Welcome to my home.
Allow me to take your hat.
(Does anybody still wear a hat?)
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.
But wait, there's more! Keep Reading…
There’s a Lot Going On
Blog posts and news and events and whatnot.
New book available for pre-sale on June 1!
David’s newest book, Wholehearted Voice Pedagogy, is available for pre-sale on June 1. This book focuses on the art and practice of teaching singers by investigating the student-teacher relationship through the lens of music education, neurobiology, psychology, and more. You can find more information on the book and purchase it here.
Keep ReadingNew Article Out Now in VoicePrints
David was invited to write an article for NYSTA’s publication VoicePrints, which is out today. In it, he talks about engaging with science-informed voice research through the lens of our humanity—a key theme in his forthcoming book, Wholehearted Voice Pedaggogy. You can read the article here.
Keep ReadingSisco to Speak at 2025 ANATS Conference
David has been invited to take part in a panel discussion on student-centered learning in the voice studio at the 2025 Australia National Association of Teachers of Singing (ANATS) Conference, held in Melbourne, Australia this July. He will be attending virtually and presenting with dear colleagues Dr. Marisa Lee Naismith and Dr. Travis Sherwood, along with other special guests.
Keep ReadingDavid Returns to Taipei for Workshops
David is excited to return to Taipei May 30 – June 21 for a series of workshops and lectures on musical theatre performance and professional auditions. With colleague Chia-yo Wu, he will produce an advanced workshop for last year’s workshop participants along with a handful of workshops for local arts organizations.
Keep ReadingDavid Launches the Wholehearted Voice Pedagogy Podcast
Check out my new podcast, Wholehearted Voice Pedagogy, an extension of my forthcoming book of the same title, which will be published by Routledge Press in Summer, 2025. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel here or get episodes anywhere you get your podcasts, starting on January 15. My first guests include Dr. Felix Graham, Justin Petersen, Dr. Marisa Lee Naismith, Dr. Travis Sherwood, Dr. Ritu Agarwal, and Marcia Lesser, SEP. You won’t want to miss the great conversations I have with these wholehearted folx!
Keep ReadingSisco’s new book, Wholehearted Voice Pedagogy, will be published by Routledge Press in Summer 2025
Wholehearted Voice Pedagogy: An Integrative Approach to Training Vocal Artists investigates how to develop healthy, equitable, student-teacher relationships in both applied and independent voice lessons. This is the second book David has published with Routledge. Check back for information on the book release soon!
Keep ReadingSisco to Speak at ICVT in Toronto, 2025
David will present “Uplifting Student Voice & Choice in the Singing Studio” with colleagues Dr. Marisa Lee Naismith and Dr. Travis Sherwood at the International Congress of Voice Teachers conference in Toronto, July 31 – August 3. This will be David’s fourth consecutive time presenting at ICVT, one of his favorite voice conferences.
Keep ReadingDavid Leads a Musical Theatre Audition Workshop in Taipei
David will collaborate with his longtime colleague Chia-yo Wu to produce a Musical Theatre Audition Workshop in Taipei August 5 – 10 for a select group of early-career and established musical theatre performers. The week-long workshop will focus on vocal sustainability, embodying a song, and navigating auditions and callbacks.
Keep ReadingSisco 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.
Keep ReadingSisco & 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.
Keep ReadingSisco 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.
Keep ReadingFIU 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.
Keep ReadingSisco 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.
Keep ReadingPerforming 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.
Keep ReadingSisco 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.
Keep ReadingNATS 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.
Keep ReadingSisco 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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Listen to Me!
A few of my favorite compositions. There’s a lot more, though.
I've got something to say!
Give me a shout. Get in touch. Let your fingers do the walking. Drop me a line. Shoot me a note. Do it now.