On The Voice

In this episode of On The Voice, Christine Murphy Estes, MM, MA, CCC-SLP, PAVA-RV, joins hosts Mackenzie Bykowski, MM, and Jenna Battipaglia, MS, CCC-SLP, PAVA-RV. Christine is a speech-language pathologist and PAVA Recognized Vocologist, Lead Voice Specialist at Westchester Medical Center, and Assistant Professor at New York Medical College. She was previously a founding member of the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medical College, and brings a background in opera performance to her clinical work.We dig into Christine’s recent Journal of Voice survey study of performers with a history of voice injury, which found that most continue to have professional careers. She explains why successful rehabilitation is measured by vocal function rather than whether a lesion disappears, and how clinicians and voice teachers can work together through recovery. We also discuss how vocal injury stigma takes root in university training and the lack of support performers report from production teams. Christine closes with her message to young performers: an injury to the voice is not the end of a singer’s career.You can access all of Christines publications here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/christine.murphy%20estes.1/bibliography/public/You can learn more about Christine Murphy Estes, and schedule with her, here:Christine E. Murphy EstesDisclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, legal, financial, or other advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts. Individual experiences and results may vary — always consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

In this episode of On The Voice, Alexa Green, MA, joins hosts Mackenzie Bykowski, MM, and Jenna Battipaglia, MS, CCC-SLP, PAVA-RV. Alexa is best known for her turn as Glinda in the Los Angeles and San Francisco companies of Wicked, and appeared alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone in the cinematic release of Sondheim’s Company with the New York Philharmonic. She is a sought-after session vocalist for artists including Cher, Carole King, Ariana Grande, and Cynthia Erivo, a soprano member of the Tony-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices, and this December makes her Carnegie Hall debut as a principal soprano soloist. Alexa holds an MA with a specialization in vocal pedagogy from Columbia University, Teachers College, and teaches at Molloy University/CAP21, Northeastern University’s Manhattan campus, and her private studio, Alexa Green VOICE, in New York City.Alexa walks us through two vocal fold hemorrhages nearly a decade apart. The first came in 2014 during a late-night performance, after a long day of talking in freezing weather, followed by ten days of voice rest and three months of rebuilding. The second, on the opposite fold, came in 2023 during a period of intense emotion, and she shares how her knowledge and mindset shaped that recovery differently. We also discuss the isolation of vocal rest, why “higher, louder” doesn’t equal better, the overlooked vocal load of the speaking voice, and how her injuries led her to vocal pedagogy. Alexa closes with how technique should shift across a singer’s lifespan, and why water, sleep, technique, and a team assembled before anything goes wrong are a singer’s best protection.Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, legal, financial, or other advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts. Individual experiences and results may vary — always consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

In this episode of On The Voice, Ben Abraham joins hosts Mackenzie Bykowski, MM, and Jenna Battipaglia, MS, CCC-SLP, PAVA-RV to discuss his experience navigating a cyst on his vocal fold. Ben is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist based in Los Angeles. His solo album releases include Sirens and Friendly Fire, and his music has been described as “cinematic folk”, with an overall sound that's spacey, atmospheric, and tasteful. As a co-writer, his credits include Kesha's Grammy-nominated hit "Praying," as well as "Grow As We Go" on Ben Platt's debut album Sing to Me Instead, among others. Ben has toured extensively and continues to write and perform for audiences around the world.Ben walks us through discovering, and ultimately having surgery to remove, a vocal fold cyst. He shares the panic of the diagnosis and why data, not reassurance, is what comforted him. He also describes the unexpected emotion of making his first sounds after vocal rest, and his ongoing rehabilitation with a speech-language pathologist in Los Angeles. Ben explains why, for him, vocal injury in the recording artist world felt less like stigma and more like isolation, with no one to compare notes with. Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, legal, financial, or other advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts. Individual experiences and results may vary — always consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

In this episode of On The Voice, hosts Mackenzie Bykowski, MM, and Jenna Battipaglia, MS, CCC-SLP, PAVA-RV, kick off Season 2 by finally defining a term they've referenced constantly throughout the show: vocal injury stigma. Where it comes from, why it spreads faster than the truth, and why it keeps singers silent exactly when they need help the most.Drawing on research from Johns Hopkins, McGill University, and ASHA, Mackenzie and Jenna unpack the difference between self-stigma and social stigma, why more than 85% of Broadway singers with a vocal injury never disclose it to their employer or file a workers' comp claim, and how fear of lost income keeps performers pushing through injuries that need rest. They trace the roots of public vocal injury stigma back to two landmark cases: Julie Andrews, whose 1997 vocal cord surgery left her permanently unable to sing and became, in their words, the case that put vocal injury on the public's radar; and Adele, whose 2011 vocal hemorrhage and subsequent tour cancellation offered a more transparent, empowering counterpoint decades later. Along the way, Mackenzie and Jenna share a recent real-world reminder that this stigma is alive and well, and that highlighting individual testimonials of working through vocal injury is the most effective way to combat the spread of stigma.Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, legal, financial, or other advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts. Individual experiences and results may vary — always consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

As we prepare to release Season 2, we are revisiting some of our earlier conversations! Please enjoy our talk with Telly Leung from November 2025. Be sure to catch Telly as Ryuk in Frank Wildhorn's Death Note: The Musical, now making its West End debut at London's Barbican - based on the smash-hit manga (and anime) of the same name! 🎉In this episode of On The Voice, Telly joins hosts Mackenzie Bykowski and Jenna Battipaglia, MS, CCC-SLP, to discuss discovering and treating a vocal pseudocyst, navigating recovery after surgery, and how the experience redefined his relationship to stamina, identity, and the “show must go on” mentality. He reflects on learning to balance artistry with longevity and what it really means to sustain a professional singing career across decades.Telly Leung is a Chinese-American, New York–born actor, singer, and educator whose career spans Broadway, television, and international stages. You may have recently seen him as The Phantom in Masquerade, the immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera. On Broadway, Telly has appeared in Aladdin, Rent, Godspell, In Transit, Allegiance, Pacific Overtures, and Flower Drum Song, and he originated the role of Boq in the Chicago company of Wicked. His screen credits include Glee, Warrior, among many others. A Carnegie Mellon graduate, Telly is also a director, theatre educator, and producer of the new holiday musical The Nice List.Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, legal, financial, or other advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts. Individual experiences and results may vary - always consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.