Each association will present a keynote, research presentation, workshop, and panel. Speakers representing each association are listed below.
From the Australian Voice Association
Keynote: Yarrabil Girrebah: Singing Indigenous Language Alive
Candace Krugar
Candace Kruger’s is an author, composer, educator, and mother. For over 25 years, she has taught music at the primary and secondary school level. In 2005, she co-authored ‘Yugambeh Talga: Music Traditions of the Yugambeh People’ as the product of many years spent researching and collecting the songs, language and stories of Yugambeh Elders. In 2014, Dr Kruger took on recruiting for the Yugambeh Youth Choir, and became choirmaster. This informed her 2017 Master’s Research Thesis, ‘In the Bora Ring: Yugambeh Language and Song Project’, exploring the effects of participation in the choir. Her Doctoral Study, ‘Yarrabil Girrebah Singing Indigenous Language Alive’, an exploration of the Songwoman’s journey, was published in 2022. She is currently working as a lecturer for Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies while volunteering across the community to teach language, culture, and music. Read more.
Workshop: Conversation Training Therapy
Jackie Gartner-Schmidt
Jackie Gartner-Schmidt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, is a clinician, clinical researcher, and educator specializing in voice and upper airway disorders. She is a Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gartner-Schmidt holds a PhD in Communication Science and Disorders. Before her position with Carlow University, she was the co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center and director of the Speech-Language Pathology-Voice Division at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for 20 years. Read more.
Research: Laryngeal Sensory Dysfunction and the Hypersensitive Larynx
Daniel Novakovic
Prof Daniel Novakovic, FRACS (OHNS), MBBS (USyd), MPH, BSc, is an Australian Otolaryngologist, Head and Neck Surgeon with international fellowship training in Laryngology/Neurolaryngology and Care of the Professional Voice (New York). He received his medical degree from University of Sydney and runs a specialised Laryngology Clinic in Sydney. Dr Novakovic is former President of the Laryngology Society of Australasia and former board member of the AVA. He is head of ENT department at Canterbury Hospital, and Associate Professor, as well as co-director of the University of Sydney Voice Lab in the Faculty of Medicine and Health. He is director of the Sydney International Laryngology Fellowship. He is also lead of the laryngology research stream at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. Read more.
Research: Reflux and that annoying irritation in my throat
Anne Vertigan
Prof Anne Vertigan is the manager of speech pathology for John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle Australia, and Conjoint Associate Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle Australia. Anne’s clinical and research interests include voice disorders, chronic cough/VCD, laryngectomy and dysphagia. She is a research in the Asthma and Breathing program through the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
Panel: Hear my voice: Living and working with historically marginalised voices
Lou Bale, Sterling Quinn, Candace Kruger, Sarah Collyer, Facilitator: Christopher Payten
Louise Bale has worked in the NSW Health system for the past 50 years. After commencing her career as a Nurse and then Midwife, she moved out of hospitals to work as a Community Nurse, supporting people to be at their best in their own environment, so it was a natural fit for Louise to move away from clinical nursing and into Health Promotion and Prevention. After working many years in Health Promotion, she went on to complete postgraduate studies in Social Work and embrace the advocacy and human rights aspects of her work. Little did she know how useful this would become in her personal life. 21 years ago, at age 46, Louise was diagnosed with Spasmodic Dysphonia – a rare & chronic neurological voice disorder. Read more.
Dr Sterling Quinn (he/they) is a non-binary lecturer, researcher, and speech pathologist at La Trobe University in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. Their work focuses on voice therapy and laryngology, with particular emphasis on gender-affirming voice training for trans people and on advancing intersectional, affirming, and minority-stress-informed approaches to teaching, research, and clinical practice for LGBTQIA+ communities and others facing systematic inequality and marginalisation.
Dr Sarah Collyer is a psychologist, performer, yogi, and singing teacher with over 25 years’ experience in the performing arts. Her early career in music culminated in a PhD that used action research to develop and refine a yoga-based class for singers. Working collaboratively with participants, the program was co-designed to meet singers’ unique needs and supported them to experience their voices beyond the confines of traditional pedagogy through a body-based, experiential approach. Read more.
