David Sisco – Teacher, Composer, Author, Performer

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Welcome to my home.

Allow me to take your hat.
(Does anybody still wear a hat?)

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Get to know me!

I’m nice. I promise.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my website! I am a multi-hyphenate artist and teacher based in New York City. For ten years, I taught voice at Marymount Manhattan College and later served as an adjunct professor at Wagner College. I currently am on the voice faculty at NYU Steinhardt. I’ve had the pleasure of presenting sessions and workshops around the country and internationally. In 2010, I won the NATS Composition Award with my song cycle, “Missed Connections.” I’ve been honored to have my work heard at concerts produced by Friends & Enemies of New Music, Joy in Singing, Lyricfest, and Songfest, along with world premieres at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

My collaborator Tom Gualtieri and I are also the creators of the video series “Draw the Circle Wide.” I am the Founder and President of ContemporaryMusicalTheatre.com, the largest online database of contemporary writers and songs. I co-authored Mastering College Musical Auditions and Performing in Contemporary Musicals with business partner Laura Josepher. I also musical direct and, every once in a while, take the stage myself.

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There’s a Lot Going On

Blog posts and news and events and whatnot.

Sisco Leads Vocal Performance Workshop at Catskill Mountain Foundation

David is thrilled to return to Catskill Mountain Foundation to co-produce a week-long vocal performance workshop entitled “Pure Imagination.” The goal of the workshop is to help singers more fully access vocal and expressive freedom in a song and build community through shared experiences. The workshop will culminate in a final performance at the Doctorow Center for the Arts on June 21, which will be free and open to the public.
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David to Present Two Workshops at PEVOC

David is excited to be presenting two workshops at the Pan-European Voice Conference in Santander, Spain in September! With his NYU colleague Marcia Lesser, he will present “Working Within the Window of Tolerance,” which focuses on helping teachers and singers be able to find regulation in the body and voice using Dr. Dan Siegel’s theory of the Window of Tolerance. With Dr. Marisa Lee Naismith and Travis Sherwood, he will present “Choose Your Own Adventure: Student-Centered Learning in the Voice Studio,” an interactive workshop about how to co-create a safe learning environment with students.
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Sisco & Lesser Invited to Present at the 2024 NATS Conference

David and his colleague Marcia Lesser have been invited to present their lecture, “Working Within the Window of Tolerance” at the 58th NATS Conference in Knoxville, TN. Sisco and Lesser will present their research on helping students find a safe and regulated place from which to perform using Dr. Dan Siegel’s theory of the Window of Tolerance.
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Sisco to Speak at Annual Voice Foundation Symposium

David has been invited to present a workshop entitled “Technical and Artistic Adjustments: A Double-Swinging Doorway” at the 53rd Annual Voice Foundation Symposium in Philadelphia, PA. The workshop will demonstrate the benefits of varying adjustments when working with singers, strengthening both technique and artistry.
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FIU Concert Choir Premieres “Give Me a Song”

Florida International University Concert Choir gave the premiere of my new choral work, “Give Me a Song,” under the direction of my dear colleague Dr. Erynn Millard. You can listen to it here.
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Sisco Speaks at 2022 ICVT Conference

David presented “Whole-Hearted Teaching: Bringing a Different Kind of Science into the Studio” at the 2022 ICVT Conference in Vienna this August. This is David’s third such presentation for the conference, held every four years.
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David to Speak at the 2022 ICVT Conference

David has been invited to speak at the 2022 ICVT Conference taking place in Vienna from August 3-7. His topic is “Whole-Hearted Teaching: Bringing a Different Kind of Science into the Studio.” To find out more about the conference, click here.
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Sisco Performs Solo Show at GreenRoom 42

David performed his first solo show in over 20 years at GreenRoom 42 on Saturday, June 18, 2022. In the show, entitled Sing Happy, David talks about moving past negative narratives to claim his space standing center stage. You can watch the entire show by clicking here.
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Performing in Contemporary Musicals is Published by Routledge Press

David’s new textbook Performing in Contemporary Musicals, co-written with Laura Josepher, is available for pre-order through Routledge Press. Performing in Contemporary Musicals brings into sharp focus the skills performers must possess when tackling shows that are newly written, in development, or somewhere in-between. Click here for more information and to purchase the book.
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Sisco Invited to Speak at ICVT 2022

David has been asked to speak at the International Congress of Voice Teachers Conference in Vienna in August, 2022. His presentation, entitled “Whole-Hearted Teaching: Bringing a Different Kind of Science into the Studio,” will share developing research on how curiosity, vulnerability, mindfulness, and self-care can be effective tools to guiding a student’s vocal journey (in addition to pedagogical knowledge). For more information about the conference, click here.
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Gualtieri & Sisco Release Series 2 of Draw the Circle Wide

Tony Award winner André De Shields (Hadestown), Aisha Jackson (Frozen), L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop), and Ahmad Maksoud (The Visitor) reflect on their lives and share insights on making the theatre more equitable in Series 2 of Draw the Circle Wide, created by songwriting team Tom Gualtieri and David Sisco. First episode drops on October 14. Click here for more information, click here.
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Celebrate BIPOC MT Creators

As our industry continues to have long-overdue conversations about race, equity, and inclusion, we must acknowledge, celebrate, and support BIPOC musical theatre creators (not just in February). Head to my TEACHER page to see a newly compiled list of musicals created by BIPOC theatre artists, or click here.
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Gualtieri & Sisco launch new website

David and Tom launched a brand new website with a full music store this week. Check out www.gualtieriandsisco to see all the work they have created during their 17+ year collaboration.
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Tony Award winner Ali Stroker performs Gualtieri & Sisco

Tom Gualtieri and David Sisco release Tony Award winner Ali Stroker’s performance of their song, “Patricia in 5N,” written for Ali based on their conversations on their interview series, Draw the Circle Wide. Watch the video here.
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Sisco & Josepher Launch Radio Show

David Sisco and Laura Josepher will launch a new radio show entitled “In Between the Lines” on MusicalTheatreRadio.com on Saturday, January 16 @ 10 AM (EST). The 30-minute show features great under-sung contemporary musical theatre songs and interviews with the writers about how they created them. Check it out!
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David is Married!

David Sisco and Elbert Ma were married on Saturday, September 19, 2020 in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod with a small group of close friends and family present, socially distanced. While it was far from the wedding they had imagined, it was perfect in almost every way.
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NATS Journal of Singing Publishes Sisco’s Research Article

David’s research article “Bringing a Different Kind of Research into the Studio” was published in the September/October 2020 edition of the NATS Journal of Singing. The article explains how the scientific research of curiosity, vulnerability, mindfulness, and self-care can enhance the work voice teachers do with their students in the studio.
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Sisco becomes Adjunct Voice Faculty at NYU Steinhardt

David is very pleased to be joining NYU Steinhardt’s voice faculty this Fall, working with undergraduate and graduate singers in a variety of majors. David is thrilled to be collaborating with the engaged and supportive faculty at Steinhardt.
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