Sabella Voice Studio
David Sabella
Master Teacher
“David changed my life. I thought I couldn’t ever be a “singer” and now I know I can. It’ll be a year in November that I’ve been studying with David, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.” – Jennifer Biederman
In addition to his extensive and diverse performance career, David Sabella is internationally recognized as a master teacher in music theater and contemporary commercial music voice techniques.
He served as a two-term president of the New York Singing Teachers’ Association (NYSTA) and as both Music Director and an Executive Director of Ann Reinking’s Broadway Theatre Project (Artistic Director, Deb McWater’s).
Since 2012 he has served on the faculty at Fordham University (Lincoln Center campus) as the Technical Voice and Performance Coach for the Music Theater Summer Intensive, and more recently for the Solo Vocal Performance (Cabaret) Workshop.
He has also taught at Montclair State University, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, CAP21 Studio, the New School-Mannes Precollege program, and SUNY at Purchase College, and New Paltz. Additionally, Sabella has been a faculty member / workshop presenter at the Voice Foundation annual symposium, and has conducted masterclasses, faculty training workshops, and music theater pedagogy seminars throughout the contiguous United States, Alaska, and South America. Sabella is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and serves on the Board of Directors for the NYC chapter of NATS.
In 2012 he presented a groundbreaking research study “Beyond Belt: Acoustics and Mechanics of the Contemporary Commercial Belt” at the NATS National Conference, which has since been widely cited in other research studies and doctoral theses. He holds certification in NYSTA’s Professional Development Program, as a Distinguished Voice Professional, and is regarded as a Singing Voice Specialist, working in tandem with several New York otolaryngologists and speech-language pathologists who specialize in care of the professional voice.
Sabella is the co-author (with Sue Matsuki) of “So You Want to Sing Cabaret,” (Rowman & Littlefield 2020) the first book of it’s kind, devoted to the art, craft and business of small venue vocal performance, a professional entry point for many young singers. He was also featured in “So You Want to Sing CCM,” (R&L 2018) as one of twelve international pedagogues to have put forth a modern vocal technique for teaching contemporary commercial music.
Sabella is the owner and editor in chief of CabaretHotspot.com, an online magazine with it’s own educational resource (Cabaret University), and marketplace (Cabaret HotTrax), dedicated to cabaret and small venue performance.
Testimonials from Happy Clients
He helped me get past years of poor technique. He made it possible for me to sing a high G well, and for as long as I wanted, 8 shows a week. He is a sensitive singing coach who finds the right vocabulary for each individual student.
Before David, I was a dancer who could hold a tune, now I am a singer, dancer, AND actor who has the desire and ability to go into any type of audition. I have gained my confidence not only as a vocal technician, but also as a performer. David also coached me through a vocal injury that brought me back to full vocal health and beyond. He’s a wizard!!!
Through my work with David I was able to land the big job and maintain my vocal health while out on the road. His knowledge of the voice and its physiology are far and above anyone I have ever worked with. Rather than giving you all sorts of imagery and “placement” jargon, he tells you exactly what is happening in your body, and what you can do to improve the range, quality, and ease of your singing. Now that I am back off of the road I have started taking with him again, and after one lesson I have already noticed an improvement. I highly recommend him to anyone who is serious about their vocal training.
I owe my professional career to David. I came to him raw. I didn’t quite know how to use my body. He taught me how to become. Real singer that can book jobs and work. But best of all he cares. When I got married I came back to him so I could work on music for my wedding. I owe him a great deal. But mostly he helped make me a professional so. Could do what I love. Sing.
I’ve been working in the musical theatre in New York (Broadway and off-Broadway), L.A., and the regions for 26 years…and I have RARELY found a vocal coach as talented, capable and committed as David Sabella. His knowledge of the voice and its workings is COMPLETE, and his desire to help each student separately (at ANY level) is a quality unique to truly great teachers. I couldn’t recommend ANYONE more highly!!!
On BROADWAY 4.0 Workshop
In this comprehensive course and presentation, and with an appealing personality, Mr. Sabella sensibly outlines the principles and practices of today’s Contemporary Musical Theater. He attentively outlines and illustrates contrasting sound spectrums, and analyzes the singer’s very important physical and vocal type; he explores selecting repertoire for developing voices and matches repertoire to technical tasks; he demonstrates how to invent vocalizes from repertoire, and how and when to increase the vocal demand; and he also indicates directions to find new repertoire. Mr. Sabella’ incomparable knowledge of Musical Theater, and his thorough organization assembles a memorable and informative body of valuable information advantageous to students and teachers alike.
The more I encounter other voice teachers, the more I realize what an exceptionally gifted instructor you are.
David is an extraordinary teacher with an expansive knowledge of vocal technique, musical styles and the entertainment business. Although he is an invaluable asset to any actor preparing for an audition or a full-fledged production, his greatest contribution is his ability to empower each student with a solid foundation based on proven techniques designed specifically for the individual instrument. For me, he developed a specific resonance strategy, reinforced with daily exercises and challenging musical selections, all of which can be incorporated into my audition repertoire, targeted directly to my unique vocal instrument. As a result, in less than seven months of study, I booked my first Equity lead role in a musical: Proteus in Two Gentlemen of Verona. When rehearsals began, I felt free and confident with my voice and was completely able to meet every single musical challenge that presented itself. In addition to his expertise, he is patient, kind and absolutely committed; all the makings of an exceptional teacher. I cannot recommend him more.
David Sabella, if this is possible, is over-qualified to teach singing. Opera and Broadway are his bread and butter, having performed extensively in both arenas. As a teacher, he knows how to accurately diagnose a problem and prescribe a technique to fix it. I have worked with him for over three years, and he has helped me grow into a professional, WORKING actor and singer. If you are considering switching to a new voice teacher, or new appraoch, David Sabella is your man.
While I love to sing, I first came to David for help with public speaking and TV work. David’s organic approach connects the body to the voice in the way that no one I have ever worked with previously has been able to do. David’s passion for the work, commitment and attention to detail are rare not just in vocal coaching but in today’s business environment. Each lesson has contained a moment of discovery, small or large, that makes this process not just practical and essential for my work but richly rewarding and personally exciting. Most importantly, I can now do a six-hour–or more–broadcast day, or consecutive full days of public speaking without needing to “recover.”
On SINGER’S DEVELOPMENTAL REPERTOIRE Masterclass
I have (finally!) had a chance to sit down and view my Singer’s Developmental Repertoire sessions [on the NYSTA website] and I have to THANK YOU! Words cannot express how amazed I was by your presentation. I have taught singing for over twenty years and felt like I’d been presented a whole new world of vocal pedagogy for music theater.Thank you also for the music you included! I, of course, knew of Kristen Chenoweth but had never heard Two Little Words from Steal Pier. What a tour de force for a coloratura soprano! Thank you for opening my mind and my teaching! Wow!