Testimonials
Ann Beckman, highly appreciated singer’s coach in top opera houses, tells her experiences with Vera Wenkert’s Masterclasses.
Vera Wenkert in Interview with Aaron Sands and Charlotte Whittle, Scotland:
Olivia Betschart
Schweiz
“Vera Wenkert has been my mentor and teacher in singing and acting for two years. With her I really got to know my voice, refined my singing technique and developed my stage personality. I feel completely supported and accompanied by her as a singer and a person. Her wealth of experience as an opera singer, her excellent vocal technique, her fine ear and her humanity make her an outstanding, invaluable singing teacher.”
Ursula Ferri
Schweiz
Vera Wenkert is a fantastic teacher, a wonderful person with an enormous knowledge of the voice and a fine ear that misses nothing. She teaches the Swedish-Italian vocal technique, whose best-known exponent is David L. Jones. With this technique, a voice becomes healthy, strong and stays young into old age. I always had problems and no one could really help me. With Vera, after a good year, it all runs well. I take something new away from every lesson, which I can actually reproduce and practise at home. Because the instructions are very precise and clear. Vera knows exactly with which exercise she achieves what and she always immediately recognises what a problem is and how to solve it. I’m very happy and grateful that I found Vera, that I don’t have to travel halfway around the world and so I can finally have regular lessons again.”
Marina Poša, Mezzosoprano, Brisbane Australia
“I have been studying with Vera Wenkert for two years via Skype. Even though we haven’t been able to work together in person because of the distance, her being in Switzerland & me in Australia I have had dramatic improvements in my voice. With her knowledge & patience I now sing in the correct Fach, mezzo-soprano & I feel free as a singer to colour phrases, not push my voice. I also have more confidence in my public performances. She is the only teacher that I have met who has been completely honest with me & been able to verify & acknowledge my vocal difficulties. Her ear is exceptional. She is especially able to help the bigger dramatic voice find a technique & develop. I highly recommend Vera Wenkert as an exceptional teacher & person with integrity & vast vocal knowledge.”
Olivia Betschart
Schweiz
Anna Maske
Soprano and voice teacher at Conservatoire Populaire de Genève
Vera Wenkert is an exceptional teacher and artist. Her Institute Stimmkunst represents an important stepping stone for the professional singer who has graduated from university and is singing in first engagements or preparing auditions.
Singers who change their Fach and repertoire are accompanied in a securing yet directive way so that they will find engagements. Veras very refined teaching skills and her analytical and sensitiv listening, guide the singer into a motivating and continuous progress and confidence in his or her voice on the path to mastery.
Vera Wenkert knows how to build together with the singing artist his or her voice, musicianship and stagecraft to allow a lifelong carrier. The person with its unique personality, with its qualities and with its challenges is in the center of Veras work. The masterclasses and workshops are always taught in a trustworthy atmosphere where every singer gets the same amount of time and attention. The mindful interaction between singers in the institute is encouraged.The Institute benefits from the artistic input of Vera Wenkert’s carrier as a dramatic soprano with a lifelong stage experience, as well as her network of excellent coaches, pianists and conductors. My singing as well as my professional life as a singer and voice teacher have enormously improved since I started studying with Vera Wenkert. I highly recommend her and her Institute to every singer with expectations for a professional and long-lasting carrier in the singing profession.
Jérémie Brocard
Bass at various opera houses
I will always be very grateful to Vera Wenkert for her generous help and teaching. It’s unique to find in the same person, an amazing singer who can teach and and a wonderful teacher who can sing. Be on stage and prepare new parts is a journey along you need a trustful hand to guide you. Thank you dear Vera.
David L. Jones
International Vocal Pedagogue, New York
I highly recommend working with Vera Wenkert as a voiceteacher as well as participating in her masterclasses.
Vera Wenkert is a fine dramatic soprano with a great ear for teaching. She is very precise in hearing vocal problems and in offering solutions that get complete results. I strongly recommend Vera Wenkert as a teacher for any singer looking for vocal help and wanting an accurate diagnosis. Her performance experience also compliments her teaching ability in that she knows languages and stage deportment.
Louise Martyn
sings in Teatro Sociale Bellinzona
What’s special about the International Institut Stimmkunst Zürich?
Honestly, everything about this learning space is special because there is only one person it is serving: the singer. Although there are many great, talented and kind teachers in Conservatoires and Universities, it seems to me that these teachers are bound to hierarchies and structures that, although may be well-intentioned, are not tailored to each student. One of the benefits of the Institut Stimmkunst is that Vera gives her students what they need at that time, and what this is, is decided between the student and Vera, no one else. The pace of this is development is also dictated by the student.
A special gift this teacher has is the ability to see what direction to approach a student’s challenges from. She has a great capacity to judge the true personality of the student and she knows how psychological singing is, so she tailors her approach based on what will work in that moment, but also what will serve the holistic development of that student. This studio can offer polish if wanted, but it can also help with the more fundamental growth of its students.
