Ron Browning is an internationally sought celebrity coach and performance coach for professional singers and actors. He is also an acclaimed voice teacher. Accolades about Ron’s work by major artists on TV and radio talk shows, press, and liner notes of CDs have earned Ron the title of “Voice Coach to the Stars.” His clientele is an extended list of Grammy, CMA, CMT, and Dove Award winners of all genres. Ron has been seen and heard on the Grammy Award Show, Oprah Network, Entertainment Tonight, The Voice, and BBC’s Simply Classics, to name a few. He was celebrated on World Voice Day in 2016 by the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in a lengthy article regarding his teaching and coaching methods, which included interviews with some of his clients. His knowledge of the human voice and his in-depth experience with all genres has made him a favorite go-to coach with all of the major and independent record labels. They hire him to produce vocals and prepare their established and new artists for radio and concert tours, and special television appearances. Ron also prepares up-and-coming artists by helping them find producers, managers, PR teams, songwriters, etc., and helps new artists with their debut performances in world-famous concert halls like the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium. He has had the privilege of coaching leading singers from the Metropolitan and New York City Operas, and from other major domestic and international opera houses.
A celebrated teacher, Ron has a reputation for demystifying the basic rudiments of singing. He specializes in building vocal range and vocal power as well as endurance, making him a go-to coach for artists in long-running shows and tours. He is one of the best cross-over coaches in the music business, which is why he was sought out by NBC to assist with Sound of Music LIVE. Ron was hired to coach the Grammy-winning country singer, Carrie Underwood, in early preparations for the role of Maria in the TV production before she went to NYC. NBC was so thrilled they acknowledged Ron with a “special thanks” in the liner notes of Sound of Music Live Soundtrack.
Ron also coached and prepared pop icon, Vanessa Carlton, to play the role of Carole King in the NYC Broadway production of Beautiful--The Carole King Musical at the Sondheim Theater. Vanessa says: "Ron, you made this possible. Your genius, artistry, and sensitivity got me on track! Thanks for bringing me to life! You are a genius!"
These are only two examples of Ron's success with crossover singers. He also has a solid reputation for helping troubled singers and speakers, who are suffering with vocal abuse. His methods restore good, free use of the voice, so the artist can be free to express and create without worry. He has much success with vocal issues, such as dysphonia, spasmodic dysphonia, stuttering, vocal nodules, polyps, vocal fold hemorrhages, stroke, asthma, allergies, tired voice, and other related vocal or respiratory problems. Ron also coaches professional actors, broadcasters, and commentators.
Here are a few testimonies about his success.
Alison Krauss, the most celebrated Grammy Award winner (27 wins), recently praised him in The New York Times, USA Today, BBC News, the Tennessean, and The Sun in London, where she called him “a genius.” Ron freed her voice from a state of dysphonia so she could get on with her career and complete the “Windy City” album, which earned her 2 Grammy nominations. She was so thrilled with the results that she gave him a “special thanks” in the liner notes and asked Ron to accompany her on the red carpet at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Gardens. Alison says, "Studying with Ron Browning has been the most exciting thing that could've happened to my life as a musician! I haven't felt this happy and intrigued with singing since I was a kid. The joy I feel at the thought of what I might learn at the next lesson keeps me up at night. He is the highest note!
Amy Grant, a many-time Grammy and Dove Award winner and known as the "Queen of Christian pop," mentions Ron quite often from the concert stage and invites her audiences to stand up and do some of her voice exercises with her, which the audiences love. Amy says, "Working with you is one of the experiences I am treasuring. I'm in this with you for the long haul. Thanks to you, there are moments when I feel like my old self again: Totally unselfconscious and free! Last night felt like a miracle. Thank you, my precious Ron. My time with you is a life safer! Your loving care has revived my love for singing. Let's Keep working. We make a good team!"
Lionized rock vocalist, Ashley Cleveland, has 3 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Gospel Album and 9 critically-acclaimed albums. Ashley has this to say regarding her work with Ron: "Is there anything more intimate, more a source of identity, more an indication of place and personality than my voice? No. For years it was life itself to me, the instrument that let me get out of my head and into my heart. Until it didn't. I came to Ron because my friend Amy said he had changed her life and helped her reclaim the joy of singing. At that point--the joy of singing felt like a long shot--I would have been happy to just eliminate a few of the 20 bad habits and gatekeepers between me and my vocal cords. I thought Ron was a coach. It turns out Ron is a soul friend and companion--with skills! I lost myself in a song the last time I performed. I honestly did not think that would happen again and I know it wouldn't have happened at all if I hadn't walked through Ron Browning's door."
Grammy winner, Patti LaBelle, called Ron a “miracle worker” and thanked Ron 3 times from the concert stage during her show, after he helped her quickly restore her voice from a mere whisper by show time, avoiding a costly show cancelation. She also thanked Wynonna Judd on stage for “sharing her wonderful voice coach!” Patti wrote a note to him, saying, "I never believed in vocal coaches until today--you have made a believer out of me and I thank you for my voice! You are a miracle worker!" She signed it, “your girl, Patti.”
Hard rock singer, Josh Kiszka, of the Grammy winning hard rock band, Greta Van Fleet, calls Ron, “the Magic Man,” and says “without you my throat would’ve dropped along time ago. Thank you for guiding me on my journey. I love you, my guru!”
