Meet the Team

Julie Gossage

VB Master Teacher

Julie was born in Staffordshire in the UK and trained for six years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. On leaving she was invited to join the Welsh National Opera where she performed such roles as Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro), Flora (La Traviata), Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte) and Rosina (The Barber of Seville). Julie has also performed at The English National Opera as Hansel (Hansel and Gretel) and Pitti-Sing in the acclaimed Jonathan Miller production of The Mikado.

She has over 20 years of experience teaching both in the UK and internationally including 1 to 1 singing lessons, workshops, lectures, directing choirs and musicals.

Other work includes, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) for English Touring Opera, Aurelio (L’Assedio di Calais) for Wexford Festival Opera amongst many others. Recordings include Edith (The Pirates of Penzance) conducted by the late Sir Charles Mackerras for TER Records. She has also given numerous recitals and concerts to a wide range of audiences.

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Richard Halton

VB Master Teacher

Richard studied singing at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with Renato Cappecchi in the USA.

On leaving GSMD he enjoyed a 20-year career continuously in work performing over 40 principal roles with all the major British Opera companies, collaborating with many of the world’s finest conductors, directors and choreographers. He has also given recitals, concerts, oratorios at home and abroad, and taken part in many commercially released recordings. He was also versatile enough to take on, amongst others, the title role in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London and Ravenal in Showboat, which he performed for nearly two years on national tour and twice at The London Palladium.

He brings a wealth of experience as an educator, teaching a variety of singers including; young adults, undergraduates, post-graduates, industry professionals on a one-to-one basis as well as directing choirs and musicals, delivering workshops and summer schools.

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Amy Whittle

Senior Teaching Team

Amy received a 1st Class honours Degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Music Performance from The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama graduating in 2010. Since then, Amy has performed WORLDWIDE as a Singer, Dancer and Actress within many contexts, including… the role of The Gumbie Cat in 'Cats the Musical' China/Asia Tour and onboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, understudying and playing Grizabella and Jellylorum; as a Swing in 'Cats the Musical' International and European Tour; lead vocalist onboard a 6* Cruise Ship 'Seabourn' for Belinda King Productions; as a Singer/dancer in 5* Hotels in Tenerife and Egypt 'Sensatori'; as a lead vocalist in hit UK Tour 'Back to Broadway'; as a lead vocalist in 'The Rodgers and Hammerstein Songbook' UK Tour; as the 'opera singer' with Steve Grants (The Sweet) rockband 'Barockestra' at the Edinburgh Festival; numerous amounts of UK/European Concert Work; as part of the dance group Eclipse in Sky One's 'Got To Dance' Semi Finals; as the vocalist on Number 1 Drum and Bass Single 'Seven Notes in Black' (High Contrast); and as a Wedding Singer including the wedding ceremony of Emmerdales very own Viv Hope (Deena Payne).

Amy has been teaching Singing privately and in group settings for over ten years. She herself has studied singing with Julie Gossage at Vocal Balance for over 6 years and is now Level 1 trained with Vocal Balance on their teacher training course and is hugely passionate about their incredible philosophy and the toolbox they offer for great singing. Their way of working allows their students the freedom to open their mouth and tell their truth, by balancing their voice and bringing them back to their natural sound, having fun along the way.
Amy works within the Creative side of the industry also. Most recent shows including; 'FireDance Live' UK Tour with Strictly Come Dancing Stars Gorka Marquez and Karen Hauer (Creative Assistant), 'Get on The Floor' UK Tour with Strictly Star AJ Pritchard (Creative Assistant); 'Piano Legends' at The Barbican (Co-Choreographer); 'Sleeping Beauty' at New Theatre Royal, Lincoln (Choreographer); Brand new shows for Celebrity Cruise Line (Creative Assistant); many Production shows for Haven and ParkDean Resorts (Choreographer). Amy has also worked within the Community Arts setting for over 14 years, gaining endless amounts of experience in working with children and adults in varying sectors. She has worked for companies such as Bamboozle Theatre Company (Leicester) Community Music Wales (Cardiff) Hijinx (Cardiff) and Music in Prisons (London). Amy's joy is being a part of a creative process that offers the opportunity to interact meaningfully with the world through the powerful vehicle that is the Arts. As a fun-loving lady, Amy's classes offer a fear- free environment and a safe space, to allow the extraordinary to happen.

