Betsey M. DeGroff

Style: Opera; Jazz; Folk; Gospel; Rock; Classical; World; Pop; Musical Theatre

Snapshot_2017-08-29_08_28_29.jpeg

Title: Private studio

Bio:

Ms. deGroff holds a BS in Music Education from the University of Maine and an MA in music history and vocal pedagogy from the University of New Hampshire. She has taught applied voice, voice classes, and choral conducting techniques at UNH, USM, and Bowdoin College.

Her career spans from Maine to California as well Canada and overseas. She has been a guest conductor in several states across the country as well as assistant to the conductor of ChoralART, Maine’s elite adult choir while the choir was on tour throughout Europe. Other service includes holding posts such as State President for the National Association of Teachers of Singing and The American Choral Directors’ Association for which she also served as the repertoire and standards chairperson for Women’s choirs. She also has served as a district chairperson for the Maine Music Educators’ Association. In 1998 she received the honor of being named the “Outstanding Choral Director” for the State of Maine. Ms. deGroff has been in demand as a clinician and adjudicator for All State and regional choirs, regional NATS solo voice competitions, and has been a national festival adjudicator for Music Maestro Please Inc. In the field of applied voice she has trained singers who now have growing global careers, singing lead roles at such opera houses as the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, LA Opera, and throughout the world. ​ Though the bulk of her career she has concentrated in vocal education, she has sung professionally in opera and musical theatre, where her favorite roles were “Susanna” in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and the “beggar woman” in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. She has performed recitals in English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, and her favorite, Czech. Her graduate thesis is a study guide giving solo singers and voice teachers the ability to learn Dvorak’s solo song cycles in their native Czech language rather than the published German available in the United States. In her soon to be published book, singers are given history, word for word translations, and IPA pronunciations. In addition, she has been quoted throughout the book “Making Money in the Private Studio” by Mimi Butler, with her innovative ideas on private study and the management of private studios.`

Voice Type: Soprano

Music Styles Taught: Opera; Jazz; Folk; Gospel; Rock; Classical; World; Pop; Musical Theatre

Availability: I am available as a performer; I am currently accepting private students; I offer lessons in a group environment; I am available as a clinician or presenter

Contact Information