Can singing in cold weather permanently damage your voice? If so, how?
by 
Colin Hodges
ANSWERS: 3
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I would assume not. Carolers do this and seem to retain decent voice quality, as do well-known singers in outdoor concerts.
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Well... if you're not careful, you could do some serious damage. I would suggest singing where you can be comfortable as this will always be best for your voice, but I've sung in -20ºF weather before (it was miserable! ...But I suppose anything for prestige...), so I guess if you're bundled up REALLY well and keep your body warm, you should be ok for a short period of time. Just watch what you do. Don't try anything too terribly strenuous as the cold will prevent your voice from being as supple as it normally would be. Mike
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Singing in cold weather can create tremendous strain to the vocal chords regardless of how well the voice was warmed up before the performance. Obviously such styles as choir or other methods relying on group harmonization rather than pure operatic expression in the voice will provide a greater endurance for the members involved than singers belting at maximum capacity. If anyone needs actual evidence just try for yourself and see how long your voice will last when frost is coming out of your mouth. I am a male vocalist who has been singing for years, hitting loud operatic notes from deep lows to even as high as a screeching parrot and cannot last in the cold for more than an hour before i start to crack and lose vibrato control. If you are performing under these conditions and must go on keep your volume at serious caution any decent singer will tell you that much. My advice, no matter how good your ability and strong your voice is-DO NOT DO IT!
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