I’m really passionate about helping people (you!) develop their own artistic voice while finding balance with sustainable practices and techniques.
I hold a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music with an emphasis in Songwriting and Vocal Performance. I’ve taught private voice, songwriting technique and coaching, and audition coaching in the New York City area for a decade, brought my audition masterclasses and vocal improvisation workshops (virtually and in-person) to schools and non-profits all around the United States. My students have appeared on Broadway, The Metropolitan Opera, National Tours, and regionally.
In addition to my private voice and songwriting studio, I’ve held residencies in NYC based teaching artist organizations such as: Waterwell, New York City Children’s Theatre, UrbanArts, Greenwich House, Manhattan Youth, Lux Performing Arts, and PS3 Til 6, to name a few.
Our VAPA performance classes participated in a workshop and Q&A with Lynda DeFuria, singer-songwriter, actress, and cast member of the touring company of “Kinky Boots”, which was playing at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood at the time. Lynda gave our students great insight into how to perform and prepare an audition, made us laugh and cry singing the exact same song in two different ways, and performed an original song that she wrote. We learned so much, and had a great time! Thank you, Lynda!
— Claire Hsu, Choral Director at Duarte High School in California
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
“Lynda has been working with our son for over 3 years and I cannot sing her praises enough. His vocal skills and confidence as a performer have grown so much while working with her. She has bent over backwards at times to get him ready for auditions and always makes time even though she is very busy a working actress herself! She is truly and amazing teacher and human and anyone would be lucky to work with her.”
— Emily
Mom to Austin (15 years old)
Lynda DeFuria was part of a mock audition panel for the Fox Riverside Theater Foundation… Lynda and three of her fellow cast members worked with several high school students on their audition numbers, in front of an audience of about 75 additional high school students. It was so much more than an audition workshop, though! Lynda was the first of the panel to jump out of her seat and enter the stage, so she could give what was, essentially, a private voice lesson to a young female singer. The student had a good voice, but when Lynda had finished graciously and gently coaching her, the reprise of the audition number was DAZZLING. I always judge these education events by how often tears come to my eyes and that was a five “tear-up” event.
— Cynthia Wright - Executive Director of Fox Riverside Theater Foundation
There just aren’t enough superlatives to describe Songwriting with Lynda. For my daughter, Vienne, it’s the place where magic happened — where everything started coming together. The class helped her to write for her own voice, to learn how to finish her songs and add more layers of depth. Performing her songs in class — and at the end of course concert all did wonders for her confidence as a performer. Lynda is a treasure. I’m so grateful that Vienne got to take class with her.
— Adam (Father to Vienne, 18 years old)
“Lynda was my singing coach before and during audition season. I'm a trained dancer but not trained at all in singing. Lynda was a great help with teaching me the basics. We always started with a warm up including breathing techniques which I have never used before. Lynda always made me feel comfortable with my voice knowing I did not feel confident at all. She helped me with audition call backs and choosing a few songs that I could have under my belt. Thank you Lynda!
— Hayley Amber Kirschenbaum (Dancer/Actor/Singer)
“My son was having trouble getting cast as a singer, despite his desire and talent. Lynda immediately understood what was holding him back and designed a program just for him. He has been cast in desirable roles since then and loves music more than ever, thanks to Lynda!
— Nancy (Mom to Julian, 14 years old, Met Opera performer)
Lynda's personality, knowledge, and joy for music make her lessons so advantageous. Beginning music much later than most, created a disconnect with most of my previous teachers; where I found Lynda to be very relatable and open. I never quite found a teacher as dedicated to making me into a great musician or even learning about what music interests me. As well, every lesson is structured perfectly so there's the right amount of review from previous lessons and then tons of new information. I fully believe that next lesson Lynda will have a custom set of exercises and techniques to help improve whatever weaknesses we discovered in the previous lesson.
— Trey Hoffmann (Voice/Piano)
Want to work with Lynda?
Get in touch with Lynda to inquire about rates and schedule your next lesson, coaching, workshop, or masterclass!