Candace Kruger’s is an author, composer, educator, and mother. For over 25 years, she has taught music at the primary and secondary school level. In 2005, she co-authored ‘Yugambeh Talga: Music Traditions of the Yugambeh People’ as the product of many years spent researching and collecting the songs, language and stories of Yugambeh Elders. In 2014, Dr Kruger took on recruiting for the Yugambeh Youth Choir, and became choirmaster. This informed her 2017 Master’s Research Thesis, ‘In the Bora Ring: Yugambeh Language and Song Project’, exploring the effects of participation in the choir. Her Doctoral Study, ‘Yarrabil Girrebah Singing Indigenous Language Alive’, an exploration of the Songwoman’s journey, was published in 2022. She is currently working as a lecturer for Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies while volunteering across the community to teach language, culture, and music. Read more.
Chris Payten is an Advanced Speech Pathologist and clinician-researcher at Gold Coast Health, an honorary lecturer at Griffith University, and a PhD student at the University of Sydney. He has over twenty years of clinical and leadership experience within public health services in the UK and Australia, specialising primarily in voice disorders, dysphagia, and head and neck cancer. In his current clinical role, Chris leads the Speech Pathology Primary Contact ENT service and co-leads the interdisciplinary ENT/SP voice disorders assessment service. He is also an active member of the Queensland Health Endoscopic Evaluation of Voice (EEV) and FEES clinical collaboratives. Read more.
From the British Voice Association
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Junior Giscombe
Key Note: Accent Method from the Therapy Room to the Singing Studio – a short but important journey
Ron Morris
Dr Ron Morris, Speech Therapist, Audiologist and Counter-Tenor, initially graduated from the University of Queensland in 1985 with an Honours degree in Speech Therapy. Ron also holds a Performer’s Certificate from Trinity College London and in 2001 he completed a Masters of Music Studies (Vocal Performance) at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University where he studied with Ms Margaret Schindler. As part of that degree Ron undertook additional vocal studies in London with Mrs Janice Chapman OAM as well as studying Accent Method Breathing with Ms Dinah Harris and Mrs Ingrid Rugheimer. Ron was awarded a PhD for a study examining the use of Accent Method Breathing with singers. Read more.
Research: Featuring two research presentations on inclusive pedagogy
Female Voices After Laryngectomy: Vulnerability, Stigma and Psychosocial Impact
Jenna Brown
Jenna Brown is a UKRI-ESRC funded doctoral researcher at the UCL Institute of Education. Her research unites rigorous qualitative and mixed-methods inquiry with innovative pedagogy and practice. As a voice rehabilitation specialist, she directs Bristol Voice Care and leads the world’s first accredited course in inclusive vocal teaching for Vocal Health Education. Jenna has authored over a dozen peer-reviewed papers and regularly contributes to Music Teacher Magazine. Read more.
Neuroinclusivity in the Classroom
Katie Heath and Ellen Hartley
Katie Heath is a Voice and Dialect coach, currently Lecturer in Voice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD)on both the BA Acting: Collaborative and Devised Performance and the MA/ MFA Voice Studies: Teaching and Pedagogy Courses, and part of the Higher Educational Faculty at Shakespeare’s Globe. Katie trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and then at RCSSD on the MFA in Voice Studies course. She was recently certified as a Knight Thompson Speechwork Teacher. Recent Credits (voice and dialect coach): Seasonal Voice Coach at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (Season 2023/2024), Alex Rider (Sony/Amazon), The Gates (Feature film – Studio Atlantic).
Ellen is a freelance voice coach specialising in classical and complex text work. Projects include; eight years with the RSC: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry IV – Rebellion, Hamnet, and Julius Caesar. Shakespeare’s Globe: Princess Essex and The Taming of the Shrew. Crongton Knights (Coventry Belgrade), Becoming Nancy (Birmingham Rep), Of Mice and Men (Birmingham Rep/Leeds Playhouse) and Freeman (Birmingham Rep). Ellen teaches actors and voice coaches up to MFA level at Bristol Old Vic, Birmingham Conservatoire, Mountview, and Fontainebleau School of Acting. Ellen is interested in developing and promoting inclusive practice, and supporting a neurodivergent actor’s access to effective text exploration.
