Professional singers
Dr. Linnartz is simply the finest vocal technician I’ve ever worked with. She has an uncanny ability to diagnose vocal problems quickly and articulate them clearly. But beyond that, she has always pressed me to push beyond technique alone and into genuine artistic communication. Many voice teachers focus either on technique or emotional communication and Dr. Linnartz is unwilling to sacrifice either – with her, singing must be both beautiful and joyful.
When I moved to Wilmington, NC from Los Angeles I did a lot of research online before finding Dr. Linnartz. To have the opportunity to study with such a gifted performer and teacher was a huge blessing. Driving 2 1/2 hours each way for a lesson was well worth it. She took my voice to a new level of professionalism, working out old vocal habits. She pushed me to use my whole body correctly in order to produce the most even vocal sound. I will miss my lessons now that I have moved to Northern Virginia. But she has prepared me well for auditions in the greater Washington, DC area.
~ Dana Harrison, high school chorus teacher, soprano soloist, voice teacher
High School Singers
Working with Dr. Linnartz is one of the best choices I have made in my life. Not only can she transform you as a vocal performer, she makes it so easy to succeed. Lessons with her are just so much fun while at the same time being very intense.
-Markos Simopoulos, Vocal Performance major, Oberlin Conservatory
Working with Dr. Linnartz, not only have I grown as a musician, I have also been blessed to receive constant support and counsel from her. Over the past few years I have learned a lot about myself and my voice and been consistently challenged to become a better performer. I am always amazed by her ability to simply watch me sing and know how I may improve my sound. Dr. Linnartz has helped me discover the power of music as self-expression and healing for both the singer and listener. As I go to college I will carry with me all I have learned under her instruction as I study Music Therapy. Without her encouragement throughout high school I would not be the person I am today. She influenced my improvement as a singer as much as she influenced my understanding of how I can use my gifts to give back to those around me. I feel so lucky to have been able to get to know Dr. Linnartz as a teacher and friend.
~ Ellie Simpson, Music Therapy major, Appalachian State University
Adult singers
Beth Linnartz has a particular talent for diagnosing what each voice student needs in order to reach his or her potential as a singer and then designing specific exercises and techniques to meet that need. Before I studied with Beth, I was a breathy choral singer with a teeny tiny sound surrounded by air. I had difficulty with my breath control and could not sustain a soft sound at all. Beth immediately taught me methods for focusing the sound and breathing properly that have served me well ever since. As a parent of small children with a demanding full-time job and therefore with very limited practice time, Beth has helped me nevertheless find ways to dramatically improve my singing. I now sing with the North Carolina Opera chorus and as a soloist at my church. I have also witnessed at repertoire classes over the years the dramatic improvements Beth has guided in singers of all ages. I appreciate the warmth and musicality with which Beth teaches. I highly recommend Beth’s talent as a musician and teacher to anyone who would like to learn to sing, or learn to sing better!
~ Candace Marles
Under Beth’s tutelage, I morphed from a terrible alto with paralyzing performance anxiety into a lyric soprano strong enough to join the chorus of the North Carolina Opera company and confident enough to perform solos and duets in more modest venues. Considering that I was 57 years old at the time of my first lesson, this is nothing short of miraculous. Beth has truly enabled me to find my voice.
~ Connie Margolin
Voice Class Students
Words can not describe enough of my appreciation for your teaching us. I learned a lot in those four sessions. Every session is so informative, so fun, and it was like in a blink of the eye that the lesson is over. Driving home was so joyous!
~ Agnes Rehquate
You created such a pleasant learning atmosphere and I looked forward to Tuesday nights each week. Although I was anxious at first, your warm welcome and cheerful kind spirit quickly made me more at ease. I loved each class and learned so much! Your help with my breathing and easing my vocal tension has been a huge blessing and has affected more than just my singing. I have already seen much progress in my singing as I apply my new skills and I am so excited by the freedom I now feel in my voice.
~ With joy, Rosemary Bowen
I appreciated so much the depth of knowledge and experience you brought to the class and your willingness to share all of that with us, but I appreciated more the down-to-earth, personal way you interacted with each of us. While offering helpful suggestions at every turn, you also managed to be supportive and encouraging and respectful of our feelings and of our vulnerability in that situation. I also gained a huge amount of confidence from your validation of things I was already doing right, your positive reinforcement of corrections made, and from the generous positive feedback from you and my fellow students. Thanks for everything. I hope to put it all to good use!
~Gayle Triplett, MD