About
Gwendolyn Walker is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Alexander Technique in Penn State’s BFA Musical Theatre program. She is also a graduate of the Contemporary Alexander School, a certified Alexander Technique teacher, and a Theatrical Intimacy Choreographer. Her unique approach to training young artists from a somatic perspective as well as from a contemporary commercial vocal perspective has made her a sought-after guest artist and private teacher around the world. Prior to coming to Penn State, she was the Coordinator of the Voice Department at the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. Gwen’s areas of research all relate back to reducing mental and physical anxiety for today’s artists. A passionate antiracist and activist, her most recent articles and presentations have been about tools for educators to address the current mental health crisis on college campuses, training transgender and gender non-binary humans, and how to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the voice studio and in the greater theatre industry. Gwen is an Equity Actress who has performed in National Tours, major regional houses, and off-Broadway. She maintains an active Voice and Alexander Technique Studio in New York City and her students can be seen in most shows on Broadway today.
"Gwen obviously excels in the techniques that make Musical Theater singing possible, but more importantly, she encourages cross training your voice so that you have strengths in every style. That cross training mentality bleeds Into all parts of working with Gwen. Not only are you getting a powerhouse voice teacher, you are also getting an Alexander expert, someone who understands this ever-changing business, and someone whose heart and compassion for her students is unparalleled. I believe that working on your craft is nearly impossible without having an idea of who you are and how you work. But Gwen's ability to teach her students from a place of empathy and understanding gives you so much more than a place to just improve on your technique (which, I promise, will improve leaps and bounds)."
DORCAS LEUNG (Miss Saigon, Hamilton National Tour)
Voice Instructor
I’m passionate about training singers holistically and incorporating the newest voice and body science into my teaching so that my students have the cutting edge of the available information about their voices, their minds, and their bodies. I am a professor of voice in Penn State University’s prestigious BFA Musical Theatre Program and I also maintain a busy studio for professional singers in New York City. I am a certified Contemporary Alexander Technique teacher and I also have my master’s degree in vocal performance from Temple University. My multi-faceted, individual, somatic approach is unique and vital for the safety of today’s vocal athlete. My singers can be found in many Broadway shows including Jagged Little Pill, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Miss Saigon, On the Town, An American in Paris, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and many others, and they can also be seen on National and International Tours and in major regional theatre houses across the country.
Contemporary Alexander Teacher
Alexander Technique (AT) changed the course of my life. I was facing the end of my career as a singer due to pain and taking an AT class in graduate school opened my world and my mind in the most beautiful way. I learned that how I think about my body controls my ability to use it. Most importantly, after studying the technique for a year, I was pain free for the first time since a bad car accident five years prior to taking the class. When I became a college professor, I knew that I wanted to become an Alexander teacher myself so that I could help change the course of someone’s career like my first AT teacher did for me. In my studio and in master classes around the world, I help artists improve performance, reduce pain, and deepen their artistry through body mapping, tension release, and learning that how you think about yourself - how you talk to yourself - can not only make you better at what you do, but it can truly change the course of a career.
“With one hand between my shoulder blades and the other on my sternum, Gwen facilitated the release of residual energy from past trauma that I'd carried for so long, I didn't even know it was there. She created the space for me to move through that heavy knot and then skillfully guided me as I filled in the space with the purple light that radiates from my heart. She held that space so expertly that I felt safe to fully release what wasn't serving me and step fully into a much lighter, far more powerful version of myself on the other side. I carry that experience with me and can still tap into the empowered alignment we found by the end of the session. It felt like magic to me - but I know Gwen will point right back to the science”
SANDY TAYLOR (Certified Coach & Director of Dream Factory Coaching, NYC)