Xander Bechard (they/he) began singing at the age of 15 in a vocal music class provided by his high school. He joined the school musical and instantly fell in love with performing. At 19
he started private lessons with Christine Prosser in Chatham-Kent, and went on to study voice with Kimberly Barber at Wilfrid Laurier University, graduating in 2023 with a Bachelor of Music, Honours Performance.

While focusing on musical theatre repertoire they’ve brought iconic characters to life, portraying Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls and Reuben in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with infectious energy and charm. At the 2023 NATS Ontario Vocal Showcase, their rendition of ‘She Cries’ from Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown was described as “grounded, confident, and emotional,” as well as “a professional level of performance” by adjudicators.

In recent years, Xander has been dedicated to premiering new music, participating as tenor soloist in three choral premieres of works by Justin Lapierre, Messe de Ste. Anne, Stabat Mater, and One Thousand Shields of Gold.

Beyond the stage, Xander shares their passion for music through private voice teaching here at Whole Tone Music. He mainly teaches pop, musical theatre and rock, but has taught many students in a wide range of genres including metal, country and folk. Xander aims for the student to have a deep understanding of what they are physically doing to achieve certain sounds
and qualities in the voice, so many questions are asked of the student to describe what it is they notice while employing the techniques given. He believes wholeheartedly that in order to progress vocally, lessons must be a fun and low stress environment for everyone involved, therefore laughing is an essential part of a good lesson!