“David Ronis, an exceptionally versatile educator, director, and performer, tremendously respected by colleagues, conductors and directors, has been a sharing resource for all who know him. I would eagerly engage him to do master classes and workshops with young artists, who would benefit from his varied professional expertise as well as his exceptional communication and personal skills.” Deborah Sandler, General Director, Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Guest Artist Classes – Integration of Acting Techniques with Sung Material
A dual career path in music and theater has enabled David Ronis to be equally comfortable working in both fields. His master classes bring the perspectives of each discipline to bear on the other, successfully incorporating acting techniques into songs, arias and musical theater pieces. David’s approach to acting, building on methods developed by Uta Hagen and Sanford Meisner and utilizing a number of physical techniques, activates students’ organic, individual impulses and encourages personalization of material. Typically, he coaches repertoire and prepares audition material privately, in small groups, or in larger master classes. In addition, he is available to direct opera, musical and spoken theater, or work in a consulting capacity with ongoing projects and productions.
Master Classes and Workshops – Sample Outlines
Workshops – Practical Knowledge for Young Professionals Entering the Fields of Performance and Education
In his workshops, David focuses on a number of practical areas that are vital for the young artist entering the professional world, yet frequently not covered in university curricula. Some of these are:
- marketing for singers/actors
- for future educators: how to teach integrated singing/acting techniques
- audition techniques for different situations
- career development and options
These sessions can be given independently or in conjunction with master classes during a residency of one to five days, and can be designed to address individual and curricular needs. Integral, extensive question-and-answer sessions are also included.
Master Classes and Workshops – Sample Outlines
Broadening the Scope of Educational Offerings
David’s classes and workshops, intended to supplement and introduce variety into regular university singing and acting curricula, are suitable for undergraduate and graduate students alike. Without actually hiring additional faculty, college and university programs benefit from his contributions, which are those of a seasoned, full-time working professional who regularly auditions and “pounds the pavement”. Given the variety and breadth of his activities, his work is certain to complement and enhance instruction by the resident university faculty.
Diverse Professional Background
Based in New York City, David has maintained an active schedule in a multi-faceted performing, teaching and directing career for 25 years. First trained as a classical singer, he has sung over 50 operatic roles with more than 30 companies in Europe and Asia, and throughout the US. In concert, he has appeared as soloist at Carnegie, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls in New York as well as in other venues throughout the country. A member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild, he has performed in both musical and spoken theater in New York City, Los Angeles, and throughout the US. He toured the country performing the roles of Monsieur D’Arque and Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He has worked on-camera in independent and industrial films and been featured in nationally televised commercials and print advertisements.
David has directed opera and theater productions, coached acting for singers, taught private voice, and is a sought-after clinician, giving master classes and workshops across the United States. He is currently on the adjunct faculty of the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, City University of New York. He has also worked with American Voices, an organization devoted to promoting American music abroad through public concerts and artist-in-residence programs in schools. David is a graduate of Purchase College of the State University of New York, and also studied at the Conservatoire Américain in Fontainebleau, France and the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh, England, where he worked with the late Sir Peter Pears. He has studied acting technique in New York and Los Angeles, with nationally recognized master teachers Caymichael Patten and Deborah Hedwall and at the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium. He is a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique .
Contact David Ronis for more information.