Dr. Missy Curl

Laura “Missy” Curl is a soprano, musicologist, and voice pedagogue from the Washington D.C. area. Receiving her DMA in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Maryland in May 2026, Dr. Curl’s dissertation entitled Exploring Instrumental Sounds in the Voice Studio explores what singers and voice teachers can learn about the voice by listening to, studying, and exploring the production and sounds of string, woodwind, and brass instruments. This research idea received the “New Investigator Research Forum” Award from the Voice Foundation in 2025. As a musicologist, Missy specializes in art song analysis; her Master’s thesis explored the influence of Henri Duparc’s major musical influences, César Franck and Richard Wagner, on the compositional style of his mélodies. As a voice teacher, Missy has taught students from the age of 5 to 75 and enjoys coming up with creative ways to teach the concepts of functional voice use to a wide variety of students. As a singer, Missy is grateful to perform a wide range of music, from Renaissance polyphony at St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, D.C. to original folk-rock music in her husband’s singer-songwriter project, Alexander Gallows. Missy has always been inspired by a holistic approach to the music-making process, and hopes that her audiences and students can benefit from the dynamic musical lessons she’s learned along her journey.