At age 9, Laura Stavinoha debuted as a piano talent at the renowned Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and started writing her first songs as a teenager. She entered the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) at 17, and then went on to earn her first degree at the University of Bristol (UK) and then her Master’s Degree, MA Musicology With the University of Amsterdam. Below is additional information you might find interesting regarding her Careers Coaching profession
With over 15 years of training as a (classical) vocalist, more than 10 years of working experience as a professional voice user and performer, I began practicing as a voice coach in 2012. I also have over 7 years’ experience as a booking manager at MultiVoice International Voice Agency.
I began my career with Dutch national Radio 4, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and developing performances incorporating classical music, like The Floating Diva and performed opera arias, performed in many festivals and events in including Gergiev Festival, Lowlands, Oerol, Festival of Flanders, Musikfestspiele Potsdam and Festival Périgord Noir: The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France.
I do not solely offer voice training techniques. Your voice reveals vast amounts of information about yourself, like physical condition and emotions. If necessary, I therefore also look at the causes of my client’s complaint. Is it just incorrect speech habits that we need to work on, or do environmental/psychological factors play a role as well?
My vocal coaching is all about the development of your authentic voice. I’m not using one specific method or technique, since every voice is unique and incomparable with any other. Also, I don’t make a tight distinction between popular and classical music, as I work in both fields and I believe that one need not necessarily rule out the other. By developing the right techniques you can sing whatever your want, in a way that suits you.
To me there’s no other art form, which can affect emotion and trigger memories straight away. Almost every one understands the universal language of music, and we’ve all experienced that sense of inter-connectedness during a shared, musical experience. That is why it is my mission to create connection through music and voice.
Since the voice is the mirror of the soul, just like the eyes, it tells a lot about who you are. And therefore I would like to express an opposing view against the idea that singing and music is mostly about excellence, competition and entertainment. Instead, it’s a way of making contact with yourself and others, and a means to explore and express your own creativity.
Use your voice, it’s one of the most direct ways to express yourself. No two human beings are the same, each voice is unique: timbre, tone colour, pitch, melody and pronunciation vary with each individual. This is exactly why your voice is not just a carrier for words, but also a powerful, personal and creative mean to connect and make music.
Do you have to speak in front of an audience and want to steady your nerves? Would you like to learn how to enunciate, or how to profile yourself vigorously through your voice? Are you speaking all day at work and is your voice tired out afterwards?
Most of my clients are professional voice users or employees who are often dealing with client contact or public speaking. They are consultants, teachers, trainers, executives, managers, actors, singers and people working at customer services or sales.
You don’t have to be a professional voice user to benefit from speech coaching, it can be just as useful to improve communication in your private life. Have you ever noticed that you automatically start to talk differently in a specific situation? Faster, higher, louder or even softer? I can help you become more aware of your breathing and the way you use your voice. But also how this is all connected to your posture, thoughts and emotions.