JULI WOOD

I, Juli Wood, am a Texas born and educated soprano from Nacogdoches, deep in the Piney Woods. I grew up in a completely musical home; my mother, Annie Mary and dad, David Jones were outstanding musicians and dedicated teachers who enriched our lives as well as their students. You will hear a lot, no doubt, about their influence in my videos and chapters on music and singing.

I majored in Vocal Performance and Music Education and studied voice with a number of master teachers including ( my Dad )David Jones at Stephen F. Austin State University, Patti Johnstone at University of North Texas, and Prof Herald Stark at University of Texas San Antonio for undergraduate studies. Post Graduate work and Masters in Vocal Performance with Pedagogy and Opera Performance emphasis were obtained from SFASU for MM under Jones; and with Martha Deathrage at University of Texas Austin I began work on a DMA. Additional Post Graduate studies at Sam Houston State University obtained a Kodaly Certification in Music Education under Betsy Moll.

I consider that I had some of the finest voice teachers in the South, if not the nation.
I loved my education and eventually discovered that my purpose and passion for teaching is as strong as my love of my own singing and music making. What a joy and thrill it is to help create this beauty of the human voice! “Sound sculpturing”.

I performed leading roles with the Lyric Opera of San Antonio from 1995 to 2010; Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavelleria Rusticana, Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, the Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors and Mrs. Pinkerton in
The Old Maid and the Thief as well as the title role in Puccini’s Tosca and the Abbess in Suor Angelica. These were wonderful moments of professional performance which added to my love of creating operatic voices in others. I have performed extensively as a chamber and oratorio soloist for Texas symphonies and groups as well as Artists Series Recitals at TEXOMA National Association of Teachers of Singing Regional Conferences(NATS). International recitals as well have been in some far flung areas; Bratislava, Hong Kong, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria South Africa.

Probably several people over the years have said a thing or two about my singing, but a more flattering quote came from San Antonio Arts Critic Mike Greenberg, who described my singing as having “a dark, warm beauty and ample power, with a brilliant edge in the high register and great dramatic thrust”. I’ll take it!

I have had a span of teaching for forty years now. I began as a Kodaly Music Educator in the Northside Public Schools in San Antonio and progressed to private Montessori Schools and from there to San Jose California in the late 1980’s.

I developed and founded my own program called Bel Musique for San Jose, Mountain View and Los Gatos Schools in the early 90’s. As a favor to one school director, I began teaching voice students in the Jenson’s Performing Arts School and discovered my “grown up” voice and my passion for one of one voice teaching.

I made the jump to a Masters in 1993 and began teaching at the University of Texas San Antonio in 1995. I was there for 7 wonderful years and enjoyed placing my graduates in opera apprentice programs and graduate schools around the United States. Throughout my university teaching, I have had annual NATS Finalists as well as winners in many young artists programs, such as, San Francisco’s Merola Program, Des Moines Metro Opera, Chautauqua, Glimmerglass and Houston’s HGO Studio Auditions and Artists. In January 2000, Jennifer Black, one of my sopranos who had also won the NATS Grady Harlan Award, advanced to the Met Opera Auditions as a Finalist and went on to become a Lindemann Young Artist. 

In 2002, I joined the voice faculty at Texas Sate University in San Marcos. As Associate Professor of Voice, I enjoyed wonderful students and colleagues, serving as Chapter President for the South Texas Chapter of NATS and District Governor before retiring Professor Emeritus in 2013.

I am currently devoted to about 25-30 private students in my studio who are largely professional singers. I teach for enjoyment and the satisfaction of seeing my students attain the singing successes they work hard for. A recent win was with one of my outstanding sopranos, Kathryn Grumley, who just won the National Opera Association Auditions.
(Please see my Student Page to hear and see all these wonderful singers.)

“Juli’s teaching has helped take me to the next level.” SM

“Juli’s instruction is methodical, which I love – I know exactly what each vocal exercise is training…” VG