Life & Work with Laura Parker of Fairfax District

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Parker.

Hi Laura, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I trained as an opera singer and earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in vocal performance, living on both coasts while pursuing my dream of becoming a professional singer. I have had many wonderful experiences as a soloist, though I have always been drawn to collaborative and interdisciplinary projects.

While living in New York, I became very interested in the Alexander Technique, which helped me address performance anxiety and feel more at ease and embodied while performing. The Alexander Technique is a method often used by performers to learn how to change unhelpful habits that can cause excess tension, pain, and postural issues, but can help non-performers as well. The Alexander Technique not only freed up my singing for important auditions and recordings, but it literally saved my neck after I was struck by a car as a pedestrian in New York City. I became a certified teacher after 3 years of training and added that to my performing and voice teaching.

My lifelong love of singing, combined with the life-changing impact of the Alexander Technique, has led me to the work I do today. I teach voice and Alexander Technique with a holistic, creative, and playful approach. I teach in my private studio here in LA. I am also a member of the faculty at Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, a regular teacher at Mount Saint Mary’s University, a faculty member in the innovative training program OperaWorks, and I recently joined the team at RH Acting Studios, an exciting new acting studio in Hollywood. I stay very busy.

I love teaching, dark chocolate, my cat, Fig, and, in my spare time, tap dancing.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My life has taken many turns, and each new chapter brings its own challenges. However, I am grateful for where these obstacles have led me. Currently, my biggest challenge is managing a busy, Sudoku-style schedule that includes teaching private students, university classes, other teaching commitments, professional development, and time to practice and work on my own singing. I want to say yes to every teaching opportunity and every student, and it’s easy for me to overbook myself. It’s a wonderful problem to have, until it leads me to the brink of burnout. Therefore, I must make sure to carve out time for rest, quality time with my family, and, of course, my tap classes.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a singer, I was most comfortable in contemporary opera, where I could bring my personality and perspectives to new characters without being burdened by tradition or expectations. In 2004, I was in the OperaWorks training program, where I now teach, and a large part of the program involved taking risks and experimenting with musical improvisation. Improvising opera was an immediate fit for me. Over the years, the founder of OperaWorks, Ann Baltz, and I have improvised recitals, operas, and even a live promo for Tindr!

As a teacher, my experience with improvisation changed the way I work with classical musicians. I want them to hone and trust their own point of view, be willing to try new things, and dare to be wrong to let go of what is not serving them. Lessons with me are informative but also filled with play and, hopefully, the freedom to take risks. When I was a younger singer, I put a lot of shame and pressure on myself, and it never made my singing BETTER, so why bring that into the mix during lessons and coachings?

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was a quiet child, but I loved doing community theatre with my older brother. He is an artist and teacher as well, and is now a professor of Theatre at MSU Denver. If we weren’t in school, we were participating in theater programs, writing and performing silly sketches for each other, or singing around the piano.

As I entered my teenage years, my teachers began to point out that my voice might be well-suited for classical music and opera. I was hesitant at first—my only reference points were Bugs Bunny cartoons and the uncool stereotypes about opera. But one day, my voice teacher played a recording of Beverly Sills, and I was HOOKED.

By discovering my voice as a classical singer, I also began to trust my voice offstage. My voice lessons, drama classes, and choir helped me grow into a more expressive and outgoing person. Now it is an honor to support and encourage young artists who are on the same journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ATwithLaura.com

Image Credits
White shirt headshot is by Paul Smith, photographer. All other pictures, except the one with the skull, were taken by David Razowsky.