Orlando S. TakeLessons Instructor Voice, Beginning Piano, Singing, opera Voice, Music Theory, Theatrical Broadway Singing, Ear... Old Court Rd, Riderwood, MD

Baritone, O.J., is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Composition at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a recpient of a full Linehan Artist Scholarship, a merit scholarship awarded to talented and promising artists and musicians. He serves as the Director of Music for Hunt's Memorial United Methodist Church in Maryland as well as a private vocal pedagogue and performer in the Baltimore area.

O.J. is a versatile artist with performance experience in opera, chamber music, art song, oratorio, musical theater, pop and jazz. He has completed concerts with the Municipal Opera Company of Baltimore, UMBC Camerata, Vocal Arts and New Music Ensembles including performances of works by W.A. Mozart, G.F Handel, Beethoven, Herbert Brun, Christian Wolff, Verdi, Donizetti and John Rutter at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore among others. His technique is a product of the teachings of Thomas Stewart, Louis Quilico, Virginia Zeani among other international artists as communicated through renowned Wagnerian tenor, David Smith.

In the studio, the focus is on arming his students with the tools and skills necessary to enjoy their musical journeys more fully. This task is undertaken by strengthening and building a healthy technique while concurrently cultivating a strong sense of artistry, creativity and respect for the process of preparing and performing vocal and piano music. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to enrich their experiences by performing in studio recitals, developing stronger sight-reading, foreign language and piano skills as well as harboring a familiarity and appreciation for varied repertoire with respect to their own interests.

It's been my experience that an austere and tense environment causes austere and tense singing which is the exact opposite of what we're trying to accomplish together.

Voice and piano lessons are a partnership between the singer and the teacher: we both have a part in you or your child's  progress and success.  Singing and playing both requir a positive attitude, a willingness to try new things and adequate preparation.  That's what I hope to see from my students when they enter the studio and I will give the same energy and preparation in return.

After a few months in the studio, you or your child can expect to have a better understanding of how the voice works and tools and techniques employed by myself and the professionals responsible for my education and technique.

Futhermore, piano is fun!  Singing is fun!  Otherwise, we wouldn't do it...without getting paid for it at least, right?  I have many individualistic goals planned for each lesson, but generally if you've had a good time and learned something about either music or yourself, we've had a successful lesson. Everything else is a bonus for  me.  My students' experiences with me speak volumes and their successes in music and otherwise even moreso.

My three promises to you as a student of voice:

1) I guarantee that you will have fun during the time you're with me.

2) I promise that I will never ask you to do something that will harm your voice.

3) I stand behind my education and experiences: I've learned music from the best in the field and you will get nothing less than that from me during a lesson.

My three expectations of you:

1) Come willing to try new and different things in a low pressure non-judgemental environment. 

2) Come prepared to sing and/or play.  Why?  If you want to sing or play piano, you have to sing or play the piano.  Relatively simple, right?

3) Come prepared to make mistakes because no performance is perfect by any standard.  No lesson is perfect either and no lesson should be.  Lessons are your opportunity to make mistakes without being  judged, so make  mistakes, commit to those mistakes and enjoy and appreciate the feedback you get along the way.  Singing is a journey that cannot be completed in a few one hour sessions, so I hope and  expect that you won't treat it that way.

Now let's make beautiful music together!

Bel Canto, Old World Technique, Belting, Broadway, Opera, Oratorio, Art Song, Sacred Music, R&B, Jazz, Beginning Piano

Voice, Beginning Piano, Singing, opera Voice, Music Theory, Theatrical Broadway Singing, Ear Training, Sight Singing, Sight Reading, Speaking Voice, Songwriting