Désirée LaVertu

"I've been working with Désirée for around 7 years now and I say with certainty that she has taken my vocal technique to a new level. Not only did she help me grow in my musicianship, sight reading, vocal technique, and professionalism, but she taught me to believe in myself even when I didn’t. I am always shocked at how often I rely on what I learned from Désirée in my Broadway career. In fact, I use her techniques every single day! I've experienced more vocal teachers than I can count over the years, and I'm telling you, there is no one who has helped me grow as much as she has."

"Désirée built my voice from the ground up. We worked together directly after my voice changed in high school, and she prepared me vocally, musically, and psychologically for the entire college audition process. Her knowledge of the voice, the classical and theatrical repertoire, and performance practice makes her a practically inimitable triple threat. Quadruple, if you consider you’re getting a pretty killer pianist, too!"

"Our daughter, who is now seventeen, started working with Désirée at age twelve. What we have so appreciated is how from the very start, Désirée always treated our daughter as a serious musician and expected that level of commitment as a baseline, while also thoughtfully considering repertoire that is age-appropriate in content and character for our daughter’s physical instrument and musicianship.

Over the years, we have seen such growth in our daughter as an artist and as a person. It is evident that Désirée sees longevity as an imperative - not just in developing healthy technique but also in drawing out the joy of singing. She is very skilled in articulating the subtle adjustments that make a huge difference for a singer, in always engaging in interactive teaching with her students (asking "how does that feel?"), and above all else, creating a nurturing and productive dynamic with her mentoring."