The New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA) is an international educational association of singing teachers and affiliated voice professionals based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. It was founded in 1906, and is the oldest such group based in the United States. The association provides worldwide training in the teaching of singing through local events, as well as educational media archives and a highly regarded professional development program available to members worldwide via its website, www.nyst.org

History

The NYSTA is the oldest association of its type in the United States. A group of singing teachers incorporated it in the state of New York on 27 November 1906 as the National Association of Teachers of Singing. The first annual meeting of the new organization was held on 7 January 1908, at

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities such ...

. The English music critic and voice teacher

Herman Klein Herman Klein (born Hermann Klein; 23 July 1856 – 10 March 1934) was an English music critic, author and teacher of singing. Klein's famous brothers included Charles Klein, Charles and Manuel Klein. His second wife was the writer Kathleen Cla ...

(1856–1934) was the first chairman. Founding members included Enrico Caruso,

Emma Eames Emma Eames (August 13, 1865 – June 13, 1952) was an American first dramatic soprano, later lyric soprano renowned for the beauty of her voice. She sang major lyric and lyric-dramatic roles in opera and had an important career in New York ...

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following a ...

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Ernestine Schumann-Heink Ernestine Schumann-Heink (15 June 186117 November 1936) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American operatic dramatic contralto of German Bohemian descent. She was noted for the flexibility and wide range of her voice. Early life She was born Ernes ...

and

Marcella Sembrich Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska (February 15, 1858 – January 11, 1935), known professionally as Marcella Sembrich, was a Polish coloratura soprano. She is known for her extensive range of two and a half octaves, precise intonation, charm, port ...

. In 1917 the association changed its name to the New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA). In 1924 Miss M. E. DeWitt reported that the NYSTA "has adopted Daniel Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary," based on standard pronunciation in England at that time.

H. L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...

commented that Jones himself had said, "Personally, I cannot think that any attempt to introduce this pronunciation into America is likely to meet with success." When

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Vall ...

rose to prominence in 1930s, the NYSTA said of his style of singing, "crooning corrupts the minds and ideals of the younger generation." In 1944 the NYSTA, the American Academy of Teachers of Singing and the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild founded the

National Association of Teachers of Singing The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) is a professional organization for singing teachers, and it is the largest association of its kind in the world. There are more than 6,500 members, mostly from the United States. Additional m ...

. George Jellinek hosted a weekly syndicated radio feature in New York that played opera and classical music for many years from 1968. He described the NYSTA as "a very congenial and worthwhile group". The NYSTA made Jellinek guest speaker and interviewer at their annual meetings. At these events Jellinek interviewed such people as

Grace Bumbry Grace Melzia Bumbry (born January 4, 1937), an American opera singer, is considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, as well as a major soprano earlier in her career. She is a member of a pioneering generation of African-Ameri ...

Jerry Hadley Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), ''Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awar ...

Judith Blegen Judith Blegen (April 27, 1943, Lexington, Kentucky) is an American soprano, particularly associated with light lyric roles of the French, Italian and German repertories. Life and career Blegen was raised and attended high school in Missoula, Mon ...

, Simon Estes and

Deborah Voigt Deborah Voigt (born August 4, 1960) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung roles in operas by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Biography and career Early life and education Debbie Joy Voigt was born into a religious Southern Baptist family ...

Activities

The organization publishes the ''VOICEPrints'' journal five times a year. NYSTA offers online courses leading to the Distinguished Voice Professional certificate. Courses cover subjects such as Vocal Anatomy and Physiology, Voice Acoustics and Resonance, Vocal Health for Voice Professionals, Singers Development Repertoire and Comparative Voice Pedagogy. Members may be local, national or international.

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History

Activities

Notes

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Further reading