I've been studying with Nadine for about 7 years and can truthfully say my time with her is the reason I decided to study voice performance in university. My mom knew Nadine through a family friend who had taken lessons with her; I had always loved to sing, but my mom thought I needed someone to help me develop my power. My parents sat in on my first lesson with her, and they watched with interest as she coaxed not just volume but confidence out of my 14-year-old vocal apparatus. The real kicker was when she demonstrated what she wanted from me: all three of us stood in awe when she opened her mouth and effortlessly let loose this enormous, ringing sound. After that, it was very easy to be inspired.

Over the years, Nadine has been the most attentive teacher I've ever had. When I was frighteningly inexperienced with my own apparatus, she knew from listening to the distinct tone quality and colors and from watching my efforts what parts of my voice needed strengthening, what my predetermined strengths were, and how to join the two to morph me (and my sister after a year or so) into a knowledgeable and confident singer. Because she helped us hone the hobby we'd enjoyed during our younger years, my sister and I were able to grow exponentially as singers, dabble in repertoire we'd never even considered, and ensure that everything from casual singing to recital and theatre performance incorporated every technical improvement until it became like breathing to us. Nadine knows the voice, and knows how to train individual voices to reach personal levels of excellence.

But Nadine is not just knowledge, talent, and vocal prowess. Her attentiveness translates into the relationship she has with each of her students. Nadine truly cares about every student she teaches, and she makes sure every lesson, rehearsal, and recital is a rewarding, safe, and challenging environment for them. Nadine wants to bring out the best singer in every student, no matter what style or genre they want to study, and she does that by pouring over repertoire and recordings and her own personal experiences to ensure the student has every resource they may need to find their voice and succeed in her studio.

But aside from the teaching aspect, Nadine cares deeply for the well-being of her students. As I was auditioning for college programs, I fell very ill with something viral that messed up my throat; I actually had to sing an audition through the illness, which did not help my recovery at all. Over the months that followed, Nadine not only coaxed my voice gently back to a healthy technique, but also comforted and cared for me as I navigated through the stress of auditions, a looming career (always scary for a high school student), and now a partially debilitating sickness. Nadine never let me feel completely hopeless, and in fact was a huge support for me all throughout college. She knows what it's like to be a university student studying voice and does not hold back her experience or her love from anyone, whether they choose that path or just sing for fun.

I would like to close with this: in September 2021, I flew to Glasgow, Scotland to begin a study abroad program at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, my dream school. I came a long way from the quiet 14-year-old I was when I started with Nadine, and I can say without reservation that I would not be here if not for her. Singing with Nadine is one of the best decisions a singer can make.

Virginia Lafean

Nadine Robinson

Nadine has been developing voices of all ages and for over twenty-five years. Her students have included opera singers, musical theater performers, choral singers, cantors, clergy, actors, singer-songwriters and more. She has a Masters Degree in Voice Performance from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College. As a performer she has been praised for the warmth and expressivity of her singing and has appeared in venues that include the Spoleto Festival dei due Mondi, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and (Le) Poisson Rouge. Her roles have included Micaela in Carmen, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Despina in Così fan tutte, Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Gertrud in Hansel and Gretel, and the narrator role of Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia. A frequent concert soloist, her notable performances have included Verdi's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Vivaldi's Gloria, Haydn's Missa Cellensis, Mahler's Symphony No.4, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore and Vesperae de Dominica, Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, numerous cantatas of J.S. Bach as well as the Magnificat in D. She has also appeared locally with the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra in several concerts and salons focusing on music of living composers.

Nadine loves to cook and is an avid baker. She enjoys hosting social gatherings, hiking, and gardening. She resides in central New Jersey with her husband pianist and conductor, Mark Hyczko, their daughter Anna, and parakeets Pickle and Ahab.