JAN HORVATH

Broadway Veteran

Jan Horvath's teaching is informed by the collective lessons learned from 30+ years of professional performance experience.  She is a veteran of five Broadway shows including the Original Broadway company of Hal Prince's "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" in which she performed the roles of both Christine and Carlotta. Other Broadway credits include "THE THREEPENNY OPERA" starring Sting, and "SWEET CHARITY" directed by Bob Fosse. Jan also played Grizabella in the National Touring Company of "CATS". As a symphonic concert soloist singing Broadway and Pop repertoire, she has performed with over 130 orchestras around the world including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, National Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She has worked with many legendary conductors including Keith Lockhart, Marvin Hamlisch, Doc Severinsen, and Skitch Henderson. Jan made her Carnegie Hall debut singing in Bernstein's "MASS" in 2002 and also appeared there with The New York Pops in "The 3 Broadway Divas" concert.  Other theatrical roles include Eva Peron in "Evita", Aldonza in "Man of La Mancha", Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific", and Cathy in "The Last Five Years". 

For the past 25 years Jan has taught private voice to singers at all stages of their careers in New York City. She also taught the NYU Tisch Drama students for 6 years through CAP21 studio teaching private voice and vocal technique. Her students have gone on to perform On Broadway, Off Broadway, National Tours etc. During her concert travels Jan has also given master classes, audition and performance workshops to multiple organizations around the country including the Universities of Colorado State, Penn State and U. of Alabama. 

Ms. Horvath studied vocal performance at the University of Illinois and received a BFA in Musical Theatre from The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She has studied voice in NYC with Dee Marquit,  Joan Lader and Victoria Clark, Barbara Maier Gustern and acting with Fred Kareman (Meisner Technique). Jan uses the wisdom gleaned from all of her many wonderful teachers and is proud to have joined in their profession!

Teaching Philosophy

I believe that if you are human, you can learn how to sing! In our daily lives we make all of the sounds that are necessary for singing. Once a student learns to how to elongate those familiar "communicative" sounds on the breath and in the pitch & rhythm patterns that their song requires, their singing voice becomes a rich and colorful extension of their own speaking voice. The sound is uniquely their own - not some imitative distortion. I believe that this authentic singing voice is what moves the audience and gives them goose bumps! Here is my strategy: I begin by first assessing each student's individual learning style (visual, aural, conceptual etc.) and then crafting a "game plan" to best suit the student's thinking patterns. My method is based on science, anatomy and classical vocal pedagogy, but often times it might feel more like an improv class! We take sounds from real life (Moaning, Whining, Shouting, Hooting, Flirting etc.) and then relate where those sounds naturally occur in the various registers of the singing voice. I encourage students to think of using different "sound recipes." By varying the ingredients of breath pressure, vocal cord "weight", inner space, front/back resonances, and physical engagement of the entire body, students learn to make a variety of stylistic sound qualities. They can adjust these sound recipes to suit each song style - country twang, pop mix, musical theater belt, operatic legit etc. I also help students learn how to articulate without gripping and to identify healthy vocal choices which will enable them to endure the rigors of a demanding performance schedule. I use recording equipment to help students hear how they sound "outside of their heads". Having good quality "on the spot playback" accelerates the learning process because students learn how to listen and correct themselves - much like how a dancer makes use of the mirror. And it's so much fun! I encourage my students to make demo recordings of their new improved sound!

Studio Policies

48 hour Cancellation Policy