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Bethan FFlint

Senior Teaching Team

Bethan gained a BA in French and Italian from the University of Birmingham before going on to train at London School of Musical Theatre and pursuing her career as a performer. Since graduating in 2015, Bethan has performed all over the UK and Europe in a variety of productions. Her credits include roles in new musicals such as; Mari in 'My Land's Shore' Welsh premiere at Theatr Soar, Maggie in 'Happy Funeral' at Market Theatre, Phoebe in 'Mirror Never Lies' at RADA studios, Lady Richmond in 'Marriage à la Mode' at LSMT studios and Hannah in 'Gap Year: The Musical' Tour. She has also very much enjoyed taking lead roles in various pantomimes: Snow White in 'Snow White' with TipTop Theatre, Chester; Queen Rat in 'Dick Whittington' & Molevola in 'Sleeping Beauty' with Talegate Theatre's touring productions; Her roles in children's theatre include Prince Eric in 'Little Mermaid' & Glinda in 'The Wizard of Oz'.

Bethan was lead vocalist onboard P&O Pride of Rotterdam in their various shows as well as performing solo cabarets. She also produced, directed and performed in cabaret show 'Babe, You Got This' at Toulouse Lautrec, London. She now performs regularly with 1940s inspired vintage trio 'The Femmes' at private functions and public events.

Bethan has over ten years teaching experience and has taught singing privately and in larger groups to students ages 5 and upwards. After having worked with Julie Gossage of Vocal Balance on her own singing, she began the teacher training course with Vocal Balance and is now a Level 1 vocal coach. Vocal Balance is all about decluttering and making everything as clear as possible for the students and, for Bethan, the ability to enable her students to find their natural voices in such a straightforward way is so empowering.

With a lifelong passion for performance and the creative arts Bethan loves nothing more than seeing that same joy emulated in her students. She has a relaxed and fun approach to teaching, which allows her students to take the risks which enables them to realise their own potential and reap the rewards of hard work.

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Jo Sawyer

Senior Teaching Team

Jo trained in Musical Theatre at The Guildford School of Acting, winning the Graduate Musical Theatre Prize. Jo is currently 1st cover Glinda in the hit musical 'Wicked' in London's West End. Since graduating in 2012, Jo has been lucky enough to perform in many wonderful musicals and plays. Other credits include playing the role of Rusty in the recent UK Tour of 'Footloose', Cover Liesl in 'The Sound of Music', Hero in 'Much Ado About Nothing', originating the role of Veronica in new musical 'Love Birds' at the Edinburgh Fringe and Anita in 'West Side Story'. She has also thoroughly enjoyed performing in many Pantos over the years, playing Cinderella and Snow White twice each with company Evolution.  Jo has also played Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest in two different productions, one for Red Rose Chain and the other for The English Theatre of Hamburg.

Her TV credits include Our Girl for BBC One. Jo's other love is close harmony and jazz / swing music and she co-owns 1940s trio, The Femmes, performing all over the world.

Jo has been studying with Julie at Vocal Balance since leaving drama school and hasn't looked back. Vocal Balances' ethos of decluttering singing and making things as simple as possible for the student is something she is very passionate about. Jo has been running workshops and teaching since she was a teenager and always brings a fun, friendly and no fuss energy to her teaching.

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Leo Munby

Musical Director

Leo is a musical director and award-winning composer. Since making his West End debut working on Marianne Elliott’s acclaimed revival of Company (Gielgud Theatre), his MD credits include Gypsy (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), Guys and Dolls (Cameron Mackintosh Theatre, Mountview), Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse), Project Broadway (Symphony Space, New York), and the Music Theatre Group New Writing Programme (National Theatre Studio).

