From
Timothy Bruneau
Director of Music, Marlborough School

The first time I heard Lori Donato perform, I was immediately struck by two things: the captivating rhythmic energy she creates as a pianist and her consistent ability to get to the "heart" of the lyric as a vocalist. Her gifts as a teacher and coach are significant as well. She has clear concise methods of song analysis and her approach to learning new material is, from the beginning, based upon honest and sincere expression. Clearly, her goal is to lead a student to his or her own individual truth about a song and thereby reveal what is inherently unique and memorable about each one's talent.

Lori Donato's knowledge of the great American songs of the past century is extensive and extremely impressive. Be it George Gershwin, Richard Rogers, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin...or any number of others in the pantheon of iconic American composers, Lori knows the original theatrical context of their works and the historical background of hundreds of classic songs. Beyond this she is an engaging and inspiring coach with the ability to bring out the finest possible product in any student with whom she works. As both a performer and teacher, she's a shining star whose light reveals the best in everyone.