Barbara Steinhaus

Background

About Barbara Steinhaus

My passion is music, and I thrive on exploring ways it positively impacts human wellbeing. My voice, intellectual curiosity, imagination and creativity, and ability to see patterns in chaos; combined with my degrees in music, and certificates in arts in health, make me a unique music professor and arts in health professional who empowers others to improve their lives. I began vocal training in Atlanta, Georgia, though a native of Madison, Wisconsin. I was raised just off the Emory University campus and around a medical community, as my father was Chief of Anesthesia. I sang in school, church, and community in my youth, identifying with popular singers such as Julie Andrews, Dionne Warwick, and Mary Travers; and later with classical vocalists Joan Sutherland and Elizabeth Schwartzkopf. I completed a BMusic from Georgia State University, an MMusic from the University of Illinois, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Georgia. Articles based on my doctoral thesis, “An Investigation of Marian Anderson’s Interpretation of Black Spiritual Art Songs in Selected Recording,” have been published in journals such as the NATS Journal of Singing. Highlights as a professional soprano include performances with Georgia Opera and Atlanta Opera Studio; in Francis Poulenc’s Gloria at Carnegie Hall, New York City in 1990; and in art song recitals with former UI mentor, John Wustman (piano). Now I in my 18th year at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, I teach Applied Voice, Opera Workshop and Vocal Pedagogy. Though I also completed a graduate certificate in Arts in Medicine, UF; beginning an a bedside music practice at several regional hospitals and long-term care facilities; I initiated a course in Arts in Health Care which serves both Fine Arts and Health Science majors. Currently I am completing Therapeutic Music certification. In 2016 I was selected to be a part of the founding Board of Directors for the National Organization for Arts in Health, and serve as Treasurer, Vice-President, and President. I was the lead author for several white papers and wrote "Impact of Arts on Health and Well-being: Health Research Summary for Advocates and Decision Makers," commissioned by the Texas Cultural Trust. For me personally, singing in the healthcare setting shares these 4 elements with my life as a vocal artist: the intimacy of folk music/chamber music, the transformative potential of spirituals, a sense of purpose, and the opportunity to use a classical vocal style, albeit regulated in register and dynamics.