Because it's a competitive world out there, and you deserve a prestigious vocal program that fits your needs. The Torggler Vocal Institute (TVI) is an immersive, two-week, residency program at Christopher Newport University for emerging, young vocal artists, aged 15-25.
If you wish to elevate your voice and unleash your talent by training with world-renowned vocal teachers, performers and industry professionals who will prepare you to take the stage, Torggler is the program for you.
- Charlie, Virginia
It’s already inside you — a voice that stuns the room and lifts everyone up, emotion so raw the audience can’t help but feel each note, and a passion that has the potential to transform your future.
At Torggler, you'll take your performance to the next level with:
Don’t hold back. It’s time to show the world you’re more than just another great singer. You have to know how to work in a team, how to rehearse, how to sing if you’re a dancer and how to dance if you’re a singer.
You’ll learn from masters and stars who know the struggle. They’ll help you build confidence so strong, nothing can stand in your way.
Get ready for the spotlight. You'll really shine once you conquer what’s beyond the bright lights: how to take a headshot and conduct yourself in rehearsal, who gets the part and why and what sets winners apart. At Torggler, you’ll learn the arts business from the people who know the secrets of success.
The stage is waiting. Make it yours.
Learn from the best of the best in our guest masterclasses where you will receive the individualized attention and detail of a private voice lesson all while being able to learn from your peers! During these sessions, our amazing guest artists will work with each student one at a time to provide the valuable tips, tricks, and secrets needed to elevate your voice and unleash your talent! Your group of peers will not only get to see you transform on your way to taking the stage, but will also be able to learn while watching our faculty at work!
Your private voice lessons are where you get into the nitty-gritty of your vocal production! You will work diligently with our Torggler voice faculty one-on-one to uncover your full potential as a singer and to take what you learn back home to your teachers, coaches and directors. This is your time to learn how to navigate the waters of vocal production and apply that knowledge to your performance!
Whether you're auditioning for college or auditioning professionally, this class will equip you with the tools needed to ensure confidence in the audition room. From building your BOOK, knowing your TYPE, and being open to adjustments, this class is essential for every successful performer. In this class you will learn how to build your BOOK, choose the right music and how to organize it, and why your accompanist wants it that way. We will discuss YOUR TYPE and you will learn how to choose and prepare the right audition material and how to make proper cuts in your music. Most importantly you will learn how to effectively communicate with your accompanist at an audition.
- Hannah, Virginia
Artistic Director
Tiffany Haas is an acclaimed Broadway performer and concert vocalist. During her 10-year career on Broadway, Tiffany starred as Glinda in the Broadway and National Tour production of "Wicked", and also toured with the Tony Award-winning musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone." Tiffany continues to perform regularly with orchestras and regional theaters, and also teaches masterclasses at colleges, conservatories, performing arts schools and summer intensives throughout the U.S., working with students at some of the most prestigious music programs.
Associate Artistic Director
Christopher Stephens, a voice teacher and music director, is a graduate of the University Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Credits include Wicked and Matilda (Broadway), Carnegie Hall with the Broadway Stars (starring Tony Award winner Jessie Meuller), and off-broadway shows, including Captain Louie, Shout! the Mod Musical, Bells Are Ringing, and Anything Goes. Alan Menken, Emily Skinner, and Adam Jacobs are several of the artists for whom he has served as pianist. Clients from ChristopherStephensVoice.com have appeared in Hamilton, Kinky Boots, School of Rock, Anastasia, Book of Mormon, and many other shows.
Director of Classical Voice
Dr. Holland is professor of voice at CNU, and her students have gone on to attend prestigious graduate programs and grace stages around the nation. Accomplished in both operatic and orchestral repertoire, she has taken on a wide range of genres and periods from Mozartean repertoire to 20th-century composers.
Director of Musical Theater
Colin is an Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at CNU specializing in musical theatre singing. Recently Colin has performed with the Virginia Symphony and appeared as Albert Lennox in the Virginia Stage Company’s concert production of The Secret Garden. Equally comfortable in Musical Theatre, Opera and concert work, Colin strongly believes in the importance of vocal cross-training. Colin is a proud graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music and Penn State University.
Guest Faculty
One of Christopher Newport’s very own, Johanson ('08) graduated with a BA in music theater and BM in vocal performance. She performed her first professional show, "Quilters," with Tidewater Regional Repertory Theatre alongside many TheaterCNU students and faculty. Following that she moved to New York and booked an Off-Broadway show one month later. Since then, Johanson has appeared in "Avenue Q," "Bruce Lee: Journey to the West," and "Three Sisters" (Classical Theatre of Harlem).
