Interview: LIZZIE KLEMPERER now teaches singing lessons in Fairfield County

Meet Lizzie Klemperer, professional performer, voice teacher, and new Connecticut resident. All three things are important to people in Westchester and Fairfield County who love musical theatre.

Klemperer, a distant relation of actor Werner Klemperer and conductor Otto Klemperer, is also the daughter of two musicians. While the pandemic and the birth of her son has slowed down her performing, she is still passionate about bringing music into people's lives.

As a performer, Klemperer has appeared on Broadway in School of Rock, Bright Star, A Christmas Story, The Most Happy Fella, Fiorello!, and Me and My Girl. She appeared in the first national tours of The Addams Family and Little House on the Prairie and regionally in Maury Yeston's Titanic, Sunset Boulevard, The Secret Garden, The Music Man, Hair, Big River, Les Miserables, and Somewhere in Time.

She has captivated critics with her solo concerts. She performed with the Syracuse and Southwest Florida Symphonies. One critic wrote, "(Her) diamond-bright soprano electrifies a variety of songs..."

Klemperer taught singing on and off while working on Broadway and on tour. During the pandemic, she found creative ways to teach singing virtually, but she's ready, willing, and able to go back to teaching.

She emphasizes "that anybody interested in singing should consider voice lessons," even if it's just as a hobby. She notes that a lot of adults just want an outlet, especially after the isolation of COVID. "It's therapeutic." She also works with kids.

Klemperer's own background was classical music. "Everyone was expected to learn one way," she recalls, but "it's important to do crossover music." Almost all the people she teaches are interested in pop music and musical theater, which requires a "different technique" than operatic singing. "You have to manage the breath in a different way and be careful not to bring too much weight into your upper register. Start young," she advises. "It's helpful." She considers herself "an evidence-based voice teacher" who respects that "no two voices are alike."

She offers in person private or group lessons at her studio in Stamford or in your home, virtual lessons from your home or office, and master classes at your school, theater. With her amazing voice, she also does voice overs - narration, animation, pod casts, video games, and more.

In addition to teaching vocal techniques, she is an audition coach, something that is very useful in Connecticut with its many theatres. Of course, that part is good for her, too, because she would like to work regionally as a performer to accommodate her family life. She is married to former performer Evan Taylor Walker, and sometimes she goes by the names Lizzie Klemperer Walker or Elizabeth Walker. Whatever you call her, she's worth being on your radar.

How lucky are Connecticut performing artists now that there is another professional here to share her expertise and passion? Learn more about her at www.lizzieklemper.com. Follow her on Instagram @lizzieklemperer, Twitter @lizzieklemperer, and Facebook at facebook.com/lizzieklemperer.