Former president of Vermont Opera Theater and voice teacher turned countless tin ears and untuned voices into confident sopranos, altos and tenors
Naomi Flanders, who spent a passionate life filled with a love of singing, teaching voice, and fostering music and art in the central Vermont community she loved so much, passed away at McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester on Sunday, February 23, 2025. A consummate student of the breath, and her belief in the breadth of the human voice to lift spirits and bring joy, she took her own last breath around 4:30 a.m., after six peaceful days that capped a two-and-a-half-year struggle with dementia. Her week in hospice care brought a wonderful outpouring from family, friends and the many people whose lives she touched with her humor, belief in their talent and her dedication to their music and personal growth. Born on January 14, 1953, she was 72 years old, a life too short for her feisty spirit and robbed of the golden years she hoped for. She grew up on Brazier Road in East Montpelier with eight brothers and sisters, born to her father, Ralph, and mother, Anne (Lawson) Flanders. Their rambunctious life in a small house, surrounded by forests, farm fields and a wetland instilled in her deep lifelong connections to the family property and her neighbors in East Montpelier. It is where she did yoga outside in winter, like her father kept an (unruly) garden and spent many hours seated with friends under the maples looking at vistas of the fields and hills. Naomi went to Johnson State College, where her love of poetry and English blossomed, and she received a bachelor of arts and humanities. She also began to deal with the bouts of depression that seemed so out of character with her exuberant laugh and zest. While they lingered throughout her life, she found ways to balance out those moods with travel, gardening, lots of (very) strong coffee, frequent bread baking and dinners, and a number of close friendships that were tested at times but also gave her great comfort and many conversations, always punctuated by laughter. Naomi achieved her dream to sing professionally by going to New York City in the 1980s to study with renowned vocal coach and Feldenkrais practitioner Marcy Lindheimer. She worked as a nanny and became lifelong friends with the Brickman family, spinning tales of Vermont and working her wonders with fresh dough for baking bread and pies. Returning to Vermont, her career blossomed as a voice teacher,…
Former president of Vermont Opera Theater and voice teacher turned countless tin ears and untuned voices into confident sopranos, altos and tenors
Naomi Flanders, who spent a passionate life filled with a love of singing, teaching voice, and fostering music and art in the central Vermont community she loved so much, passed away at McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester on Sunday, February 23, 2025. A consummate student of the breath, and her belief in the breadth of the human voice to lift spirits and bring joy, she took her own last breath around 4:30 a.m., after six peaceful days that capped a two-and-a-half-year struggle with dementia. Her week in hospice care brought a wonderful outpouring from family, friends and the many people whose lives she touched with her humor, belief in their talent and her dedication to their music and personal growth. Born on January 14, 1953, she was 72 years old, a life too short for her feisty spirit and robbed of the golden years she hoped for. She grew up on Brazier Road in East Montpelier with eight brothers and sisters, born to her father, Ralph, and mother, Anne (Lawson) Flanders. Their rambunctious life in a small house, surrounded by forests, farm fields and a wetland instilled in her deep lifelong connections to the family property and her neighbors in East Montpelier. It is where she did yoga outside in winter, like her father kept an (unruly) garden and spent many hours seated with friends under the maples looking at vistas of the fields and hills. Naomi went to Johnson State College, where her love of poetry and English blossomed, and she received a bachelor of arts and humanities. She also began to deal with the bouts of depression that seemed so out of character with her exuberant laugh and zest. While they lingered throughout her life, she found ways to balance out those moods with travel, gardening, lots of (very) strong coffee, frequent bread baking and dinners, and a number of close friendships that were tested at times but also gave her great comfort and many conversations, always punctuated by laughter. Naomi achieved her dream to sing professionally by going to New York City in the 1980s to study with renowned vocal coach and Feldenkrais practitioner Marcy Lindheimer. She worked as a nanny and became lifelong friends with the Brickman family, spinning tales of Vermont and working her wonders with fresh dough for baking bread and pies. Returning to Vermont, her career blossomed as a voice teacher,…