Vera often creates an environment that can help young singers to train their nervous system for auditions, first rehearsals etc. She does this however within the protection of her experienced and watchful eye, so often we get trained in advance for situations that can be stressful, and, therefore, often deal with them better when they occur in reality. As I am a sensitive person, this has helped me become more resilient and confident.
Vera’s Vocal Technique Teaching is a combination of the Swedish- Italian School, her life long experience on stage and a development in awareness of the ‘inner feeling’ in the body of the student too. Vera teaches her students how to use stagecraft to help themselves. They are also encouraged for to change their inner voice (if necessary) to a nurturing, positive one and to develop an awareness of the effect that has on the body, so it can perform the tasks needed for the mechanics of great singing. These are only some of the benefits to studying with Vera Wenkert.
Georgia Knower
sings at the Theater Basel
I have been studying with Vera Wenkert for five years and feel very well accompanied both vocally and personally. I have been studying with Vera Wenkert for five years and feel very well accompanied both vocally and personally. Because Vera teaches very honestly and clearly, my voice has had the opportunity to grow in the same way. This is very important to me, especially in my job where you always face different challenges. She is a very empathic teacher and understands how everything is connected to everything else, that the voice only responds to how we treat it.
Mandira Halder
Doctorante,Faculté de Psychologie et de Sciences de l’éducation, Université de Genève, Genève/Doktorandin im Psychologie und Erziehungswissenschaft Fakultat/ PhD candidate, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Geneva, Geneva
As an educational researcher in foreign languages, teacher trainer and teacher with 19 years of teaching experience, I was fortunate enough to be mentored and coached by wonderful people who were not only experts in their field but also demonstrated true leadership qualities, helping me along in my professional and personal life journey. But the one person that come foremost in my mind is my wonderful voice teacher Vera Wenkert as she is the finest of them all. Through her teaching, coaching and mentoring, Vera has not only helped me develop a healthy vocal technique but also taught me stagecraft so that I can effectively occupy space on stage, so much so that it belongs to me. She has done so much more, instilling in me human values as a budding artist and to surpass myself by developing the right attitude and graduating from a amateur singer to professional standards. As a well-wisher, she has constantly stood by me, supporting me in all my artistic projects and carve a niche for myself in the demanding world of classical singing. This reminds me of the famous German proverb “aus seinem eigenen schatten springen”.
Danielle Zuber
Kanton Zürich
Vera Wenkert is a sensitive vocal master, she rebuilt me both humanly and vocally after a fate. Vocally and personally, she is one of the best teachers of our time. I am immensely grateful to continue to be mentored by her in my career as a soloist. With great gratitude, Danielle
Gabriella Cavasino
Neuchâtel
Vera Wenkert is an outstanding vocal artist, mentor and teaching technician. Since my studying with her at Institute Stimmkunst, I’ve got my voice as well as my confidence back. During masterclasses and individual lessons, I’ve seen her knowledge, passion and wisdom shine through, allowing her to adapt to all kind of psychological and vocal situations and guide students already well in their careers as well as professional beginners or amateurs of all ages.
As a singer and vocal teacher myself, I can only recommend anyone who has a serious interest in the vocal arts to study at Institute Stimmkunst.
Charlotte Emma Whittle
Scotland
Studying with Vera Wenkert has completely changed my life. I turned up a confused lyric soprano, feeling this was not my voice type. Within the first lesson, Vera could hear exactly what my true voice type is. Now, 2 years later, I am a blossoming Dramatic Soprano. Everything feels the way it is meant to feel. Vera’s teaching is incredibly detailed. She can hear if the root of the tongue is blocking the sound, or if the jaw is too tense, the breath not low enough. She has the ability to pick up on these problems so quickly, and deal with them in and efficient and patient way. During her Masterclasses, I have seen her meet many international singers with many problems. She is so kind and open with them. I see them feel immediately relaxed, resulting in a quicker response from them to what she is asking them to do. She is so dedicated to singing, students always receive 100% from her. Her non-judgemental, professional and beautiful character, make lessons and Masterclasses an utter joy to be in. I would encourage singers to sign up for her Masterclasses. You will learn so much about the technique of singing in a comfortable, happy and professional environment.
Ciara Gallagher
Monaco
Vera Wenkert is a wonderful teacher. The technique that she teaches is excellent and changed my voice immensely. I have taken part in several of her masterclasses which are fun, informative and every participant had a large noticeable improvement in just a few days. I highly recommend attending a masterclass if you can.
Carole Simons
Professeur de chant: Académie de Musique d’Amay, Belgien
Mme Wenkert est une enseignante exceptionnelle, authentique et expérimentée. La technique vocale enseignée est saine et efficace. L’expérience scénique que partage Mme Wenkert prépare tout chanteur aux auditions et aux exigences actuelles de tout répertoire. Outre les qualités professionnelles rares et précieuses de Mme Wenkert, vous y recevrez aussi un avis honnête et franc, et vous vivrez un moment unique.