EXPRESS Voice Studio is a music school in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver that matches students with Artists Who Teach: working singers who coach online and in person. Adults come to us for opera vocal coaching for all kinds of reasons, and few of them are chasing a career. They sing in a choir, they fell for an aria, or they want the breath and power that classical training builds. This guide is for them, and it draws on how our opera vocal coaches teach every week.

How This Article Was Written

This article was conceptualized with the help of AI alongside the coach pages on our website. It is written and reviewed by the EXPRESS team. Prices and coach details are taken from our coach pages as of November 2026. Coaches set their own rates, so check a coach’s page before you book.

Article Takeaways

What Is Opera Vocal Coaching?

Opera vocal coaching is one-on-one training in classical singing with a coach who performs opera. Lessons work on how you breathe, how your sound resonates, how you move through your range, and how you sing in Italian, French and German, and even English! For a hobbyist, the coach’s job is to build a free, healthy voice and choose music you’ll enjoy learning.

Our opera coaches are working singers in three cities. In Montreal, Mishael Eusebio is a tenor and a graduate of the Juilliard School, and Bridget Esler is a young artist at the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique. Countertenor Sean Haid performs with the Canadian Opera Company and the Dutch National Opera, mezzo-soprano Justine Ledoux has sung with the Opéra de Montréal and Calgary Opera, and soprano Claudia Neff holds a Master’s in voice and opera performance from McGill.

In Toronto, Kaden Forsberg and Robert Popoli coach opera alongside musical theatre and pop. In Vancouver, baritone Geoffrey Schellenberg has sung with Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria, and soprano Tamar Simon has been a soloist with Vancouver Opera. Each of them brings what they use on stage into a lesson built around you.

Voice Teacher vs Opera Vocal Coach

A voice teacher usually builds technique (breath, tone and range), while a vocal coach prepares repertoire (style, language and interpretation). In opera the two roles overlap, and for a hobbyist the difference hardly matters: a good opera vocal coach does both, starting with technique and adding songs and arias as your voice is ready. A good opera coach also knows the world of opera repertoire, so they can help you choose arias that suit your voice type. When you book with EXPRESS, one artist covers both.

Can You Learn Opera as a Hobby?

Yes, you can learn opera as a hobby, including as an adult with no singing experience. The breath, resonance and ringing sound of opera come from guided, repeated practice. What you really need is to feel comfortable singing with power, and to have accurate diction in many languages. Most of our students are adults, many start from zero, and plenty arrive nervous about singing in front of anyone.

What changes for a hobbyist is the goal. You don’t need to fill an opera house over a full orchestra. You need a voice that feels easy, sounds full in the music you love, and keeps improving. That might mean singing an Italian art song at one of our student concerts, holding your own in a choir, or singing Puccini at home without strain.

Opera coaching suits:

• Choir singers who want a stronger, steadier sound
• Adults who love classical music and want to sing it, not only listen to it
• Pop and musical theatre singers looking for more breath control and range
• Former music students coming back to singing after years away

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What You’ll Work On in Opera Vocal Coaching

Opera technique is a set of physical skills your coach builds in order. Most hobbyists spend their first months on breath and resonance, then add language and repertoire. Every teacher has their own approach to conquering these fundamentals, which is why it’s often worth trying a few teachers until one clicks for you. Here is what each part looks like in a lesson.

Breath and Support

Opera singers sing long phrases on a steady flow of air. Your coach will work on low, relaxed breathing and on appoggio, the Italian approach to balancing the breath so the sound stays even without pushing. Expect slow sustained phrases, hissing exercises and posture work. If you want a head start, our guide to breath control walks through the basics.

Resonance and Projection

Classical singers carry over an orchestra without a microphone because they shape the throat and mouth so the sound resonates, not because they sing louder. Your coach helps you find that ring while keeping the voice free. For a hobbyist, it usually shows up as a fuller, darker tone and less fatigue after singing.