Workshops: Featuring two workshops on age and voice
Working with the Ageing Singing Voice
Rebecca Moseley-Morgan
Rebecca Moseley-Morgan, an award-winning alumna of the Royal College of Music (RCM), and has enjoyed an extensive professional singing career. She has performed with renowned companies such as Glyndebourne, Welsh National Opera (WNO), and Opera 80, among others. As a soloist, Rebecca has graced stages across the United Kingdom and Europe, earning recognition for her artistry and versatility. Read more.
Coaching Young Voices: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Practitioners Laura Neel, Penny Anne O’Donnell, and David Keefe
Laura Neel is a voice coach and Head of Voice on Matilda the Musical, known for her clear, supportive, and technique-focused approach. She helps performers build strong, sustainable voices while deepening their connection to text and vocal artistry.
David Keefe is currently Children’s Musical Director on Matilda the Musical. He has previously worked extensively with children and amateur singers on many collaborative community projects for English Touring Opera, The Royal Opera House and Hackney Music Development Trust. Credits as MD include The Magic Flute at Soho Theatre, Tin for Miracle Theatre and as assistant MD for Street Scene at the Young Vic.
Penny-Anne O’Donnell is a specialist speech and language therapist who runs an independent practice based in Warwickshire. She supports the RSC artists and is thrilled to have worked with Matilda since its inception in Stratford 15 years ago. She works with artists across all musical genres from choristers to rock pop and opera. Penny-Anne is the co-founder of Voice Camp Warwickshire which works with 7-18 year olds on all aspects of performance confidence and relaxation.
Panel: Voice injury as a performer – Junior Giscombe and his recovery team.
Junior Giscombe, Winnie Yeung, Elissa Finn, Facilitator: Jenevora Williams
Junior Giscombe first began singing in a local band at the age of 14, encouraged by the sounds of doo-wop, early Motown, soul and reggae. As the years passed however, the hobby became a full time musical career and Junior realised that his talents lay in writing and performing his own music. His first recordings date back to a cover of the ever green song “Nice and Slow“ by Jessie Green, then the song which got him noticed “Hot up and Heated”. Read more.
Winnie Yeung is a Consultant ENT Surgeon and Laryngologist at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Trust, with specialist expertise in professional voice care. She leads the multidisciplinary Voice Clinic and Neurolaryngology Clinic, treating a wide range of voice disorders, including laryngeal dystonia using botulinum toxin. She earned her medical degree with Distinction from King’s College London and holds a BSc from Imperial College London. During ENT training in the East Midlands, she contributed to national research and peer-reviewed publications as Regional Trainee Lead for the NIHR Clinical Research Network. Read more.
Jenevora Williams is an expert in the fields of vocal health and singing teaching. After a successful career in opera, Jenevora turned her attention to investigating healthy and efficient vocal function, combining academic study and practical experience to understand the human voice. She was the first singing teacher in the UK to be awarded a PhD in voice science, won the BVA Van Lawrence Prize in 2010 for her outstanding contribution to voice research. Her book Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults has been enormously popular with singing teachers throughout the world. Read more.
Elissa Finn is a Speech and Language Therapist working in the NHS and in private practice. Elissa sees pediatric and adult clients with a range of functional and organic voice and upper airway disorders both independently and alongside ENT colleagues in voice assessment clinics. Elissa’s passion for voice originates from her background as a singer and singing teacher and she holds a BMus and MMus (vocal pedagogy) in addition to her speech therapy qualification. Read more.
From the Voice and Speech Trainers Association
Keynote: Whose Voice Counts?
Michael Morgan
Michael’s teaching credentials include UC Santa Barbara, the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and the Theatre Conservatorium in Brussels. He has also taught at the Royal Conservatoire in Liege, the Theatre of Changes in Athens, CalArts, Arena Stage in D.C., and Temple University. He has performed at the Mark Taper Forum, Yale Rep, and California Shakespeare Festival. Other venues include Ensemble Theatre New York, Independent Shakespeare Company L.A., La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare and Company, Red Pear Theatre in the South of France, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Classical Theater Lab L.A., Sierra Repertory, People’s Light and Theatre Company, La Mama, City Street Theater NYC, and the Black Entertainment Network. Read more.
