Faculty

 

Voice Staff

 

Please note that it is MTA policy for all staff to be currently working in the industry, therefore teachers are likely to change subject to professional commitments.

 

 

Nia Lynn - Head of Voice

 

Nia has a broad base of experience and works in a variety of situations. Her initial training was at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, specialising in Voice and Jazz Music. Her performance history is on a national and international scale, ranging from international music festivals, gigs at Ronnie Scots and the South Bank Centre to solo performances at the Albert Hall. She has also released two successful albums with 33Jazz Records and has a flourishing song-writing career, writing music for Children's books to iTunes download of the week.

 

She has facilitated numerous workshops, again both on a national and international basis. One of her recent projects saw her lead a choir of 80 adults as part of the London Jazz Festival programme at the South Bank Centre. To continue her studies and teaching practice Nia completed a two-year Masters programme at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, specialising in leadership skills, fully rounding herself as a portfolio musician and workshop leader.

Last year she joined the Jazz Faculty staff at The Trinity College of Music (Greenwich) where she took up the post of Principal Study Singing Teacher. This compliments her role as singing teacher and choir leader at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (Cardiff).

 

As well as working in music education and being a professional performer, Nia has always had great interest in the theatrical process and its connection with the voice. She has performed as an actor/musician for many companies including a singing role with The Royal Shakespeare Company.

 

Recently Nia has completed a second Masters course, specialising in Voice Studies at the Central School of Speech & Drama. Fellow alumni include Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenburg and Barbara Housman. She is a keen educationalist with a passion and drive to integrate the singing voice with the speaking voice and the whole voice into the theatrical process.

 

Nia is also an Astanga Yoga Practitioner and has a holistic approach to working with the voice through the body. She has travelled extensively and draws influences from many traditions as well as recognising the heritage of voice work in the U.K.  

 

 

Colin Farquharson

 

Colin Farquharson trained as an actor in South Africa. He appeared in various Shakespearean productions including, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander); Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick); and The Merchant Of Venice (Lorenzo) before making his musical theatre debut in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Simion)at the State Theatre in Pretoria. In the UK Colin has continued working on stage appearing as Murkor in Bink and the Riddle of the Sphinx (People’s Theatre Company) and Sobad in The Magic Toybox (Chaplin’s Theatre Company). Recently, Colin has focused more on film work and has appeared in several award winning short films including Tarrot (DEATH), Working Late (TIM) , Crass Transit (Businessman) and The Endless Game (Man in Black).

 

Colin worked in the theatre and film industry for 10 years before returning to study and completing his MA in Voice Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama. Colin now works as a freelance voice teacher focusing on the connection between the voice and body and has taught for many institutions including Central School of Speech and Drama, Guildford School of Acting, East 15, Gloucester University, HULT Business School, to name but a few. He has also run workshops internationally, in Austria, South Africa and Botswana.

 

 

Corin Mellinger

 

Corin has worked in theatre, TV/film, voiceover and numerous commercials for over twenty years. He trained as an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and subsequently on the MA Voice course at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

 

Theatre credits as an actor include Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Macduff in Macbeth for the English Shakespeare Company, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Salisbury Playhouse as well as TV/film appearances in Kavanagh QC, Hardmen and Poppy’s Present. Corin has also worked as a postproduction voice artist on numerous major film productions including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Corpse Bride and the Walt Disney production Valiant.

 

His work as a Voice, Dialect and Acting coach has included teaching drama students at The University of South Florida in the U.S.A, Rose Bruford College, A.C.T in Brighton and the Central School of Speech and Drama. Voice and Acting coaching for theatre companies includes work with the Southwark Playhouse, the Gothenburg English Speaking Theatre Company and Redcape Theatre.

 

Corin also coaches actors privately in accent/dialect, acting and text work.