Meet Our Guest Adjudicator - Dr. Marita Stryker
Dr. Marita Stryker is an Assistant Professor of Music (Contemporary Voice) and Director of Musical Theatre at St. Olaf College, PAVA-recognized Vocologist, and movement specialist.
She has held teaching positions at Shenandoah Conservatory, Oklahoma City University, and Senzoku Gakuen College of Music (Tokyo). Favorite performance credits include the national tour of John Doyle’s Sweeney Todd (swing for Johanna/Beggar Woman/Pirelli - cello and flute), Tokyo’s duo-language production of The Last Five Years (Cathy), Chess (Florence), Crazy for You (Polly), and many other wonderful roles. She has had the pleasure of performing with Music Theatre Wichita, Zach Theatre, Austin Playhouse, Austin Musical Theatre, Zilker Theatre Productions, and The State Theatre, and spent many years traveling the world as a Lead Singer on Celebrity and Holland America Cruise Lines.
Marita holds degrees from Oklahoma City University (BM and MM) and a DMA in Contemporary Voice Pedagogy (Voice Science) from Shenandoah Conservatory. Her research centers on how invisible chronic conditions, such as POTS, EDS, and HSD affect singers in practice and performance. She is also interested in the relationship between singing and regulation of the autonomic nervous system. She has presented research and workshops on these topics at The Voice Foundation, Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA), Pan-American Vocology Association (PAVA), the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT), and the National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS). Her teaching brings together a passion for contemporary singing styles, accessible voice science, and the mind-body connection that keeps the artist balanced, aware, and receptive. @bodymindvoicestudio www.bodymindvoice.studio
