Musical theatre performers
Singers preparing for auditions, callbacks, college programs, showcases or professional contracts who need a voice they can trust under pressure — not only a good sound on a good day.
Live to sing
Singer. Mentor. Vocal Coach.
Online Vocal Coaching for Musical Theatre, Auditions & Professional Singing
Personalized one-on-one vocal coaching with US certified vocal coach and singer Juliana Polansky — for singers who want more than another set of exercises, whether you are preparing for an audition, developing technique, working on musical theatre repertoire, or looking for a healthier and more sustainable way to use your voice.
As an online vocal coach based in Los Angeles, I work with singers across the United States and internationally, while also offering in-person coaching throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.
Musical Theatre · Audition Preparation · Russian-Speaking Coaching · Vocal Health
- STUDIO BASED IN
- Los Angeles, CA
- IN-PERSON COACHING
- Greater Los Angeles Area
- ONLINE VOICE LESSONS
- Across the U.S. & Internationally
Who I work with
Singers at a Turning Point
Online vocal coaching only works when the plan fits the person. Singers come to my studio with very different goals: a role they want, an audition deadline, a new style they need to master, repertoire they want to understand more deeply, or a voice that has stopped feeling as reliable as it used to. We begin with where you are and build from there.
Auditioning singers
Singers facing a prescreen, a callback or an unfamiliar cut list who want to walk into the room prepared, focused and ready to make musical choices.
Russian-speaking singers
Students who prefer lessons taught in Russian, and singers of any background working on Russian repertoire, diction and interpretation.
Voices under strain
Teachers, worship leaders and gigging vocalists whose voices tire early and who want stamina back through more efficient, sustainable technique.
Musical theatre
Musical Theatre Vocal Coaching, from Legit to Contemporary Belt
As a musical theatre voice teacher I treat style as technique, not decoration. Golden Age legit, contemporary pop-rock, Sondheim's rhythmic detail and Broadway belt each ask something different from your registration, vowel shapes and breath. We train the transitions so you can move between them without bracing or pushing.
My goal is not to make you sound like the person who originally recorded the role. It is to help you understand what the song is asking for — and find the strongest, most natural way for your own voice to answer it.
Mix and belt you can repeat. Coordinated, resonant sound that survives a full rehearsal week rather than one great take.
Style fluency. Legit, contemporary, pop-rock and character work — with the vowel and onset choices each style expects.
Acting through song. Objective, obstacle and shift, mapped onto the score so your interpretation lands on the lyric.
Book building. A balanced binder of contrasting material that shows range without stretching you past what's honest today.
Audition preparation
Walk Into the Audition Room With a Plan, Not a Hope
An audition is not a vocal exam. It is a short conversation in which your voice, acting and musical choices have to tell the creative team who you are. We work backwards from your date and cover every decision the panel will notice — often in as few as three focused sessions.
- 01
Song selection
We choose material that fits your voice type, age range and the specific creative team — then keep a short list ready for anything the breakdown asks for.
- 02
Cuts that land
16-bar, 32-bar and one-minute cuts built around a real dramatic arc, marked cleanly for the pianist with tempo, feel and button intact.
- 03
Vocal interpretation
Text work, phrasing and dynamic shape so the vocal interpretation is yours rather than a copy of the cast recording.
- 04
Prescreen & self-tape
Framing, sound, slate and take strategy for prescreen submissions — because the recording is now the first impression.
- 05
Callback readiness
Sides, cold reads, dance-call recovery and adjustments in the room, rehearsed until direction feels like an invitation, not a trap.
- 06
Performance confidence
Warm-up routines, nerves protocol and a repeatable pre-audition plan so your best singing is the reliable version.
Gallery
Stage, Studio, Screen
Moments from performances, recording sessions and online lessons.
