Heidi Skok

Heidi Skok is an incredibly transformative vocal artist and teacher. Starting her young singing life as a child, she possessed a low, husky voice and was led that way with her first voice teacher Louise Savage. When she studied with her second teacher, she learned how to access head voice which is such an important component to the voice. This opened a higher head range, and she was guided into soprano repertoire. This led to years of success yet inner struggle as she wasn’t a soprano but pursued that avenue as it was supported by others.

After being successfully educated at Carnegie Mellon University and a member of the Young Artist Program at Pittsburgh Opera that was based at Duquesne University, the Metropolitan Opera came calling for Ms. Skok. Ms. Skok possesses a very warm quality to the voice that embodies a silver beauty that is clear and present- a unique sound all her own, and this was attractive to the Metropolitan Opera. She became a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artist Development program from 1991-1994 and sang many small, secondary soprano roles with some of the world’s greatest performing operatic talent including Luciano Pavarotti, Jessye Norman, Placido Domingo, Tatiana Troyanos, Kathleen Battle, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Leonie Rysanek, to name a few.  

Heidi Skok sang to great acclaim on four different continents and many appearances that included Carnegie Hall in New York City, The 92^nd Street Y and Jordan Hall in Boston to name a few. She also sang in regional opera houses. She has placed in many competitions including Opera Index, The Sullivan Foundation and Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, and the Center for Contemporary Opera to name a few. Heidi Skok sang at the Metropolitan Opera over a period of 12 years, a long time for small, secondary soprano roles. She was always well prepared, kind and supportive to all colleagues and ready to achieve.  

Heidi recorded an album for Newport Class label called Women’s Voices and Songs of Martin Hennessy. The album sells on Amazon. Heidi Skok has plans to record another album as a low voice. However, as a young 23 year old who really didn’t know how to sing yet herself (because she really wasn’t a soprano) this experience was magical albeit most difficult because she technically really couldn’t sing as a soprano. Heidi Skok quietly struggled over a 20- year period with her voice due to the fact that she was singing in the wrong range. She was afraid to tell anyone that it was most difficult and uncomfortable because she was being told it was right. She thought that singing was supposed to feel difficult.

Even through the greatest difficulties, Heidi learned that she needed to go back to her roots as a low voice, and that’s where her success was found. All of Heidi’s vocal fears, worries, doubts, strain, vocal fatigue, pain, it all left and singing became so easy. Along with this came new repertoire and songs, even leading back to pop singing where she started as a child. Heidi has a deep passion to help others to not have the struggling journey that she had, and to have a straighter pathway to their vocal success. It is possible.