William vennard biography
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Having initially received a bachelor’s degree in English, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University, as well as a master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the American Conservatory of Music.
The list of William Vennard’s accomplishments is a mile long, including his career as an active opera singer while teaching part time at the Chicago Evangelistic Institute, DePaul University and the American Conservatory.
Many of the vocal exercises used by Lindquest were originally designed by Garcia himself. Vennard’s collaboration with Janwillen van den Berg resulted in his film Voice Production: the Vibrating Larynx. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University College, Malibu, CA in recognition of his outstanding contributions to singing and the science of singing (1970).
As a singer, Vennard was active in opera, oratorio and solo song; as a teacher of singing, his students, among them Marilyn Horne, achieved worldwide success.
One former NATS President, Karl Trump said of Vennard, “He felt that we could best serve our art and our profession by inclusiveness, not exclusiveness, a viewpoint he defended frequently and with eloquence.”
Vennard practiced what he preached. It has been said that he took a “liberal stance” in NATS. Vennard was serving as Chairman of the Research committee for NATS until his death.
Sources
1. https://www.nats.org/cgi/page.cgi/_subscription.html?cmd=dl&file=5ED8qhfwgvNSgDS0LhVqg9NIAa6F_21JyoRQte_8MZG
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Vennard
3. https://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=740793&p=5885700
During the summer of 1979, I had the life-altering experience of studying with the great voice teacher, Alan Lindquest, in Santa Barbara, California.
Set Svanholm, Birgit Nilsson, Karin Branzell, Jussi Bjoerling, Birgitta Svenden, and of course, Flagstad, were singers who pursued these concepts. He was one of the drivingforcesbehind a majorshiftwithin the field of vocalpedagogyduring the middle of the 20th century.
He bridged the gap between voice professionals wherever he went. This shift in approach led to the rejection of many of the beliefs and practices held since the bel canto era, most particularly in the areas of vocalregistration and vocal resonation. Including learning extensively about the science of voice, and translating it to voice teachers around the world through his writing, and his research.
He wrote the book Singing – the Mechanism and the Technic, and did countless projects including collaborating with Janwillem van den Berg on the film Voice Production: The Vibrating Larynx, which is an absolute MUST see. He taught many successful students, including mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne.
Not only was Vennard a well-versed performer and teacher, he was also an advocate for other teachers.
This exercise is the basis of the blending of the registers and it is one on which I focus with great concentration in my teaching. Along with a few otherAmericansinging teachers, such as RalphAppelman at Indiana University, Vennardintroducedcontemporaryscientificresearch in the areas of humananatomy and physiology into the study of singing.
He taught many successfulsingersincludingacclaimed mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, who studiedunder him at the University of Southern California.
Vennard studiedEnglish at TaylorUniversity in Upland, Indianagraduating with a bachelorsdegree in 1930. He wore many hats working with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, from writing articles in the NATS bulletin, to Chairman of the Research Committee, to President.
Alan Lindquest made it his life work to instruct singers and teachers in this Old World technique, which really goes back to the Garcia training. Vennard was renowned as an excellentteacherwhosewrittenworks have influencedgenerations of singers, vocalpedagogues and voice scientists. It won best medical research film in Prague in 1960.
You can view the first part of “Voice Production: The Vibrating Larynx” on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=204cBDG4fhU
In 1970, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to singing and the science of singing, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University.