Joan Lader is an American vocal coach and voice therapist. She is known for her work with elite performers and recording artists as well as for the rehabilitation of injured voices.[1] Lader received the 2016 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre in recognition of her contributions to the Broadway community.[2]
Lader received a B.S. in Theatre and Music from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Hunter College.[3] She is a graduate of the High School of Music & Art, now known as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School.[4] Lader studied under the voice scientist Jo Estill in New York City and is a certified Master Teacher of the Estill Voice Training system.[5] Her practice is also informed by studies in Alexander Technique, Fitzmaurice Voicework, and the work of Arthur Lessac.[6]
In the 1970s, Lader performed off-Broadway with the Light Opera of Manhattan.[7] She has maintained a private voice studio in New York City since 1982. She does not disclose her client list.[8] Performers who have publicly referenced or documented their work with Lader include:
In addition, Lader has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, Yale University, Pace University, Berklee College of Music, and serves on the Musical Theatre Artistic Advisory Committee at Manhattan School of Music and as a consultant for the New Studio at NYU Tisch.[19] She has given presentations and taught workshops for the Voice Foundation in Philadelphia, the New York Singing Teachers’ Association, the Pacific Voice and Speech Foundation in San Francisco, and the National YoungArts Foundation.[20] She worked with the music department on the films Les Misérables and Mary Poppins Returns, and received a “special thanks” credit for the film adaptation of Evita.[21]