Taste of the golden age

Last week we attended a Salon where 7 or 8 singers and friends got together to share repertories and inspirations. After the singing part, the host played a series of opera repertoires sang by stars from 1920-1930. In those days people didn't have the necessary recording and editing equipment to make the singing"seamless" by editing the breaths out, record on two tracks, etc like they are doing commonly today to the studio singers, in order to make the singing "perfect". However, when all factor are accounted for, the voice does what it is designated for- pure singing. I can hear the resonance, the verbrato, and even the traces of breathing was attractive enough it gave me a better perspective on what the modern signings are lacking, as we depend heavily on technical support. Just like painting, we often refer back to the old masters from 15th-19th century, to gain fresher perspective to our own motif, the source of inspiration and influence.

I thought we begin with one of my all time fav diva,

Licia Albanese

PRIMA DONNA???

Rufus Wainwright's Prima Donna has been the topic ever since he began composing it. The met doesn't want it, but Rufus keep trying. What do you think?

How can I forget???

HD festival 2010 --Metropolitan Opera

The curtain opens, the lights dim, the overture begins...
Met HD summer festival is a free event, yes, it is F R E E! Go enjoy yourself!

RECENT RELEASED ART FILMS

Opera Sephro- Rehearsal

I love the way Sephro is written for many reasons-first, it's about life on other planets; Then there's the beautiful singing :) Here's a very short clip of one of the rehearsals. The opera will premier in September, coincides with the Fringe festival 2010. We are having a lot of fun putting it together. The opera is directed by Dorothy Cardella. To know more about Fringe Festival, go to http://www.livearts-fringe.org/

Something isn't meant to happen at age 8

Ok, I just had say something. I came across this today. It's an obvious young and talent girl singing "Oh mio babino caro". Anyone who has vocal background would NOT have done this to their kid. Maybe to most people, this young girl processes the kind of beautiful, mature voice that almost mimics Dame Fleming. But she is no Fleming. Not that I am being overly critical, this girl is obviously well stage trained; she is confident and vocally articulate. However, when you listen to how she is singing, you will hear that she's trained to suppress her vocal muscle, in order to produce a broader, more colored voice. Everyone can do it, but it is extremely dangerous as such habit can result in permanent vocal damage. People are pushing this girl so hard on stage, that they are trying to force a "moment" on her while she is eternally NOT ready. If she continues vocalizing like this, a sad ending is almost eminent. The media is on its quest to generate younger and younger stars, targeting audience's interest in younger talent. This girl is too young and confused to understand that right now, when she does one day, it maybe too late. People shouldn't do this to someone so talented and defenseless! It hurts me to see that...Something isn't meant to happen at age 8.

The most amazing Vocal Work Shop

Last weekend I attended a Vocal Works Shop, and it. was. amazing. At first I was very skeptical, I thought this was going to be just another vocal AA meeting-"Hello, my name is xxx and I love to sing..." The work shop started from some quick vocal exercises to A Cappella. The people, came from all background, some were more familiar with each other than others. The process of learning a short song can be amazingly efficient. Only a few minutes on each, we managed to go through several songs in less than 30 minutes. Some people brought in songs to teach the group, again I was amazed at our natural talent in learning and singing something so quickly. The work shop was "paper less", even though there were sheet music involved. People who came in with their own songs, taught others to sing the way they did, it was interesting learning songs with different teachers in different styles . My favorite part of the workshop was when people all sang the same note together, first the same key, different duration then everyone stood up, eyes closed, sang anything came to the mind like free-range Turkeys. When our visual sensor is taken away, we rely on other sensors- hearing, motion change, etc. Anyway, I could hear everyone, and I was not afraid of contributing my own voice in find that harmony within the whole composition. It was so amazing, I actually teared up when we opened our eyes. I recommend this between couples as well. Anyone can do this exercise. It's all about trusting in others and relax our inner senses.
Below is song brought in by one of the singers. It's a poem by Emily Dickinson, and it was amazing singing it with a room full of people. Never give up hope:)