Leo trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, completing an MA in Musical Direction and Coaching, and was awarded a DipRAM. Before this, he gained a BA in Chinese from Wadham College, Oxford, where he was selected for the inaugural Cameron Mackintosh Professorship / Claude-Michel Schönberg Musical Theatre Writing Programme.

His first musical, STOP, co-written with his writing partner Annabel Mutale Reed, won the Musical Theatre Review award for 'Best Score' at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017.

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James Leeman

Executive Assistant

James is a northern born actor and voice over artist. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music graduating in 2016 with a Master of Arts in Musical theatre. He is also an alumnus of the National Youth Music Theatre and SLP College, Leeds where he gained a DipTCL and an Associate of the London College of Music. His credits include: Calendar Girls (UK and Ireland Tour), The End of Comedy (Film), Zorro (Cadogan Hall), Mack and Mabel (Hackney Empire), King and Country (Brighton Fringe) and The Hired Man (Hull Truck) for NYMT.

James has been a student of Julie’s since 2014 and holds a strong passion for Vocal Balance and it’s ethos. He has found that this clear and de-cluttered approach to singing has been highly effective in freeing his voice both physically and creatively.

As a lover of lists and organisation he assists with the general administration for the Vocal Balance team whilst helping to organise and develop our workshops. He is also founder and creative director of Christopher James Creative providing headshot and portrait photography to the creative industry. James is also a MHFA England accredited Mental Health First Aider for adults.

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Laura Feenan

Social Media Manager

Laura is a Manchester born actress and accredited Vocal Balance teacher. She trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in Musical Theatre, graduating in 2019. After graduating Laura was involved in the workshop of two new musicals, alongside co-producing a miscast cabaret series around London.

Laura started her Vocal Balance journey at the end of 2020 and loved it so much that she then went on to be a part of the first Vocal Balance Teacher Training cohort in 2021. She absolutely loves being able to spread the VB message to all her fabulous students!

Alongside performing & teaching, Laura is a self-confessed Instagram addict, which led her to becoming involved with Team VB as the Social Media Manager. She creates content and keeps in touch with all the lovely Vocal Balance followers online.

Laura is also a MHFA England accredited Mental Health First Aider for Adults and Children.

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Valentina Arena

Accredited Teachers Co-Ordinator

Valentina trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

She has a wide range of theatrical experiences both in New York and internationally including "Smile The Musical", "Henry V (Off-Broadway) and lead vocalist in "Enlightened Up!" She has toured Italy with "Gypsy" and "The Phantom of the Opera". She has also appeared as Lead Vocalist aboard Aida Aura.

Television and Film credits include "I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone" and a recurring feature in the HBO series "My Brilliant Friend" and well as "Devils", "His Dark Materials" and "Archie".

She made her London debut in the new musical "It Happened in Key West" at the Charing Cross Theatre.

Valentina is currently part of the faculty at Stage Stars Academy in Luton as well as Addict Dance Academy in Leicester. She also offers individual coaching at Blüthner Pianos Centre in central London.

Valentina is thrilled to be an accredited Vocal Balance teacher and part of the Vocal Balance team.

Matthew Jackson

Music Director

Matthew is a Music Director, Pianist and Orchestrator based in London. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music, where he obtained an MA in Music Direction and coaching and was subsequently awarded a DipRAM. Prior to this he attained a first-class BA in Music from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. He currently freelances as a cabaret pianist, accompanist and works part time at LAMDA, where he teaches and has provided music support for many of their productions.

