Browsing all posts in May, 2010.
This Week in History
by Christie Connolley This week in history, legendary diva Rosa Ponselle died on May 25, 1981 at the age of 84. Check out this fantastic old school recording of Ernani involami.
The Private Dancer of An Opera Singer
by Alexis Charles-Papillion As a dancer who is the daughter of an opera singer, I understand what most mainstream communities don’t…. Beyond the glitz and glam of music and other forms of entertainment, the performing arts industry is held together by millions of people who are striving to perfect their craft. If you’re not spraining [...]
Competition Listings Update: May 27th
by Christie Connolley Are you tired of paying fees to access competition notices? So are we! Every Thursday morning, Operagasm presents a fresh update of competition listings. We would be happy to include your competition notice in a full story during the week and/or in the Thursday listing, please submit your notice by emailing competitions@operagasm.com. Young Concert Artists Deadline: [...]
Word of The Day!
by Erica Papillion-Posey The more I delve in to the art of opera- the more I absolutely love it and all the history that comes along it! One of my favorite phrases, “We know but we don’t really know,” often sums up my life experiences. On a daily basis, as students, patrons and performers of [...]
Kiri Gets Katty!
by Christie Connolley Recently New Zealand soprano, Kiri Te Kanawa, was asked for her thoughts on British break-out songstress Susan Boyle, who rose to fame in rags to riches fashion after appearing on Britain’s Got Talent. Kiri responded, “Let’s get off that subject. Move on. I’m doing something classical, not whiz-bang. Whiz-bang disappears. It goes [...]
Separation Anxiety- A Family’s What If’s….
by Erica Papillion-Posey What can I say- my family is everything to me, always front and center when ever and where ever I’m ready to flex my vocal prowess. I sometimes feel guilty about the downright frenzy my performance life can put them through. Practicing when they want peace and quiet, driving me to this and that [...]
Tunes with Toons: Disney’s Fantasia
by Melissa Wimbish I may have been in my twenties before I actually watched Fantasia from start to finish without falling asleep. Not to imply that it’s boring…it just relaxed me so much I couldn’t help dozing. It’s certainly a great remedy for restless nights, trust me it works every time! Here is a clip [...]
Affordable Opera Options in NYC!
by Christie Connolley Frommers.com recently published a list of affordable options for Opera in NYC. Let’s face it, not everyone can shell out hundreds of dollars for a night at the Met (of course you can save money here to by opting for standing room, but leave your Jimmy Choo’s at home!) Companies that made [...]
Chabrier’s “L’Étoile” Not Getting Enough LOVE….
The composer Emmanuel Chabrier was on close terms with Impressionistic painters, even appearing as a subject in Degas’s painting L’Orchestre and in two portraits by Manet. Among the writers he counted as friends was Paul Verlaine, who wrote texts for him to set to music. He was known and admired by leading French composers of [...]
YouTube Clip of the Week
by Christie Connolley I guess as singers we should feel lucky that this isn’t even a remotely possible fail for us!
