Swiss classical tenor offering singing lessons in London for beginners and advanced students

Learn more about Lars

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  Music has been a big part of my life since I was very little. According to my parents, I used to spend hours listening to Britten's "Guide to the orchestra", which introduced the listeners to all the different instruments. I played the cello for about 12 years and only started taking singing lessons at the age of 18.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  I could probably listen to Mozart all day long as his music just relaxes me and puts me in a good mood.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  The most difficult lesson really depends on the individual student, I don't think there's an objective "most difficult course". I've found that all students are different, what some might consider hard comes naturally to others and vice versa.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  Probably every musician will argue that their own instrument is the most complicated to master, hence I would say: the voice. My reasoning for this is that with singing, there's no external "thing" that you can pick up and put away, it's always with you. And everything happens internally, so all the adjustments and technical skills needed are "invisible". Of course, you can see elements like the belly movement or the jaw, but they are like the "tip of the iceberg" as to what is actually going on

• What are your keys to success?

  I would say: practice, curiosity, compassion and rest. Practice goes without saying, you can't master anything without actually working on it. Curiosity is to help keep the joy alive and find new aspects to focus on and be interested in all the time. Compassion because it is not easy and we sometimes feel like things aren't shifting. So it's important to be kind to yourself and not be too self-critical (I wish I had already mastered that one…). And then rest is critical because I've noticed that my voice is only in great shape when I'm not stressed and have had enough sleep.

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  If we can suspend our disbelief for a second and pretend that they are all alive at the same time: Mozart, Schubert and Freddie Mercury. Weird combination, I know. But Mozart and Schubert because I love their writing, they are probably my two favourite composers. I'd be so interested in discussing details of their compositions, their process, their feelings and emotions that they've put into the music, Mozart's cheekiness and playfulness, Schubert's depth of understanding of the human journey. And then Freddie Mercury because he was simply one of the most amazing singers that ever lived. I would love to hear his story and also pick his brains on his technical understanding of singing.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  I've come to believe that things work out as they should in the end. One example of this is how I chose my teacher for my postgrad (whom I'm still learning with today). I had a consultation lesson with one teacher about 9 months before the course started. Then I sent two emails to other teachers at the same conservatoire, of whom only one replied. I then had a consultation lesson with her and knew that this was it. Funnily enough, she's known to sometimes not reply to people whereas the person who didn't react to my email is usually someone who replies very quickly. So if the roles had been like the usually are, I might have gone with a different teacher. This would have been good as well, I'm sure, but not as valuable as the teacher I studied with in the end. So things happen the way they are supposed to. :-)

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  Technical understanding of the skills of singing for sure. But also empathy, understanding and sensitivity, which all help me tailor lessons to the individual student and make them feel safe to try things out. It is a process and we have to feel comfortable making sounds that aren't pretty, making mistakes and then moving forward and learning.