Artistic Mission

I am determined to tell stories that value collaboration, inclusivity, and empathy. I believe that the best stories foster growth, challenge our perspectives, and inspire connection between people. I seek to be part of a community that prioritizes bringing new and underrepresented voices to the forefront of our social consciousness.

Bio

Chris Citera is an NYC-based actor, singer, and voice teacher. As a performer, he has appeared in concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below, (le) poisson rouge, The Metropolitan Room, and The Astor Room. He graduated from Ithaca College, summa cum laude with a bachelors of music degree in voice and acting, a specialized degree requiring advanced coursework in acting technique, literature, and movement in addition to the complete curriculum required to receive a vocal performance degree. As an actor, he has trained extensively at the Michael Howard Studios and The Barrow Group. He received both of his graduate degrees (Ed.M, M.A) in vocal pedagogy and music education from Columbia University, Teachers College. Additionally, he holds a Distinguished Voice Professional Certificate through the New York Singing Teachers Association (NYSTA) for successful completion of their professional development coursework. He is currently pursuing his doctorate (Ed.DCT) from Teachers College in music and music education, using a critical inquiry approach to examine patriarchal ideology embedded in the landscape of voice pedagogy. 

In addition to maintaining a private studio of professional singers, Chris had taught on faculty in the BFA Musical Theater programs at Molloy College/CAP21 and the University of Texas Arlington, as well as the music program at Teachers College, Columbia University. From 2018-2021, Chris also served as the Assistant Director of the Singers’ Workshops @ Teachers College, a group designed to help young singers build confidence and vocal technique as they navigate their developing voices to prepare for a lifetime of singing. He is also part of the core faculty teaching private voice and vocal pedagogy at BroadwayEvolved, a training intensive for students and educators founded by Betsy Wolfe. He currently serves as the Head of Voice and Music in the BFA Theatre Arts program at Molloy University/CAP21 and is an Adjunct Instructor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy in at NYU Steinhardt. Previously, he was on faculty in the BFA Musical Theater programs at Pace University and the University of Texas, Arlington.

A lifelong learner and self-professed voice “nerd,” Chris has been mentored and supervised by voice specialists, Dr. Jeanne Goffi-Fynn and Richard Lissemore at Columbia University. He has also been an associate teacher for Mike Ruckles Voice Studio since 2016. He has also participated in the NATS NYC Mentor Teacher Program, where he had the opportunity to work with and learn from notable musical theater pedagogues, such as Mary Saunders-Barton. He has continued his education at the Singing Voice Science and Pedagogy Workshop, The Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop (Boston Conservatory), and The New CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute (Shenandoah University). His research interests include comparative vocal pedagogy, voice teacher preparation and mentorship, assessment in the applied voice studio, and perception of aesthetics and vocal quality. 

As an educator, Chris believes in a student-centered approach to teaching and strives to honor the diversity that each student brings into the voice studio by prioritizing critical thinking, student agency, and creativity and problem-solving in the voice studio. Above all, Chris strives to learn something new about the voice every day.