Jo Estill

Jo Estill
At the award of her honorary doctorate in London in 2004
Born	Josephine Antoinette Vadala (1921-04-25)25 April 1921 Donora, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	9 December 2010(2010-12-09) (aged 89) Santa Rosa, California, United States
Nationality	American
Known for	Voice research and the development of Estill Voice Training

Josephine Antoinette Estill (née Vadala; 25 April 1921 – 9 December 2010), known as "Jo Estill", was an American singer, singing voice specialist and voice researcher. Estill is best known for her research and the development of Estill Voice Training, a programme for developing vocal skills based on deconstructing the process of vocal production into control of specific structures in the vocal mechanism.

Josephine Antoinette Vadala was born on 25 April 1921 in Donora, Pennsylvania, United States. She sang professionally on the radio in Pittsburgh from 1939–1940, and 1940–1947 in Hollywood. After marrying Thomas Estill of Colorado Springs, she toured Europe in 1953 with a lieder concert tour including programmes in The Hague, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo, London, Zurich, Geneva and Paris. Estill then had 13 years of performance as a soloist in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with the Air Force Academy Choral Concerts, Colorado Springs Symphony, Colorado Springs Opera as Dido, Sr. Angelica, Aida, Tosca, among others.

In 1969, Estill received a BA in Liberal Arts from Colorado College, Colorado Springs, and in 1971, Estill received an MA in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. During her studies at Case Western Reserve University, Estill took 30 hours of speech and hearing elective classes, marking her introduction to voice science.