ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

Let’s talk more
about teaching the voice.

Welcoming Kenneth Bozeman, a pioneer and legendary figure in voice education, for two days connecting resonance theory with practical voice teaching.

Through lectures, public masterclasses, and expert dialogue, we will explore how to listen to, understand, and teach the voice in a multidimensional way.

About Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy

Acoustic vocal pedagogy connects knowledge of vocal fold vibration, resonance, formants, vowels, and registration with practical teaching, so the voice is not approached through sensation alone.

Understanding formants helps clarify why a voice resonates and where adjustments may be needed depending on vowel and range. It gives teachers language for explaining vocal issues in ways singers can use.

Through his book Practical Vocal Acoustics, Kenneth Bozeman has helped bridge resonance and registration with real-world voice teaching. These two days are an opportunity to study that approach through both lectures and masterclasses.

About Practical Vocal Acoustics

Practical Vocal Acoustics is widely known as a standard text in vocal acoustics and voice pedagogy. It is read in educational settings around the world, recommended within NATS contexts, and used as a voice and vocal pedagogy resource in music institutions internationally.

Practical Vocal Acoustics Amazon product page

INTERVIEW / MESSAGE

Across genres,
across purposes.
Knowledge every voice user needs.

“So it's relevant to all of these professions. And I welcome anyone that's interested in that to come to the course.”

INTERVIEW Watch the interview

COLUMN

What is vocal pedagogy? What are formants?

01

For those who freeze a little when they hear “formant”

“Formant” can be a difficult concept to understand, and I know that difficulty from experience……Read more

Hiroki IwasakiOrganizer / Voice Trainer

READ ARTICLE 02

What Is Vocal Pedagogy?

In short, vocal pedagogy is the study of what better singing “education” can be……Read more

Chihiro AsanoVoice Educator / Opera Singer

READ ARTICLE

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Kenneth Bozeman

Professor Emeritus of Music, Lawrence University

Kenneth Bozeman is Professor Emeritus of Music at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Over 42 years at Lawrence, he taught voice, served as chair of the voice department, and received two awards for excellence in teaching. He holds performance degrees from Baylor University (BM) and the University of Arizona (MM), with further study at the Hochschule fur Musik in Munich.

In 1994, his interest in voice science and voice pedagogy led to the Voice Foundation's Van Lawrence Fellowship. He has served on the editorial boards of NATS Journal of Singing and the Voice Foundation's Journal of Voice, was elected to the American Academy of Teachers of Singing in 2019, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute in 2024.

Internationally recognized as a leading figure in acoustic vocal pedagogy, Bozeman has presented widely at universities and international conferences. He has been an invited presenter on vocal acoustics at NATS events, served twice as a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program, and delivered keynote presentations at the British Voice Association Conference (Leeds, 2021) and the International Congress of Voice Teachers (Vienna, 2022).

Author of Practical Vocal Acoustics and a central voice in bringing acoustic knowledge into the voice studio.

Official Site

SCHEDULE

Two-Day Program

DAY 1

9.12 SAT

DAY 1 -BASIC

Foundations of voice, acoustics, and resonance

National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Small Hall

10:00-10:30: 30 minDoors open / registration begins
10:30-12:00: 90 minKenneth Bozeman Course 1
“First Steps in Voice, Acoustics, and Resonance: Understanding the Voice from Zero and Source-Filter Theory”
12:00-13:15: 75 minLunch break
13:15-14:45: 90 minKenneth Bozeman Course 2
“Vowel Characteristics, Resonance, and Formant Basics”
14:45-15:15: 30 minBreak
15:15-16:45: 90 minHiroko Yamazaki Special Lecture
Lecture details will be announced once confirmed.
16:45-17:00: 15 minBreak
17:00-18:00: 60 minPublic Masterclass, Day 1
Instructor: Kenneth Bozeman
Two singers, 30 minutes each
18:00-18:45: 45 minSummary and participant Q&A

