Robert Marks
ROBERT MARKS is a voice teacher, coach, conductor, arranger, and director, specializing in helping singers show their talents off to their best possible advantage. As a voice professional, his number one priority, now and always, has been vocal health. He works with singers of all ages, from absolute beginners to celebrities, and recently taught his 80,000th private session in his New York City studio.
Mr. Marks holds a degree in speech and voice pathology, and has taught at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy and the Weist-Barron School in New York. He has been Special Guest Instructor at the Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia, The New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA) Professional Development Program at Columbia University, The Voice Foundation Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice, and at NYU's Steinhardt School of Education. He has given workshops, master classes and seminars internationally. His articles have appeared in several publications, including the internationally recognized Journal of Singing.
For several years, he was the host and musical director of the acclaimed Youngstars cabaret performances of professional children in New York City. His music arrangements have been heard on many compact disc releases of the âRevisitedâ series of recordings on Painted Smiles Records. He also had the honor of directing ragtime legend Max Morath in Ragtime and Again off-Broadway at the York Theatre.
He has been the musical director of over 200 productions across the country, including every style of music, from Kismet to The Rocky Horror Show. He has coached cast members of almost every current Broadway musical, and former students have included Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Deborah Gibson, Ariana Grande, Nikki M. James, Ricki Lake, Constantine Maroules, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Christy Carlson Romano, Lea Salonga, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Britney Spears, and Ashley Tisdale.
He was a pianist with the Broadway and national companies of the hit musical Annie, and spent two seasons as the Associate Conductor of the St. Louis Municipal Opera, working with such stars as Shirley Jones, Paul Williams, Carol Lawrence, and Vincent Price.
At a time when all styles of non-classical music were mostly ignored and misunderstood by singing teachers, Mr. Marks helped found the seminal Music Theatre Committee of NYSTA, which continues to be a key element in its programs. For over 25 years he has maintained a private voice and recording studio in midtown Manhattan. He is a member of American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP); New York Singing Teachers' Association (NYSTA); National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS); and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS).
He is regarded by many as being one of âthe best in the business,â and is committed to bringing his expertise and experience to singers and teachers of singing so that they may reach their vocal performance goals.