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Biography

Learn a little bit about Lyra; her past, her passion, and her expertise.

Lyra made her stage debut at The MUNY in St. Louis at age 5, as “Trouble” in the opera Madame Butterfly, and was a member of the MUNY chorus for 8 years. She studied dance for 15 years, trained and danced with Gus Giordano in Chicago and American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York, and received her degree in Music/Opera Performance at Washington University in St. Louis. She currently studies classical vocal technique with renowned master teacher Joann Zajac (Zajac Studio|Los Angeles|Las Vegas), has performed and recorded with the St. Louis Symphony and the San Francisco Opera, and is a Salzedo method harpist. She received her vo training at Voicetrax in San Francisco and has coached with Randi Thomas (Live Announce), Townsend Coleman (Network Promos), Thom Pinto (Documentary Narration), Charlie Adler (Characters), and Joyce Castellanos (Cable Promo).

“The arts keep us in the moment, help us to find our voice, and give us the foundation to reach out and connect to the world. My goal is to teach people how to listen and be “present” in body, mind, and spirit, and to use their voice with freedom, intimacy, and power in order to convey truthful passion with clarity of thought. To have the presence necessary to not only impact their respective fields, but the cultural conversation at large…benefiting both community and the world.”

Lyra is a Movement/Voice Director for the theatre, a SAG-AFTRA Voice Actor, Certified 3rd generation Pilates Instructor, Intimacy Coach, University Guest Artist, and a Registered Rodenburg Teacher (RRT), one of 30 people in the world with the accreditation. She holds a BA in Music-Opera Performance from Washington University in St. Louis, and is a concert grand Salzedo harpist.

Leslie Mendenhall portrait