What people say about my teaching

Borja Gómez-Ferrer - Tenor

I´ve been learning singing with Cathy for the last two years and I´ve also been able to observe her teaching different voice fachs. Cathy´s knowledge and understanding of the old classic Italian school of singing is extremely complete and, most important, (she/Cathy) really knows how to discern the needs and problems of every voice type and apply her expertise with great effectiveness.

Cathy is also a magnificent pedagogue, being able to differentiate and interpret the psychology of each person according to their aims, age and personality. In this way Cathy knows how to adjust the right balance between the levels of enjoyment and demanding for every student in order to get the best outcome.

On top of the technical study of singing Cathy also adds a holistic approach through her familiarity with different techniques such as Feldenkreis or Carl Stough´s breathing coordination which I have found extremely useful.

Only after the last two years under Cathy´s tuition (after 10 years of singing studies and some performance experience), my voice and my understanding of singing have developed to the point in which I can think of following a career in singing either as a performer or as a teacher. Gracias Maestra!

William Kwiatkowski - Bass

I came to Cathy Pope having been trained as a baritone, suffering from severe vocal problems and on the point of giving up singing. Cathy immediately identified me as a bass, and in just over two years most of the knots I was entangled in have been untied and I have started to get work in Germany. Cathy's teaching combines her own experience as a world-class professional singer, her knowledge of singing, an almost uncanny gift for hearing and visualizing each singer's different physiological issues, and endless patience! Working with Cathy has not only transformed my singing but also, thanks to the supportive and completely professional atmosphere of her studio, helped me regain my confidence and joy in music-making.

Karlene Moreno-Hayworth - Soprano

Before working with Cathy I had sung my first major role as Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly. I found it very challenging to sing through the role each day during a demanding rehearsal schedule, and after each performance, I found myself extremely tired and drained.

Subsequently, I successfully auditioned for another production of Butterfly. This time, having worked with Cathy for several months before the performances, I felt very secure, and passages that I had previously found extremely difficult became easy! I am now able to play with my voice and am more resilient to cope with the demands of the role. It’s amazing how Cathy has helped me to become a better singer in such a short amount of time.

Colleagues, friends and members of the audience who have heard me in the past have consistently commented how much my voice has dramatically changed and improved. I no longer doubt my capabilities as a singer. I am extremely grateful to Cathy for helping me learn how to engage my body properly for singing and finding my true unique voice.

Adam Schilling - Countertenor

If I had to point out one defining characteristic of Cathy’s way of teaching it would have to be awareness and that most importantly on a very physical and physiological level. Never have I felt that my body as a whole is part of the production of sound with a teacher as I have with Cathy. Cathy successfully integrates her vast knowledge of the workings of the vocal tract and its connections to the body into her teaching. I used to have quite pronounced winged shoulder blades. Cathy at a very early point in my working with her discovered that this was creating negative tension in my body which was stopping my breath. As a result I consistently changed my posture according to her suggestions which benefits not only my singing but my over all well being immensely.

It is thanks to my lessons with Cathy that my singing performance became consistently professional which now enables me to maintain a successful professional singing career in Germany and Europe.

Her own unremitting research in the fine details and depths of the singing process and her uniquely creative approach to conveying her findings to her students make her a source of profound insights and a brilliant singing teacher. Thank you Cathy!

David L. Jones.

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Ms. Cathy Pope as a teacher of the Swedish-Italian School of singing. She has an exceptional diagnostic ear, which can detect vocal issues in detail, helping the singer to realize their entire instrument. I have personally seen Ms. Pope transform some of her students from mid-level to professional-level in vocal technique, musicianship, and presentation.

Cathy Pope brings her great knowledge of technique, repertoire, and her career-stage experience to the developing singer, having worked a large-scale operatic career. With a positive approach and encouragement, Ms. Pope teaches her students successfully in working efficiently with coaches, conductors, and other singing colleagues in the profession.

I take this opportunity to endorse Cathy Pope as an excellent teacher of singing.