Yuri Sabatini - Woodside Park, N12

An Italian tenor, from Rome, Yuri is passionate about teaching and has more than 18 years of experience in performing and 15 in passing on in a friendly and relaxed what he keeps enthusiastically learning. He's been singing since the age of 15, after being casually heard by a musician in Rome who spotted him as a "natural, extremely musical and promising voice" and he began his formal classical studies four years later.

During the years he has always been fascinated by the Art of Singing and read books, studied with different teachers, attended seminars, colleges and university's courses in order to learn the more he could about singing technique.

He moved to the UK in 2003. Based in London, he now teaches singing and coaches Italian to opera singers, alongside his own concert performance schedule.

Yuri teachers all styles of music, not just classical.

"I am a genre-flexible singer with a broad experience in performing and teaching. Singing is the most natural thing for me and I enjoy working with others on such a vital and delicate form of expression.

As a teacher, I like to consider myself a "reflective practitioner" and always try to make sure things are clear for my pupils so that they can grow independent in what is, in reality, a journey of discovery. In order to do that, you have to be eclectic and on the look out for new ways of explaining things and, ultimately, be constantly a learner yourself.

It is important to remember that not everybody wants to be a star. That's why I don't believe in pressurise the students, but in let them discover the pleasure and gratification that singing can bring to everybody... whatever their level is. At the end of the day, this is the reason why you sing: to feel better about yourself and share this feeling with others.

Singing means a lot to me and coaching others to master their voice gives me deep fulfillment. At times, you have to be a mentor and a friend. It ends up to be more than helping somebody to improve their technique... it comes to be a real development of one's own self, for both the teacher and the student!"

 Testimonials

"Yuri has been one of those unexpected surprises, a happy blend of everything you could possibly ask for in any teacher. Immensely kind and patient, he listens attentively to your voice and persuasively enables you to bring forth the best vocal sound. ... The interesting feature about Yuri is that he never says what you are doing, vocally, is wrong, but how, with particular exercises, you can attain the correct position to access the desired sound, which is both unique and, excitingly, your own."
Carole A. Mitchell
"Yuri has a very friendly approach to his students and he is always pleasant and polite. ...Yuri particularly has focused on ironing out the flaws and bad habits that I had acquired in my singing. Yuri particularly works hard on getting students to relax and to be able to use there voice so that it is free from tension in order to prevent damage to the vocal chords. ... I would recommend other people to Yuri if they were wishing to increase their singing ability."
Julia Foot

'As someone with no musical background I was apprehensive about starting singing lessons but felt immediately comfortable in the welcoming and supportive environment Yuri creates. He has an exceptional voice which is itself inspiring, moreover he is a naturally gifted teacher – tailoring sessions to the right level, making lessons exciting, effective and a time to look forward to. Yuri is always able to use innovate methods to overcome any difficulties I may be having in moving past a particular step in my learning. He utilises both mistakes and successes so as to reinforce good technique and root out bad habits. Even though the sessions are delivered in a relaxed manner, a lot is packed in. That Yuri is trained and performs as an opera singer reflects his high calibre as a teacher, with great knowledge of musical principles, concepts and training methods. On a personal level Yuri is very approachable and easy to build a rapport with. I am impressed with his passion not just to impart technical ability but to build confidence as well. The nature of singing is very much personal (as opposed to an instrument which isn’t so intimately expressive of oneself) and Yuri is more than capable of leading students through development of expression (in addition to technical skill). I continue to gain more than I expected to from working with Yuri and would highly recommend him to anyone.'

Sean.x

 Session Fee: £35 per session