Gala with orchestra
Concert stage
Stage presence
Studio class
Student showcase
At the piano
Recording session
Live set
Industry roots
Press wall
Swipe to see more →
Russian-speaking coaching · На русском
Russian-Speaking Vocal Coach & Russian Repertoire Coaching
I trained and performed in Russia before building my studio in Los Angeles, so I teach fluently in both languages. For many Russian-speaking singers, changing countries also means adapting to a different training and performance environment: musical theatre auditions, professional expectations and English-language repertoire can ask for a different approach from the one a singer grew up with. I understand both sides of that transition.
I work online with Russian-speaking singers across the U.S., including students I've coached from Florida, Michigan, Utah and other states. Singers of any background are equally welcome for Russian diction, art song and operatic repertoire coaching.
Русскоязычные ученики занимаются онлайн из любого штата — техника, репертуар и подготовка к прослушиваниям на родном языке.
Lessons in Russian
Full vocal coaching in Russian — technique, musicianship and performance — for students who think and learn best in their first language.
Russian lyric diction
Cyrillic transliteration, palatalization, vowel reduction and consonant clusters, coached until the text sings instead of fighting the line.
Russian opera & art song
Repertoire coaching in Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov and romance literature, with word-by-word translation and stress mapping.
For non-Russian speakers
Preparing a Russian aria or song cycle? We build accurate pronunciation and meaning so your delivery is idiomatic, not phonetic guesswork.
Russian diction coaching is available as a standalone session for singers, choirs and studios preparing Russian repertoire — mention it in your application and I'll send details.
Vocal fatigue & stamina
Vocal Fatigue, Vocal Strain & Sustainable Singing
Vocal fatigue can have many causes. In coaching, we can look at how vocal load, coordination, technique, speaking habits and practice patterns may be affecting how your voice feels and functions — the second hour of rehearsal costing more than the first, high notes needing a run-up, a voice that takes until noon to arrive.
In lessons we work on breath management, onset, register transitions, warm-up and cool-down habits, vocal pacing and the sheer amount of speaking your week demands. Small gains in singing efficiency often return a surprising amount of stamina, and mindful singing — attention to how the body is actually working — is the philosophy behind it.
Signs worth attention
Rising effort for the same phrase, air escaping on sustained notes, a voice that recovers more slowly each week.
What we rebuild
Efficient onsets, released jaw and tongue root, breath that supports without squeezing, and pacing across a rehearsal day.
Recovery habits
Structured warm-ups, semi-occluded exercises, cool-downs after heavy use, and realistic vocal rest between calls.
An honest boundary: I'm a voice teacher, not a clinician. Persistent hoarseness beyond two weeks, pain when singing, or sudden loss of range belongs with a laryngologist or speech-language pathologist first. I'm glad to work alongside your care team once you've been cleared.
About me
Juliana Polansky
I did not become a vocal coach by standing outside the stage looking in. I came to teaching through my own life as a singer and performer — through rehearsals, auditions, demanding repertoire, high-pressure performances and the moments when the voice does not do what you expect it to do.
That experience shapes the way I teach. I am interested not only in how a voice sounds, but in why something works, why something stops working, and how to give a singer tools they can actually use when the stakes are real.
I'm a world music singer, musical theatre actress and US-certified vocal coach based in Los Angeles. My career has moved between opera houses, theatre stages, studios and festival circuits in Russia, Europe and the United States, and I teach in both English and Russian.
Based in Los Angeles, I work with singers in person throughout the Greater Los Angeles area — including nearby Southern California communities such as Pasadena and Riverside — and online with students across the United States and internationally.
- US NATS board certified music instructor (2017)
- Professor, French Conservatory of Music, Beverly Hills
- Grant beneficiary of producer Quincy Jones (2013)
- Hollywood Music & Media Awards winning artist (2011)
- Jury member, international vocal competitions in Europe & the USA
- Opera America association member since 2015
FAQ
Questions Before We Begin
Booking · New student application
Let's Find Out Whether We're a Fit
I keep the studio small, so every new student starts with a short application and an introductory online lesson. Tell me where your voice is today and what you're preparing for — I'll reply personally with times and a plan.
- Reply within two business days
- Introductory lesson: voice assessment and a written path forward
- Packages of four to eight sessions once we set your goals
- Lessons in English or Russian, across US time zones