Director of Passaggio
Mx. Vastine (they/them) has been working with the speaking and singing voice for 12+ years. They are deeply sensitive to the impact of voice difficulty on all areas of life and identity; and they specialize in working with a wide range of voice disorders. Similarly, they are passionate about the impact on swallowing on quality of life and have worked to rehabilitate the swallowing of individuals with a vast range of medical histories.
Mx. Vastine has taught and performed nationally and internationally, and they present regularly at conferences and universities. They have extensive experience working with performers, and other professional voice users. A leader in the field of Gender Affirming Voice, they regularly lead trainings for other speech-language pathologists, voice teachers, otolaryngologists, and more. They are the director of Passaggio, SF Voice and Swallowing’s gender affirming voice program, and they are especially committed to training other trans and/or non-binary people to be voice specialists. Mx Vastine holds an MA in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, a vocology certification from the National Center for Voice Science, and a BFA in theatre from New York University: Tisch School of the Arts.
At a very young age, Mx. Vastine fell in love with the voice and began their professional theater career at age 10. Their performance career has since been rich, spanning from Shakespeare to musical theater, to experimental new work. Their solo performance work weaves in a variety of vocal styles, particularly extended voice work. Ultimately, they love to drop into their heart and sing – which for them is an experience of liberation.