For 41 years, Joan Lader has rented a slender studio apartment just west of Union Square in Manhattan. But for two generations of Broadway stars, as well as dozens of opera singers and pop and rock luminaries, she remains an indispensable vocal therapist and vocal coach. She continues to work seven hours each day, seven days a week. For Lader, 77, the work is her calling, a synthesis of artistry, science and according to her clients and fans, something akin to magic. “I’ve called her a witch in front of people, many times,” the music director Rob Fisher said.

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Persons: Joan Lader, Lader, ” Patti LuPone, I’ve, Rob Fisher, “ I’ve, ” Locations: Union, Manhattan