Legato, Vowels and Diction

Legato means joining notes smoothly, one into the next. It depends on clean, open vowels, which is why most opera students start in Italian. Our opera coaches also offer diction coaching in English, French, German and Italian, so you know what you’re singing and how to say it.

Your First Opera Repertoire

Your first piece may not be your favourite aria, because that one might be too hard for now. But opera has so many great arias that there is sure to be a good starting place for your voice. To find simpler pieces to start with, we recommend checking out Schirmer’s 24 Italian Songs and Arias, a standard collection of short classical pieces, available for medium high voice and medium low voice. From there, your coach can help you move on to arias and art songs that suit your voice type, skill and interests. Your coach will also help you find your voice type, such as soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor or baritone, which decides the music that fits you best.

What an Opera Singing Lesson Looks Like

An opera singing lesson runs 30 to 60 minutes and follows a similar shape each week. Your first lesson is partly an assessment: your coach listens to you sing, asks what you want from singing, and finds where your voice sits comfortably. If you’re comparing options, our guide to singing lessons for adults covers what to look for in any teacher.

A typical lesson includes:

• A physical warm-up for posture, breath and releasing tension
• Vocal exercises on vowels and scales to build range and resonance
• Work on a song or aria, phrase by phrase
• A short practice plan to follow before your next lesson

How Much Does Opera Vocal Coaching Cost in Montreal?

Private opera vocal coaching at EXPRESS costs $70 to $100 CAD for a 60-minute lesson, and 30-minute lessons start at $45. Each coach sets their own rate and lists it on their page. There are no subscriptions and no required packages: you buy single lessons or a discounted package, whenever it suits you. Music lessons are also exempt from GST/HST in Canada, so no GST or HST is added to your lesson price.

For context, tutor listings put the average Montreal opera voice lesson at about $53 an hour, across a wide range of teachers who aren’t all opera specialists. We can’t vouch for the backgrounds or quality of teachers outside EXPRESS, but we hand-pick our artists using criteria set by other professional singers.

Every EXPRESS coach is an active performing artist and an inspiring teacher. Shorter lessons are a good place for hobbyists to start, since the voice tires quickly while you build stamina.

Opera coaching prices at EXPRESS:

• 30 minutes: $45 to $65 CAD
• 45 minutes: $65 to $85 CAD
• 60 minutes: $70 to $100 CAD
• In-home lessons in Toronto with Robert Popoli: $115 CAD an hour

Online vs In-Person Opera Lessons

In-person lessons are the better start for most beginners, because your coach can see and hear your breathing and posture in the room. Online lessons work well once you have the basics, and they open opera coaching to anyone in Canada. Every EXPRESS singing teacher also teaches online singing lessons, so you can work with our opera coaches in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver from anywhere in Canada. If you’d rather be in the room, our opera coaches also teach in person: see our pages for singing lessons in Montreal, singing lessons in Toronto and singing lessons in Vancouver.

How to choose:

• In person: you’re brand new, want hands-on posture work, or live near one of our coaches in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver
• Online: you live outside our cities, travel often, or want a lesson that fits a lunch break
• Either way: a quiet room and a stable internet connection make online lessons work

Opera Vocal Coaches at EXPRESS

Our opera and classical coaches are working singers who teach in person in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, and online. You’ll find them on our pages for the Plateau, Downtown Montreal, NDG, the West Island, the Junction in Toronto and singing lessons in Vancouver. Each sets their own rate and focus, so compare them below, then book a lesson or ask our team to help you choose. Many students work with more than one coach as their goals change.

