What is it about?
This study followed a classical singer with Crohn’s disease over the course of one year. We examined whether changes in the singer’s health were connected to changes in her voice and singing. The project brought together specialists in singing, speech and voice science, and medical care. Because classical singers place unique demands on their voices, we also used a new listening-based assessment tool designed specifically for classical singing. This allowed us to evaluate the voice in a way that was more appropriate and meaningful for a trained singer. The study helps increase our understanding of how a long-term inflammatory illness such as Crohn’s disease may affect professional-level singing and highlights the importance of collaboration among singers, voice specialists, and healthcare providers.
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Why is it important?
Crohn’s disease is usually discussed in relation to digestive health, but its wider effects—including possible changes to the voice—are not well understood. For classical singers, even small vocal changes can affect performance, training, and career opportunities. This makes the subject especially important to singers, voice teachers, speech-language pathologists, and healthcare professionals. What makes this study unique is that we followed a classical singer with Crohn’s disease over an entire year rather than examining the voice at only one moment. This allowed us to explore how the singer’s voice changed over time alongside changes in her health. The project was also highly collaborative, bringing together expertise in classical singing, voice science, speech-language pathology, and medical care. The study also introduced a specially developed listening-based tool designed for classical voices. Many standard voice assessments do not fully capture the qualities and demands of trained singing. Including a singer-specific assessment provided a more complete and appropriate picture of the participant’s voice. This work is timely because awareness of chronic and inflammatory illnesses is growing, yet their effects on singers remain under-researched. The findings may encourage more individualized care, better communication among singers and healthcare professionals, and further research into how chronic illness can affect vocal performance. Ultimately, this study may help singers feel that their concerns are recognized and evaluated in ways that reflect the unique demands of their art.
Perspectives
For me, this publication represents an important connection between my work as a classical singer and voice educator and the fields of voice science and healthcare. I have long been interested in understanding singers as whole people whose voices can be affected by changes in their overall health, not simply by vocal technique. I am especially grateful to our talented student participant, who generously allowed us to follow her experience and collect data over an entire year. Her commitment made this study possible. I also deeply valued the collaboration among colleagues from Fresno State, San Diego State University, and the DeMera Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Center. Each collaborator brought a different perspective to the project. I am particularly proud that we included a perceptual assessment tool developed specifically for classical singing. I hope this work encourages researchers and clinicians to recognize that trained singers require methods of evaluation that reflect the distinctive qualities and demands of their voices. Most importantly, I hope the publication contributes to better understanding and support for singers living with Crohn’s disease and other chronic health conditions.
Maria Briggs
California State University Fresno
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Impact of Crohn's Disease on a Classical Singer: Vocal Fold Function, Voice Production, and Implications for Quality of Life, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, September 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2026_persp-26-00069.
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