Michelle Murray Fiertek is an active teacher of wide-ranging styles from traditional classical and operatic repertoire to contemporary musical theater and pop/rock. Fiertek has received the University of Hartford Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award (2018) for her work in the Hartt School’s Vocal Studies Division, where her current research and performing focuses on Spanish and Latin American art song, and contemporary American art song. She brings her joy for communicating the emotional moment with specificity, regardless of genre, to her teaching, and understands it is vital that today’s singers be multi-faceted. Additionally, Michelle is trained and certified by NYC “rock musical guru” Sheri Sanders (Rock the Audition) as a teacher of the RTA curriculum (2018). She enjoys helping singers understand the timbre, resonance, and stylistic differences between vocal genres to aid them in reaching their fullest potential, and has served as a Master Teacher for masterclasses that focus on vocal technique, performance and audition technique, Rock the Audition curriculum, Spanish and Latin American art song, and musical theatre vocal style through the decades.
Professor Fiertek currently serves on the voice faculty of The Hartt School, University of Hartford as well as being the director of community programs. She is program director for the Hartt Community Division Summer Musical Theatre Intensives, and Executive Director of Hartford Opera Theater. Fiertek holds two B.M. degrees from Arizona State University, an M.M. from California State University, Long Beach, a D.M.A. in Vocal Performance from The Hartt School, University of Hartford. Professional affiliations include Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), and Sigma Alpha Iota (Friend of the Arts).
