Voice Teacher
Choral Director, North & Southampton Reformed Church
Private Voice Teacher
Private Voice Teacher
"I
am a professional Actor, Singer, Dancer in the Philadelphia Area and I have
been working with Ken Querns now for just about three years. I came to Ken in my sophomore year of college
as an aspiring singer who had nothing to show for years of training. I had been studying voice for 5 years before I
came to Ken and my voice was in shambles. I only had about an octave of usable range and
no idea what I was doing. I had teacher
after teacher desperately trying to pound notes out of me, including well
regarded college professors, but none of them understood my voice and so I
never made any progress. Ken Querns’
intimate understanding of the biology and mechanics of the voice, matched with
his deep knowledge of Bel Canto Technique have given me abilities beyond my
wildest dreams.
I chose to stick with Ken when he moved from
Philadelphia to London through Skype, because I made more progress in one year
studying under Ken, than I did in all five years of my previous training. I was skeptical of Skype lessons; I did not
think that they were going to be useful but I knew that I wanted to study with
Ken so I gave it a shot. But after a
month or so I was totally on board. I
still get to study with Ken, and because of the lag, and the fact that he
cannot play along with me while we sing; I have become a better musician
training my ear and improving my overall intonation. I have found no depreciation of my progress
while using Skype with Ken, and I would recommend him to anyone who wants to
learn to sing and become an artist.
What separates Ken apart from any teacher that I
have studied with or seen is that he tailors his lessons to each student
separately. His incredible knowledge
about the voice and different voice types allows him to teach a wide range of
students with success. I have worked
with many musical theater vocal coaches who constantly ask me how I sing the
way I do. They are shocked at the
incredible range and ease that I have in my voice and it is unparalleled to
anything that I could learn from anyone locally. I plan to study with Ken as long as possible,
and I would urge any of his students to do the same. His dedication to his students is incredible,
and to find a voice teacher with the knowledge and dedication of Ken is a rare
find. I literally wouldn’t be in the
advanced vocal place that I am today without Ken’s meticulous coaching."
-William Pazfziora, Tenor - USA
"I'm a Lebanese Tenor who has been studying with Ken for
almost 2 years now...
Prior to that, I had been going nowhere for years, getting
wrong advice from local teachers and singers. To the outside observer, it might
seem that all vocal teachers are alike and are doing the same thing. However,
there's a huge difference between whom I'd call "scale players" and
true voice maestri. Objectively speaking, Ken has a masterful understanding of
the voice, and a unique ability to see inside the voice.
I chose to study with him through Skype rather than
continuing within competent local teachers, mainly because he advertised
teaching the genuine Bel Canto tradition. After starting with him, I was amazed
at how he could see inside the Voice. Rather than playing scales and giving
generic advice, he truly knows what's going on inside his student's voice and individualizes
his teaching accordingly.
His ear is so powerful and skilled, he hears, even through
Skype, whether I went flat or sharp, whether I'm half or quarter tone down. He
has allowed me to discover my true potential as a Tenor, hitting high notes
with ease, and developing a rich operatic sound, which no local could ever get
me to do.
I recently traveled to London
and had in-person sessions with him. Well, the guy knows his student's voice
inside-out, whether in-person or over Skype. Skype is only a Medium, and
doesn't hinder the ability of a good vocal teacher. Plus, the most important
factor for the development of a singer, is sticking with the SAME teacher.
The teacher, who through the years, came to know his
student's voice intimately... knowing the strengths, weaknesses, and at which
stage his student is, and what he/she needs now, as an Individual, to get to the
next stage.
Again, I say, with firm belief, that Skype is simply a
Medium... I speak from experience... If I were to choose again, I would choose to
study with a Vocal Maestro through Skype any day, over a in-person generic, or
average vocal teacher.""Click here to enter a testimonial from your customers."
- Youssef Helou, Tenor - Lebanon
