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I consider Daniel Sommer to be the diction guru of his generation. His work with my choruses at the Manhattan School of Music and the Oratorio Society of New York has been exemplary. Not only is his knowledge encyclopedic on the spot, Daniel also has a marvelous ability to create supporting materials  that bolster my singers’ learning curve!

Dan is one terrific diction teacher and coach.  I have enjoyed our many collaborations together, and I always learn something from him.  Dan, of course, possesses all the requisite skills—knowledge of language, pronunciation, IPA—but what I most appreciate is his lyric approach to any vocal text. With Dan, it is not a question of rote learning.  The text is always approached with an eye (and ear) toward making the material flow. Dan has a way of relating to all singers, whether they be amateurs, professionals, or students. His own work as a singer enables him to approach diction from a vocal point of view—with excellent results.

Among all the languages, German intimidates me the most. The importance of consonants and how it colors the text is something I am still working on. I was fortunate enough to work with Daniel- He is filled with patience and kindness. I feel very comfortable when I sing for him. His knowledge for singing makes him an outstanding, singer-friendly coach. He knows how to project his ideas from the singer’s point of view. And I enjoy making artistic interpretations with him.

After having the pleasure of working with Dan Sommer through the Clarion Music Society, and coming to know firsthand the extraordinary quality of his German coaching, I have come to rely on Dan for all personal German coachings when I am preparing to sing German repertoire. He has a deep, masterful knowledge of the language, which, combined with his experience as a singer, affable manner, and thoughtful articulation of ideas and instructions, makes Dan truly the ideal German coach. It is surely thanks to Dan’s incisive insights and guidance that the New York Times’ review of my recent performance as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Alice Tully Hall included the following: ‘soprano Nacole Palmer, always alert to the text.’ Thanks, Dan! I couldn’t have done it without you!