Professor Stephen Robertson

Stephen was Head of Vocal Performance at RCS for eleven years, bringing to the post the multi-disciplinary skills of singer, teacher and voice researcher and a clear vision for the future training of young singers.

He has become an internationally recognised authority on resonance and registration in the male classical voice. His PhD  (from St Andrew’s University) brought together an analysis of resonance and registration using spectrography and photography of professional and student voices, with issues of voice Fach-types and artistry.  In the past decade Stephen has given masterclasses and presentations for the bi-annual Physiology and Acoustics of Singing Conference (Stockholm), The British Voice Association (London), The Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University), School of Music Ohio State University (Columbus), The National Centre for Speech and Voice Utah University, (Salt Lake City), The Voice Foundation (Philadelphia), Dunedin University Music Faculty, and the Singing Voice Science Conference and Workshops Montclair University. In addition, he was the guest speaker, and gave masterclasses, for the annual conference of the National Association of Singing Teachers of New Zealand. He has also given masterclasses in Iceland and Norway. 

Stephen’s research work on the male passaggio has been published in the highly respected Journal of Singing, in an article, “Using the Second Formant to Achieve Professional Classical Quality in the Male Singing Voice.” This reflects his firm belief that singing teaching should be well founded, encompassing a complete understanding of the instrument, as well as musical and vocal expertise and experience. He is now working on a book for publication which aims to bridge the gap between the complexity of voice science and the practical/useful application of that knowledge to achieve free, sophisticated singing.

Stephen studied Music at the University of Oxford and sang with Marjorie Thomas and David Johnston of the RAM. He sang at Bayreuth, Frankfurt, and the Salzburg Osterfestspiele where he was invited to join the music staff. He taught at the RNCM for six years and has been teaching at RCS for nineteen years. Stephen’s students have sung at many of the world’s leading opera houses, including Covent Garden, La Scala, Le Chatelet, Netherlands Opera, Vlaamse Opera, Canadian National Opera, Norwegian National Opera, Strasbourg, Wiesbaden, English National, Glyndebourne, Opera North, and others. 

In his spare time, Stephen is also an enthusiastic sportsman and an accomplished organist having been awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists.