Studios in Midtown and Upper Manhattan, New York
Student Raves
"In 2008, NYCO introduced me to Virginia with a specific goal in mind: to improve my high notes (Eb specifically). Eleven years later, we are still working together and my voice has grown in ways I had never hoped for nor expected! Virginia is an amazing teacher with just the right combination of support and push to help me and my voice expand and grow. Her ear is astoundingly specific. Sometimes I think she can honestly hear me thinking. I credit her with helping my voice reach new heights and stay there and helping me align my voice. Virginia has given me the skills and confidence to believe in myself."
- Lauren Worsham: Tony nominee/Drama Desk/Theatre World award winner for Phoebe in "A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder", NYCO, City Center Encores, Montclair Peak Performances, Goodspeed Opera House.
Above: Amy Justman and Lauren Worsham with Kelli O'Hara singing "Three Little Maids Are We"
"I owe so much to my work with Virginia Grasso over the past 8 years, both as a performer and as inspiration for my own teaching. She is an incredible technician and an expert at achieving a flexible, fully-aligned voice in the bel canto tradition. She has seen me through everything from singing Messiah at Carnegie Hall to Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera, combining an exacting ear with a warm and supportive presence. I'm so grateful for her!"
- Amy Justman: 6 Broadway shows including Carousel, Phantom of the Opera, and Company; Bernstein's Mass for PBS Great Performances; soloist at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center
"Virginia Grasso is an amazing teacher. She teaches a true bel canto technique, a rare and precious find nowadays. I have studied with her for fifteen years and in that time she has guided me through singing on a Metropolitan Opera broadcast, with LA Opera, NYCO & Houston Grand Opera. But whether the venue is large or small, her technique and commitment stay the same. I am a better singer and artist because of Virginia Grasso."
- Tonna Miller: Metropolitan Opera, NY City Opera
"Virginia Grasso is a true and rare vocal technician. I find Virginia to be passionate about healthy singing and is patient with her students to allow for true understanding of her technique. More importantly, Virginia invested in me and in return she expected the best from me."
- Robert Mack: Metropolitan Opera, NYCO
"When cast in A Little Night Music to understudy Angela Lansbury AND the Liebesleider I knew I'd need help. Virginia came into my life and whipped me into shape. My technique has improved considerably and I am more confident than ever thanks to her careful attentions. Ten years later, she continues to be the bedrock of my vocal health and I continue to be competitive because of her."
- Karen Murphy: Broadway credits include: A little Night Music, 9 to 5, All Shook Up, 42nd St, A Christmas Carol, Titanic
"Virginia Grasso was recommended to me when I was looking for someone to help me overhaul my voice. I had just finished a six-year run performing a role that was vocally taxing, including legit singing, belting and screaming. I was also dealing with the challenges of being a mature female singer. We went back to square one and note by note, Virginia helped me realign my voice. She has the best ears in the biz, impeccable technique and a million different ways of helping you understand and execute. Virginia truly cares about her students singing their best, whether for the Opera stage or the Broadway stage."
- Ruth Gottschall: Broadway credits include Mary Poppins, The Music Man, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Cabaret. NY City Opera, The Desert Song
"Virginia has been my teacher for many years, and thanks to her, I have a technique that allows me to sing almost any genre of music, with a voice that is fully resonant and wholly my own. I'm very grateful to Virginia, and her patience with me! She has seen me through my debut at Carnegie Hall, and through rough patches, through highs and lows, she and the technique she teaches have been invaluable to me."
- Silvie Jensen: Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago
"I am so grateful to Virginia Grasso. In 2005 I was introduced to Virginia knowing my voice needed to be healed but not knowing how to heal it. I had been diagnosed and treated for acid reflux and although I was physically healthy, I was not vocally healthy. I had found a way to technically compensate for the affect acid reflux had on my middle and lower middle registers. Virginia lovingly, patiently and methodically placed my voice in the palm of her hand and aligned my registers note by note...she and I worked technically until my voice was lined up. She always encouraged me to never give up, and she never gave up. I am eternally grateful to her for giving me back the voice that I thought I had lost forever; better than it had ever been. Thank you, my teacher...my friend."
- Roberta Laws: San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Dallas Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Carolina, and many other credits. Voice faculty of North Carolina Central University
"Virginia Grasso is not only a consummate technician, but a caring and supportive teacher with ears and advice I fully trust. I began studying with Virginia at a critical time when I needed to include more leading lady roles to my ingenue-only repertoire. As we worked together, my voice bloomed. Later, she patiently helped me recover vocally after a difficult pregnancy and C-section so I could get back on stage with confidence."
- Laurelyn Watson Chase: NY Gilbert and Sullivan Players
"Choosing to study voice with Virginia Grasso was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. She came to me at a time where I was at a crossroads in my vocal life. I knew there was another level to my technique and talent that I needed to uncover. With Virginia, we have gone inside and gotten to the nitty gritty of my voice. I always feel like I grow leaps and bounds in my lessons. She truly customizes my experience to the exact needs of my voice. Based on true Bel Canto techniques, Virginia truly figures out what makes your individual voice "tick". It's so important for the teacher/student relationship that there be trust and honesty...I have found that and more with Virginia."
- Kenneth Overton: San Francisco Opera, NYC Opera, Royal Danish Opera, Broadway, La Boheme, L'Opera de Montreal, Deutsche Oper Berlin
"Words cannot express how thankful I am to have found Virginia. She has transformed my voice! Before I began working with her, every note above a G was a strain for me. Now, I am singing high Cs with a comfort and freedom I never would have thought I’d have. She has helped me find a richer and fuller sound, while maintaining vocal flexibility. I am primarily a musical theater singer, but studying with Virginia has enabled me to explore new repertoire and to sing musical theater in a healthy, sustainable way. I did an eight-month contract in southern Utah, singing outside every night in 100-degree, dry, desert heat. I would not have been able to keep my voice healthy through that run without Virginia’s technique as my foundation. She is truly a vocal wizard, firm and discerning but also warm, supportive, and brilliant."
- Rebecca Brudner, off-Broadway credits: The Sorceress (NYTF), Fiorello! (BTG); regional credits: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Matilda (Tuacahn), Guys and Dolls (Ark. Shakespeare), Oklahoma! (Goodspeed)
"I began working with Virginia about 2 years ago and my voice has completely changed (for the better!). I am constantly in awe of the continued growth and expansion of my voice due to the technique Virginia teaches. She has an impeccable ear and teaches in a specific, understandable and joyful way. Her lessons are the highlight of my week."
- Hannah Shealy: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Columbia Grad Acting '22, National Crest Commercial
"Virginia Grasso has had an instrumental influence on my career so far. In the years I have been working with her she has taken my voice into new heights: aligning the sound from bottom to top, tripling the volume of my middle voice without any extraneous effort, and freeing up my high notes. Deeply rooted in the Bel Canto technique, Virginia's teaching methods and her way of explaining this classic technique have had a very positive impact on me, both as a singer and a performer. In addition, working with her has steered me into a more cohesive repertoire, and a package that is unique yet marketable. This has also been getting me more and more jobs on a consistent basis. I recommend her whole-heartedly to anyone who is seeking a great voice teacher."
- Gilad Paz: Voce Nova
"Working with Virginia has opened up what feels like new pockets of resonance and expression in my voice, not to mention improved vocal health and function. I am so excited by the changes I’ve experienced in a few short months and looking forward to the future in her studio!”
- Kyra Miller: "Rags", Theatreworks, "The Light in the Piazza", Philadelphia Theatre Company
"Working with Virginia has been inspiring and revelatory! My voice has found exciting new dimensions in our work together. She has an impeccable ear for vocal function and knows how to reach each individual student where they are. No judging, no gimmicks, just solid technical guidance and support, always checking in for understanding. Not only am I singing better than ever, she has helped me to be a better teacher."
- D. Brian Lee: Author of "Sane Singing"; Host of The Voice Culture Podcast; Voice Teacher
"Virginia Grasso is a fantastic teacher whose style is based on the bel canto technique. When I started studying with her, I was having a lot of issues regarding tension and singing had become difficult. We have been working meticulously to fix these issues and I have seen incredible progress. Virginia’s ears are top notch and she always strives to find the right exercise to help me with a technical concept. I am so grateful to have found her – her knowledge, patience and love of the voice is an inspiration and has helped me feel more confident as a singer."
- Esther Peterson: MMF, SongFest
"Ms. Grasso has been a guiding light in my vocal development. Not only is she solidly versed in vocal technique, she approaches her students as budding professionals, building up all the necessary components of an artist as a whole; including musicality, presentation, and the overall package. She has been an inspiration to work with, and it is under her guidance that I have been offered my first professional engagements, due in no small part to her talent and care."
- Antonina Ermolenko, International Opera Singer: