Andrea Matthews

The core of my work at Wellesley is teaching studio voice (both credit and non-credit). Additionally, I have taught classes such as Mus300 Mozart Operas, Mus230 History of Opera, and Mus240 Opera Workshop, and co-taught Mus 344 Performance Workshop. I am particularly interested in helping students to bring all their talents -- vocalism, drama, psychology, and physicality -- to bear on their performance, with ease and joy. The benefits of vocal study are not limited to performance, however, as the skills and pleasures involved in singing can be seen to carry through into all aspects of daily life. I'm fascinated by the process of personal transformation involved in striving for mastery in any activity, and try to convey that larger picture to my students, even as they prepare for specific performances.

I appear regularly in concert at Wellesley and elsewhere; oratorio is a particular specialty of mine, but I also perform in opera and recital. I also frequently am invited to Longy, NEC and other schools to teach workshops on Alexander Technique, especially for singers and other performers. I maintain a private voice and Alexander Technique studio in Needham, where I reside with my husband and our very doted-upon black cat, Kingston.

In addition to an A.B. from Princeton University, I study with Shirlee Emmons, Conrad L. Osborne (NYC); earned a teacher certification from Alexander Technique Center at Cambridge; and earned a Certificate in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University.