Judith Cline, Ph.D., joined the Hollins University Department of Music in 1992, serving as chairperson for four years. A critically acclaimed soprano who has performed in concert halls across the U.S., Europe, South America, and the Middle East, Cline is certified in the Alexander Technique, a vocal performance method focused on improving posture, movement, and coordination to unleash her students’ vocal potential.

Under Cline’s patience, unwavering encouragement, and humor, Jen Allen O’Dowd ’95 discovered far more than her musical potential. “Dr. Cline helped me find confidence and enjoyment in my singing,” O’Dowd recalls. “She gave me foundations [to be] a better version of me. I came out a better singer, a better musician, and a more peaceful and happier person.”

A graduate of Drake University, the University of Southern California, and Washington University in St. Louis, Cline has received several honors and awards, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In 1997—the 200th anniversary of Franz Schubert’s birth—she was selected to participate in the prestigious International Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien, Austria. In collaboration with pianist Michael Sitton, she released a critically acclaimed CD devoted to the art songs of women composers, A Sampler in Song.