Coach	Voice type	Teaches	Where	Teaches in (language)	60 min	45 / 30 min	Ages
Lauren Margison	Soprano	Opera and vocal technique	Online only (for now)	English, French	$100 CAD	$80 / $60	16+
Stephanie Sedlbauer	Soprano	Opera, classical, rock, musical theatre, audition prep	Plateau, Montreal and online	English	$90 CAD	$82 / $64	Adults
Claudia Neff	Soprano	Classical voice and opera	Plateau, Montreal and online	English	$70 CAD	$65 / $50	12+
Sean Haid	Countertenor	Voice, audition prep, acting for singers	Downtown Montreal and online	English, French	$85 CAD	$65 / $55	8+
Bridget Esler	Soprano	Classical, musical theatre, jazz, pop	Downtown Montreal and online	English	$85 CAD	$65 / $52	12+
Mishael Eusebio	Tenor	Opera, classical, musical theatre	Downtown Montreal and online	English	$85 CAD	$65 / $45	16+
Justine Ledoux	Mezzo-soprano	Opera, classical, musical theatre, pop	West Island (Montreal) and online	English, French	$90 CAD	$70 / $50	8+
Kaden Forsberg	Tenor	Opera, musical theatre, pop, vocal technique	The Junction (Toronto)* and online	English	$100 CAD	30 min: $65	10+
Robert Popoli	Baritone / tenor	Opera, musical theatre, songwriting	Toronto (in your home) and online	English	$90 CAD online, $115 in your home	$70 / $50	4+
Geoffrey Schellenberg	Baritone	Opera and classical voice	Vancouver and online	English	$90 CAD	$68 / $45	6+
Tamar Simon	Soprano	Opera and classical, plus pop	Vancouver and online	English	$100 CAD	$85 / $55	6+

Prices are based on our coach pages as of November 2026 and are subject to change. *Kaden Forsberg also teaches in Calgary part of the time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you learn opera as an adult?

Yes, you can learn opera as an adult, even with no singing experience. Opera technique is built through weekly coaching and practice, and a coach starts from where your voice is today.

How much do opera singing lessons cost?

Opera singing lessons at EXPRESS cost $70 to $100 CAD for 60 minutes, $65 to $85 for 45 minutes, and $45 to $65 for 30 minutes. Each coach sets their own rate, and there are no subscriptions.

How long does it take an adult beginner to learn to sing opera?

How long it takes an adult beginner to learn to sing opera depends on practice and on the music you’re aiming for. Most beginners notice steadier breath and a fuller tone within a few months of weekly lessons, and your coach paces the repertoire to your voice from there.

Will opera singing lessons help me sing pop or musical theatre?

Yes, opera singing lessons help with pop and musical theatre, because breath support, resonance and range carry into every style. The main difference is the sound you’re aiming for: belting is a bright, speech-like sound with a strong chest-voice quality, used in musical theatre and pop and usually sung into a microphone, while opera uses a rounder, more blended sound with more space in the throat and mouth, built to carry over an orchestra without one. A good coach can help you switch between the two safely. Several of our opera coaches, including Stephanie Sedlbauer, Bridget Esler and Mishael Eusebio, also teach pop, rock or musical theatre.

Is opera the hardest genre to sing?

Opera is one of the most physically demanding genres to sing, because it is performed without a microphone, often over a full orchestra. Hobbyists don’t need to reach that level to enjoy it: the same technique makes everyday singing easier and healthier.

Do I need to read music to take opera lessons?

No, you don’t need to read music to take opera lessons. Many beginners start without it, and our coaches can add sight-reading and solfège to your lessons as you go.

How do I become an opera singer?

Becoming a professional opera singer usually means years of university or conservatory voice training, young artist programs and auditions. If you want opera as a hobby, the path is simpler: weekly lessons with an opera coach, a few pieces you love, and the chance to perform at a student concert.

Sources

• EXPRESS Voice Studio, coach pages for the Plateau, Downtown Montreal and NDG (prices and bios), November 2026
• EXPRESS Voice Studio, How It Works (booking and packages), November 2026
• Superprof Canada, Opera Voice tutors in Montreal (average lesson price), November 2026
• Canada Revenue Agency, Type of supply: music lessons are GST/HST exempt, November 2026

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