Most recent credits include: King Charles III - LAMDA (Composer, MD), She Loves Me - Sheffield Crucible (Assistant MD), Bedknobs & Broomsticks - UK Tour (keyboard dep.), Mr Burns - LAMDA (MD), Spring Awakening - LAMDA (MD), Letters We Haven't Written - RAM (MD, orchestrator), Hal Prince: A Life in Theatre - RAM (AMD, orchestrator), Sunday In the Park With George - RAM (MD), The Threepenny Opera - Oxford Playhouse (MD).

He was also a winner of the BBC Inspire Young Composer's Competition in 2014, was shortlisted for the BBC R3 Carol Competition in 2018 and took part in the inaugural Cameron Mackintosh Professorship / Claude-Michel Schönberg Musical Theatre Writing Programme. He has long been an admirer of the work of Vocal Balance and is delighted to be working as an associated Music Director.

SOPHIE LINDER-LEE

Multi-Disciplinary Team: Mental Health and Well-being Coach

Sophie is a long standing Musical Theatre actor who originates from Nottingham. Sophie is passionate about supporting Performers both with their professional and personal development. As well as being on the Vocal Balance team as an Accredited Teacher she is also an Accredited Life Coach and is certified in Level 2 Counselling skills. She also has a Level 5 Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with West of Scotland University.

Sophie looks after Performers Minds in many Performing Arts colleges running mental health workshops as well as working with Performers and creatives 1:1. She is a Coach and Mentor with Prep Your Rep London and is also the Mental Health Ambassador and Partner with Vocal Balance.

Her most recent roles onstage saw her playing the MC in Channing Tatum's Magic Mike LIVE at the Hippodrome Theatre, West End. 'Glinda' in Wicked; 'Janet' Rocky Horror Show, 'Columbia' in Rocky Horror Live in cinemas Anniversary Gala, Mamma Mia!, ‘Mermaid’ in Big Fish, ’Mary Pickford’ in The Biograph Girl and Silence! The musical.

Visit www.sophielinderleecoaching.com.

Awards and Qualifications : DBS enhanced, Accredited Life Coach, Level 5 cognitive behavioural therapy certificate, level 2 counselling skills.

DAREL EVANS

Multi-Disciplinary Team - Performance & Vocal Physiotherapist

Darel earned a BSc in Physiotherapy from Bournemouth University in 2016. He went on to gain experience with the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in acute and long term medical care as a junior physio. Darel specialised in musculoskeletal outpatient care as soon as he qualified, by taking an evening role in a private practice alongside his full time NHS work. Darel managed the foot and ankle, spinal, advanced clinical exercise, orthopaedic and fracture clinic specialities as a senior physio before moving into private practice to focus on his chosen passion & speciality in the performing arts. Darel’s love for supporting the performing arts comes from his childhood in ballet and tap dancing and his love for movement and the voice. Darel is working with industry professionals and teachers in the UK and Europe, to drive up standards in vocal care, through the development of clinical and artistic knowledge pertaining to application of the voice. He and his team are setting new standards of care for vocal patients, with new assessment & treatment techniques due to a deeper understanding of vocal techniques and pedagogy.

Darel opened Prehab Performance Specialists in 2020 with the mission to drive up standards of care for the artistic community, improve artists education in the care of their voice and bodies, prolong and improve artistic careers and to support our vital creative industry. Darel has a passion for providing a caring and supportive space for his clients and he loves nothing more than empowering patients and seeing them shine through during their performance.

Awards & Qualifications : BSc (hons) Physiotherapy, Lvl 4 Strength & Conditioning Coach, AACP Acupuncture, Cupping therapy, HCPC certified, DBS

CHARLIE CLAY

Senior Teaching Team | TT Co-ordinator

Charlie trained at Performance Preparation Academy and Read College in Musical Theatre. Since graduating, Charlie made her professional debut in Pantomime in the Midlands, where she’s originally from.

She now lives in London and is loving working as an Accredited Vocal Balance teacher, offering 1-1 lessons at Blüthner Piano Centre. She also teaches technical singing, 1-1 singing, musicianship and acting through song at PPA in Guildford, as well teaching singing, music theory and piano at IAMT, Egham.

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