DAY 2

9.13 SUN

DAY 2 -ADVANCED & ACADEMIC

Practical resonance tuning and application to teaching

National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Center Building 102

10:00-10:30: 30 minDoors open / Day 2 registration begins
10:30-12:00: 90 minKenneth Bozeman Course 3
“Upper-Range Register Transitions, Passaggio, and Formant Tuning”
12:00-13:15: 75 minLunch break
13:15-14:45: 90 minKenneth Bozeman Course 4
“Inertance and Final Integration into Teaching and Singing”
14:45-15:15: 30 minBreak
15:15-16:45: 90 minJoanne Bozeman Special Lecture
“Voice and Hormones Over the Lifespan: Helpful to Cis Women and to Their Teachers”
16:45-17:00: 15 minBreak
17:00-18:30: 90 minHiroko Yamazaki Special Lecture
Lecture details will be announced once confirmed.
18:30-19:10: 40 minClosing panel discussion with Kenneth Bozeman, Chihiro Asano, and Hiroko Yamazaki
Summary and participant Q&A

Program, speakers, and venue details are subject to change.

MASTERCLASS

Masterclass

Direct coaching from Kenneth Bozeman.

How do we hear resonance, vowels, and registration, and how do we translate that listening into useful feedback for singers? This public coaching session shares the moment where theory becomes practical teaching.

For both active participants and auditors, the masterclass offers a concrete look at how vocal challenges are identified, explained, and guided toward change.

Entry : Applications open in August

GUESTS & COORDINATOR

Perspectives on voice,
from multiple angles.

GUEST SPEAKER

Hiroko Yamazaki

Voice Researcher / Representative Director, Voice, Brain and Education Institute

Yamazaki studies how sound affects the mind and body through acoustic psychology and cognitive psychology, with particular attention to feedback between voice, body, and mind. After graduating from Kunitachi College of Music, she studied phonetics, vocal physiology, anatomy, auditory psychology, and cognitive psychology, and has analyzed approximately 40,000 voices.

Her books include works on voice science and voice-related self-perception.

Official Profile

GUEST SPEAKER

Joanne Bozeman

Voice Teacher / Soprano

Joanne Bozeman studied at the University of Arizona and has taught singing for more than 50 years. She taught at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music.

As co-author of Singing Through Change: Women’s Voices in Midlife, Menopause, and Beyond, she educates singers, teachers, coaches, and conductors about hormones and the voice across the lifespan, including menopause.

INTERPRETER / COORDINATOR

Chihiro Asano

Voice Educator / Opera Singer / Interpreter and Coordinator

Born in Tokyo and based in Boston, Chihiro Asano earned a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy and a Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory, where she currently teaches voice. She won the Puerto Rico District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2023, and in 2025 won the Iowa District and placed second in the Midwest Region.

Her appearances include the title role in Portland Opera's Shizue: An American Story, performances with Boston Lyric Opera, participation in the Marlboro Music Festival in 2024 and 2025, and Yellow Barn in 2026. In 2025, she appeared in the world premiere of Wataru Mukai's QUEEN at Suntory Hall Summer Festival. Alongside performance, she focuses on research and teaching in voice pedagogy and acoustics.

For this symposium, she serves as interpreter and coordinator, supporting lectures and discussions.

Official Site

ORGANIZER

Hiroki Iwasaki

Organizer / Gospel Director / Voice Trainer / Acupuncturist

Iwasaki has worked as a voice trainer since his twenties, coaching well-known entertainers, major-label artists, independent singers, television announcers, prominent voice actors, musical theatre leads, idol singers, voice trainers, and gospel leaders. His total number of students exceeds 3,000.

Since his student days, he has performed with a professional gospel group at major hotels and large live houses. After graduation, he joined gospel worship on a U.S. military base and began working as a pianist. He later passed a rigorous examination at a U.S. voice training research organization and obtained official certification.

In 2016 and 2017, he participated in human cadaver anatomy training in Arizona. Through 80 hours of anatomy training including hands-on lab work, he studied and palpated structures involved in phonation, including the vocal folds, laryngeal muscles, and diaphragm.

His voice workshops are widely recognized and have been held in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Tochigi, Niigata, Miyagi, Hokkaido, Osaka, Hyogo, Shiga, Nara, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima. A 100-person workshop sold out within days.

ARIA Official Site

TICKETS

Tuition

1 DAY TICKET

One-Day Pass

Regular Price

30,000 JPY

2 DAYS TICKET

Two-Day Pass