How are you going to celebrate World Voice Day?

World Voice Day 2016, the annual event that encourages people across the globe to celebrate the phenomenon of the voice and encourages people to assess their vocal health, takes place Saturday, April 16.

Begun in 1999 as a combined effort of American and European otolaryngologists and speech and language pathologists, World Voice Day is now observed worldwide. Celebration-related events include concerts, voice-clinic open houses, television shows, radio programs, workshops and more.

Here are just a few World Voice Day events that are taking place in the US:

USC Voice Center World Voice Day Karaoke Event (Los Angeles): Come join the USC Voice Center to celebrate World Voice Day with a fun evening of Karaoke! This year’s theme is Explore Your Voice: Imagine where it will take you. Physicians and Speech Pathologists from the USC Voice Center will be present with information about singing and speaking voice health to help you explore your voice on stage or from the seats. Admission is free. http://keckmedicine.org/uscvoicecenter

World Voice Day Celebration with ‘American Idol’ Winner Scotty McCreery (Cary, North Carolina): Scotty McCreery will receive the Patrick D Kenan Award for Vocal Health and Wellness. After the award, he will perform a short acoustic set with his guitar and answer questions from the panel and audience. www.dukemedicine.org/treatments/voice-disorders

Vocal Health and Wellness for Vocal Athletes Workshop (Cincinnati, Ohio): Cincinnati Landmark Productions will partner with The Professional Voice Center of Greater Cincinnati (ProVoice) to provide a free vocal health workshop for performers on World Voice Day at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater. This 2-hour event will provide informational tips and techniques to help all vocal athletes maintain a healthy voice, as well as offer hands-on exercises to maximize vocal efficiency while minimizing vocal injury. www.provoicecenter.com

World Voice Day Celebration at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami (Miami, Florida): Concert of classical, pop, musical theater and jazz singing, plus information lecture presentations on vocal health and longevity, with Dr. Esther Jane Hardenbergh, Dr. Maria Fenty Denison, Dr. David Rosow, Adam Lloyd, Dr. Ana Flavia Zuim, Dr. Kate Prather Reid. www.miami.edu/frost/index.php/frost/frost_profiles/vocal-0-hardenbergh_esther_jane_bio/

Keep on Singing! How the Voice Works and How to Keep it Healthy! (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): Dr. Clark Rosen and Dr. Kim Steinhauer will be presenting a Vocal Health Seminar to vocal performance students at Point Park University. The Vocal Health Seminar will focus on: Anatomy and physiology of voice production, common vocal pathologies, essential vocal wellness guidelines, healthy speaking and singing voice. hersrg@upmc.edu

Vocal Health Workshop (Littleton, Colorado): As a professional voice user, how well do you really know and understand your instrument? Has it ever been damaged? What is the best way to preserve and care for it? Our vocal health workshop will help address these questions and more. If you rely on your voice to be at its best, then attend this workshop to gain an appreciation for what it takes to raise your voice to the level to which you aspire. $25.00 fee. www.foothillsspeech.org

For more information on each event, as well as a comprehensive list of the World Voice Day events in the United States, click here: http://world-voice-day.org/category/wvd-events/USA/ (updated daily). Click here to see events taking place in other countries: http://world-voice-day.org/events-2016/.