Who is Yael Benzaquen ?
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Having started her learning of singing at the Conservatory of Asnières at the age of 13, Yael Benzaquen began her career as an opera singer at age 16. She entered Régine Crespin's class in the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris in 1978 after graduating from high school. Meanwhile she continues studying Chinese- language that she started to learn in high school- at the Faculty of Oriental Languages in order to practice Chinese medicine, a passion that she will leave aside for a decade. |
While her voice is at its peak in the classical 18th and 19th century repertoire (Mozart, Rossini), she appreciates baroque and also sings Purcell, Pergolesi, Vivaldi, Bach and Rameau among others. Furthermore she specializes in French Chamber Song (e.g. Poulenc, Ravel, Debussy, Chausson, Fauré).
As a consequence of health issues that forced her to slow her pace, she decides to turn to oratorio and chamber music. She then wishes to understand the sources of the disorder affecting her natural voice.
She enrols in the Faculty of Medecine in Paris, follows courses in speech therapy and graduates as a speech therapist in 1987. In parallel she develops a strong interest in holistic medicine, discovers homeopathy, osteopathy and acupuncture. Taoist philosophy and energy work draw her particular attention. She practices tai chi, qi-gong, yoga and the Feldenkreis method.
Grateful to her various masters for their teachings, she's been able to design a comprehensive approach to the body as well as working methods appropriate to each individual in the fields of communication and singing. In order to complement the trainings she organizes, she works closely with a network of experts in each discipline concerned.
Her holistic work on human beings makes her realize that the voice, this valuable tool, should be left "alone" since it is only the "rapporteur" of what every human being is, feels, lives and seeks to convey. Once there is an inconsistency between what the person thinks or feels and what she/he expresses, the voice becomes the unfortunate spokesman of this situation.
The harmonization of the cerebral and body language is necessary so that the voice could be highlighted as a natural link.
Yaël Benzaquen considers that to develop the voice, it is worthless to work directly on the vocal instrument. For her, the voice is part of the individual's determination to accept what she/he is, thinks and feels, if indeed she/he is aware of what impedes or facilitates the emission of her/his voice.
Her thinking paths
This determination cannot take place without further physical training. It is through martial arts or other holistic practices such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Yoga (to name only a few) that it is possible to assess the internal state together with the ability of focusing correctly on the subject (here the emission of voice for communication, performance or aesthetic purposes through song, drama etc.). The notion of potential combativeness, self-openness and to one's own body of intention (link between the mind and the subtle body functioning) are all parameters necessary for a fulfilling work on the voice.
Yaël Benzaquen and her team's working methods tend to render the individual autonomous. Therefore all means are implemented to make each one aware of her/his own mechanisms of communication and adaptability.
In the 90s, Yael Benzaquen created with Dr. Fresnel Elbaz the Voice laboratory of the Rothschild Foundation in Paris where she provided advice as a voice specialist.
Politicians, business people, lawyers and executives in communication joined the experience in order to better reconcile the substance and form of their speech, thus favouring a more natural and personal expression with the ultimate goal of generating better communication.
She then taught at the Salle Pleyel, held master classes and communication sessions in several institutions, law firms and companies (La Caisse des Dépôts, l'Education Nationale, Télévision Lyonnaise, firm Ginestier, Fi TV, SA Fidéliplus, Nexum, Guildinvest, among others).
Yaël Benzaquen offers seminars on presence, self-awareness and use of the body (meta-language) during the vocal act. Posture and gestures are most often more informative than the voice. They are able to reflect from the best to the worst one's internal state and actual state of mind. This type of parallel speech has a greater impact (85%) than the most convincing speech (15%). The voice, its inflections, tone, intensity are part of this meta-language, a real language within language!
To bring a new vision of the speaking and singing voice parameters, Yaël Benzaquen regularly offers seminars to speech therapists and organizes courses in musical. She also works with voice-over actors to reinforce their work on the voice. Moreover she offers private lessons and various seminars to professionals in all areas.
Often approached by the media for her expertise as a voice specialist, she wrote a book on the voice "SOS Voix" pubished by Frison Roche at the end of 2002.
A newly expanded version of this book will be made available in January 2010 followed in the fall of that same year by a book on public speaking and personal voice coaching.
Among her students in private lessons: Alizée, Anne Andreonne, Catherine Arditi, Cathy Arondel, Fabrice Banderra, Bilal, Manuel Blanc, Monika Brückner, Amira Casar, Philippe Candelon, Nicolas Canteloup, Marianne Costa, Karine Costa, Emmanuel Curtil, Philippe Darmont, Olivier Denizet, Rachel Hervé Devolder, Clément Dewitt, Vincent Eden, Lara Fabian, Brigitte Faure, Claire Faurot, Stéphane Freiss, Mimi Félixine, Mathew Gonders, Antoine Guerber, Sara Giraudeau, Stéphanie Haïk, Patrick Husson, Janice Jamison, Hervé Lacroix, Marianne James, Anthony Kavanagh, Johanna Manchek, Frédéric Martin, Emmanuel Müh, Cécile Nodie, Lorenzo Pancino, Philémon, Rachel Pignot, Angélique Rivoux, Jean-Marie Rollin, Laurent Roubine, Christina Rosmini, Olivier Ruidavet, Barbara Scaff, Jérome Sebag, Eric Serra, Emma Shapplin, Claire Solen, Alexandre Styker, Sophie Tellier, Jenna Thiam, Sydney Thiam, Edouard Thiebaut, Mathieu Thomas, Guillaume Toucas, Elisa Tovati, Charlotte de Turckeim, Julie Victor, Jacques Villeret, Laurent Vilmont, Franck Vincent, Valérie Vogt, Julie Wingens, François de Witt
