Ethelyn Friend is a teaching member of the International Roy Hart Center

in France, and a founding faculty member of Naropa University’s groundbreaking MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Program, the first graduate training program to integrate contemporary physical theatre forms, Viewpoints theory and practice, extended range vocal work and traditional contemplative practices.

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She encountered the Roy Hart Theatre voice work in 1991, a classically trained soprano who had been warned "never to sing below middle C". The expansion of the literal and figurative range of the voice which followed profoundly revolutionized the course of her life and work. 

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Ethelyn has devoted twenty-five years to researching this way of being with the voice, which is rooted in the discoveries of Alfred Wolfsohn and the Roy Hart Theatre. Beyond, but not exclusive of, "technique", this approach offers a promise that all humans can gain access to an infinitely wide and deep range of vocal expression, which leads to breakthroughs in all areas of life. Movement and sound integrate and allow for a stronger bond of body to voice. Applied to both speaking and singing, the power of all manners of TRUTH-TELLING frees us to live the fullest possible version of ourselves. The results have been performers that are responsive to the needs of the moment, and resilient in their ability to move between a multitude of vocal/physical choices. For non-performers, the voice work can offer a way to learn about one’s blocks and strengths in a nurturing environment.