Wynonna Judd says in the liner notes of her 2006 CD, A Classic Christmas, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears. God sent Ron to me just in time.” Wynonna praised Ron from the Schermerhorn Concert Stage, saying that Ron had taken her “to the next level of vocal performance.” Curb Records arranged for Ron to accompany Wynonna to Norway in 2006 when she was asked to sing 2 songs for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo. Ron also came to their rescue during the Judds’s Final Encore Tour. OWN filmed the Judds tour which was made into a documentary series called The Judds. Then in 2015, Entertainment Tonight came to Ron’s studio to film PR with Wynonna, Naomi, and Ron for the Judd’s Las Vegas Residency at the Venetian Room. Naomi Judd says, “It is a comfort and a joy to have Ron on the road with me. He de-mystifies vocal techniques and makes singing feel effortless and natural. When it comes to voice coaches, Ron is the king!”
The Nashville Arts Magazine called Ron a "vocal coach extraordinaire" and "a creative tour de force that nurtures and supports the beginning student and the successful artist.” The magazine filmed a one-hour voice lesson with Ron and Wynonna.
Amy Grant, a many-time Grammy and Dove Award winner and known as the Queen of Christian pop, mentions Ron quite often from the concert stage and invites her audiences to stand up and do some of her voice exercises with her, which the audiences love. Amy says, "Working with you is one of the experiences I am treasuring. I'm in this with you for the long haul. Thanks to you, there are moments when I feel like my old self again: Totally unselfconscious and free! Last night felt like a miracle. Thank you, my precious Ron. My time with you is a life safer! Your loving care has revived my love for singing. Let’s keep working. We make a good team!”
CMA Award winner, Jamey Johnson, says: “Allergies and contrasting weather conditions can present tremendous challenges to a touring vocalist. I cannot count the times that sinus/chest congestion and laryngitis have threatened to force me to cancel or reschedule a performance. Ron Browning’s coaching techniques have repeatedly saved the day by helping me find my voice in those times when it seemed all was lost. A quick warm-up with Ron (usually over a phone call) and I have the voice, air support, range and confidence to perform at my best even when I feel at my worst.”
Maestro Lorin Maazel, the former world-renowned conductor for the New York and Munich Philharmonic, and over 150 world orchestras, said, “Ron Browning is simply a master! The singers absolutely love working with him!”
Renee Fleming called Ron “the voice whisperer” and thanked him for sharing his skills with singers, after a long chat with Ron and Alison Krauss, after Renee's OZ concert in Nashville. Renee and Ron compared voice techniques and tips. She then asked Ron if he would be interested in someday teaching a master class with her.
Ron is also a successful songwriter, jazz pianist, painter, and is currently writing a series of voice and performance manuals, which will include interviews with many of his students and celebrated clientele. His solo jazz piano CD, In a Sentimental Mood, is available on iTunes and CD Baby, and he plays on occasion at Char Nashville, one of the city’s finest jazz piano restaurant venues. He is a voting member of the Grammy Foundation and the CMA’s and is a member of and a published writer with the NATS—National Association of Teachers of Singing, and also a member of NYSTA—New York Singing Teachers Association. He was honored to be Celebrity Artist in Residence twice for London’s Voice Council Magazine.
It is interesting to note that Ron’s career as a voice coach has turned a corner recently. World-renowned instrumentalists for coaching on their instrument presently are seeking him out. They are not interested in singing. They are interested in learning how to be more creative and expressive with phrasing for recording and concerts. They want their playing to be like that of a spirited singer, and like very exciting story tellers, which is a big part of Ron’s vocal techniques. They are also looking for the magic key to having a more captivating stage presence--more swag. Lake Street Dive’s Rachael Price, who is also a client of Ron’s, referred the Avante-garde jazz guitarist, Julian Lage, to Ron. Rolling Stone deems Julian a child prodigy who has always been a seasoned pro. Here’s what Julian has to say about his work with Ron:
“As an instrumentalist, it is a complete revelation to study with Ron Browning. With such a deep reservoir of experience and mastery on all things that live at the intersection of humanity and craft, Ron is able to pull a sense of honesty and authenticity out of my playing that I’ve dreamt of for years, but haven’t even understood how to talk about. Ron is the only teacher I’ve ever witnessed who can help the student, not only dismantle any misconceptions they may have about what they think they need in order to be expressive and honest with their music, but to also replace them with practical, truly usable techniques that liberate the performer, setting the music free and drawing the listener into the heart of the sound. Ron embodies the notion that we are not alone in our pursuits as performers and actively invites a sense of renewal, presence, and vitality to anything we play. Ron Browning is a master of the highest order and it is one of the greatest privileges and gifts I’ve ever experienced to be his student.”
Ben MacDougall, BBC Broadcaster of "Simple Classics" radio show and writer for the Classical Music Magazine, also a prize-winning composer and flautist, has this to say about the intuitive scope of Ron's work:
"Ron is perhaps the most outgoing person I've ever met. To use the word "zen" is perhaps a little contrived, but there is a sense of his 'being connected to the universe' that puts people instantly at ease and I'd argue that this is part of the secret to his success. A year after our first meeting he gave me my first voice lesson since the age of 6 and despite this made me feel comfortable about opening my mouth and letting the notes come out - in whatever shape they were in.
A TV drama currently airing in the UK about a 'holistic detective' draws similarities in my mind to Ron in the way that they both connect dots and make links to events that others may think irrelevant. "The interconnectedness of all things" is not something I ever particularly saw myself writing about, but Ron embodies this sentiment perfectly and it provides the perfect medium and backdrop for a formidable talent. It, perhaps, goes someway to unraveling the mystery that describes consummate musicality, rather than just mer musical talent."