Mary Saunders Barton, MA, BA is a Penn State Professor Emeritus, currently residing in New York where she maintains a professional voice studio. While at Penn State, she created an MFA in Musical Theatre Voice Pedagogy with colleague Norman Spivey to meet the growing demand for voice teachers who specialize in vernacular singing techniques. In recent seasons her students have been seen on Broadway in Book of Mormon, Newsies, The King and I, Beautiful, Chicago, Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia, School of Rock, Wicked, Sunset Boulevard, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, and Miss Saigon among others, and in many tours and regional productions. Mary is frequently invited to present her workshop “Bel Canto/Can Belto” in the U.S and abroad. She has produced two DVD tutorials “Teaching Women to Sing Musical Theatre” and “What about the Boys?” Mary is a 2018 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University. She is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing. belcantocanbelto.com