Research: Cross-Disciplinary Challenges and the Unitary Voice
Joanna Cazden
Joanna Cazden, MFA, MS-CCC is a speech pathologist, musician, voice coach, and educator in California, USA, and a longtime ambassador among the voice professions. As a senior voice therapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles 2001-2020, she treated working performers in every vocal genre as well as non-artists with severe throat problems. Her preventive health handbook Everyday Voice Care: The Wellness Guide for Singers, Actors and Talkers (2nd edition, Bloomsbury, 2025) serves students and teachers worldwide; she has also published in Journal of Voice, Voice and Speech Review, American Theater, andOnstage, and has presented at major voice symposia in the USA, UK, Mexico, and Canada. Read more.
Workshop: Robyn Hunt
Robyn Hunt is a spoken voice and dialect coach and a Speech and Language therapist. She has specialised in working with children for over 10 years. Having trained at both University College London and Bristol Old Vic Theatre school she enjoys combining the art and science of voice and communication. She currently works as a freelance voice and dialect coach teaching in drama schools across the UK (including Artsed, Mountview, and Chichester conservatoire), working on fringe theatre productions and supporting children within the film industry. She is a leading professional within the world’s largest Gender Identity clinic, and a member of the Junior Board for VASTA. Robyn has a keen interest in supporting young performers, and marginalised populations. She is delighted to be joining the speakers at the Voice Connection conference.
Panel: Tanera Marshall, Jason Martin, Eric Armstrong, Ron Carlos, facilitated by Josh Feliciano-Sanchez Moser
Eric Armstrong (York University, Toronto; VASTA and Canada’s National Voice Association): Eric’s accent coach/design for theatre includes work for Project Humanity, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Volcano Theatre, Canadian Stage, Crow’s Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Soulpepper, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre and several projects for Mirvish Productions. Armstrong’s coaching for film and television highlights includes designing and coaching the Belter accents for Prime Video’s The Expanse, as well as coaching many well-known actors for TV and film productions based in Toronto. Eric’s research interests include creating accent resources for marginalized groups. His article for the Voice and Speech Review, “Accent and Language Training for the Indigenous Performer,” won the 2020 Dudley Knight Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship.
Ron Carlos is a freelance voice, speech, and dialect coach and the Founding Coach of BoldVoice, an AI-powered app to help non-native speakers of English improve their American English pronunciation and fluency. A graduate of the American Repertory Theater Institute at Harvard, he has held faculty positions at the Yale School of Drama, Marymount Manhattan College, and City College of New York. Ron’s coaching has been heard on screen (Netflix, HBO/Max, Apple TV+, Amazon, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, Starz) and on stage (The Public Theater, Yale Rep, Geffen Playhouse, ART, and the Alley Theater among others). He is the author of Introduction to Speechwork for Actors: An Inclusive Approach (Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury), a Lead Trainer of Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork®.
Tanera Marshall is a voice and accent specialist in theatre, TV, and film and is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Theatre and Music. Recent projects includeThe Testament of Ann Lee, The Brutalist, Train Dreams, Asteroid City, “The Morning Show”(S. 4), “The Bear,” and 12 seasons of “Chicago Fire.” Upcoming: Hunger Games (2027). Stage credits include Broadway tours of Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, and Hamilton, as well asproductions at Steppenwolf, Court, and Timeline theatres in Chicago.Tanera has collected and archived accents from the Caribbean, the Midwest, Virginia, Alaska, and First Nations/Native American/Alaska Native tribes and communities for The International Dialects of English Archive where she is a Senior Editor-at-Large. Read more.
Jason K. Martin teaches Acting, Voice, and Speech at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework® and is deeply indebted to Knight-Thompson Speechwork. He received his MFA in Acting from CSU, Long Beach and his BA from Duke. Jason has coached dialect, voice, and text for over 30 shows in Chicago at A Red Orchid, Raven, First Folio, Oak Park Festival, Lifeline, Lookingglass, and most recently Steppenwolf. At UIC, he has worked on over 20 shows with directors such as Marti Lyons, Derrick Sanders, Tasia Jones, and Yasen Peyankov. He maintains a small clientele of actors and professionals. He has written a book review for the Voice and Speech Review, has a research article currently under review, is currently conducting an IRB-approved study on AI and prosody, and presented two papers on AI and voice work at the 2025 VASTA conference.