Guest Faculty
Director, advocate and entrepreneur, Perlow is the associate director of the Tony winning Broadway musical “Once on This Island.” As a director, Perlow has been on the teams of five Broadway productions. He’s also the founder of The Actor's Gym acting studio based in New York and the co-founding artistic director of ATTENTIONTheatre, which advocates for artists with disabilities so they can create art at the highest level.
Guest Faculty
Co-author of Cross Training in the Voice Studio: A Balancing Act and chair of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, Barton lives in New York, where she maintains a voice studio for Broadway performers. In addition to private teaching, she is frequently invited to present her workshop “Bel Canto/Can Belto” in the U.S. and abroad.
Guest Faculty
Howard is a Broadway actress, recording artist and concert performer who began her professional career at age 10, and has continued to perform on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. On Broadway, Siri has appeared in "Les Misérables" and "The Sound of Music." When she’s not on stage, Howard loves spending time with her husband, director Max Quinlan and their dog Manny.
Guest Faculty
Quinlan is a Broadway director, performer and Jeff Award-Winning actor. Max is the resident director for the North American U.S. National Tour of "The Phantom of the Opera." He delivers a wide array of classes focusing on audition coaching, song interpretation, vocal coaching and introduction to professional theater.
Guest Faculty
Charismatic, elegant, bold and bright are words that have been used to describe soprano Vanessa Becerra, recent graduate of LA Opera’s prestigious Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Becerra has played the roles of Maria in Francesca Zambello’s "West Side Story," Musetta in "La bohème" and Lise in Philip Glass’s "Les enfants terribles." She earned her master’s degree from the Boston Conservatory, which recently invited her as a featured alumna to perform at their 150th Anniversary Gala at Symphony Hall.
Vocal Instructor
Dr. McGuire is director of opera at CNU. He is an active teacher, director and performer who has directed and performed with several opera companies and orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has taught voice at the University of Texas and Northwestern University, and maintains a private voice studio.
Vocal Instructor
Zeb is an experienced teacher and vocal coach with BME and MM-voice degrees from Winthrop University. He taught for over 10 years with the award-winning Clover Choraliers and consistently had students represented in regional and national NATS finals. Since relocating to Virginia, he is a member of the musical theater voice faculty at CNU and maintains a private voice studio.
Acting Instructor
Jim Gandolfo is a veteran performer and director with over 300 titles to his credit and is currently an adjunct instructor in theatre at CNU. Jim trained with Groundling’s founder, Barbara Contardi at First Amendment Improv of NYC, New York’s first improv troupe. He founded the comedy troupe In All Seriousness, distinguishing their brand of performance improv while performing with Ellen DeGeneres, Lewis Black, Sinbad, Jeff Dunham and others. A winner of The Theatre Association of Pennsylvania, Eastern States Regional and Festival of American Community Theater’s Best Acting awards, he has brought his high energy seminars to corporations and educators throughout the U.S.
Accompanist
Dr. Corbin is currently director of keyboard studies at Christopher Newport. Ben earned the bachelor of music and master of music degrees in piano performance from the University of Oregon. He also earned a second master of music and the doctorate in musical arts in collaborative piano from the University of Texas, studying with Anne Epperson.
Accompanist
Dr. Kim teaches theory, composition and keyboard at Christopher Newport. She is a pianist and composer of both acoustic and electroacoustic music.
Program Manager
Steven Field is the Torggler Vocal Institute Coordinator and stands ready to help you feel prepared and excited for Torggler! He also serves as the CNU Music & Music Theater Recruitment Coordinator and continues to pursue his love of performing.
Constanza Cuccaro • Gary Kline • Twyla Robinson • Ryan Speedo Green • Patti Lupone • Nathan Gunn • Brian Stokes Mitchell • The Manhattan Transfer • Ben Heppner • Michael Rose • Erin Wilson • Lilli Cooper • Megan Hilty • Heather Parcells • Mandy Patinkin • Christine Brewer • Deke Sharon • Bobby McFerrin • Kelli O'Hara • Lawrence Browlee • Ray Fellman • Timothy Noble • Janis Seigel • Liz Caplan • Spider Saloff • Brent Wagner • Straight No Chaser • Kirsten Scott
- Casey, Alabama
| Application fee | Tuition, room and board |
|---|---|
| $30 | $2,450 |
Your investment includes two weeks in residence at Christopher Newport University, and:
Christopher Newport University Department of Music
1 Avenue of the Arts
Newport News, VA 23606-3072
Steven Field, Torggler Vocal Institute Coordinator
Phone: (757) 594-8196
Email: torggler@cnu.edu
TVI is made possible by a generous gift from George and Mary Torggler, retired entrepreneurs and longtime supporters of the arts and education.
*2019 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges
**2018 Princeton Review Best Colleges