A fine example of a good colleague.

by Melissa Wimbish

In our final week of upgrading, can we just review some of the basic rules of being a good colleague? That’s my Question of the Week. Oh, and this is going to be the feature today because it’s important.

Let me get on this soap box right quick with a little Top Eleven and a question: Why are people assholes? I’m a fan of Ayn Rand’s books, so I feel like I get this whole “being selfish is okay depending on how you define selfish” thing, but some “things” are just getting a little psycho-dumb. For those that are not familiar with Rand’s concept of “good” selfishness, it’s basically just her way of saying that there’s nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments and trying to succeed and that people shouldn’t be manipulated by their society to be so charitable especially if it’s at the expense of their individual success. Now, keep in mind, these books are like thousands of pages long, so if you’re some Ayn Rand genius person scholar, don’t go hating on my synopsis. I blog.

Anyway, I certainly don’t understand how not even considering consideration is becoming more of the norm in our artistic professions! Save it for the airplane and the annoying instances on the sidewalk. May I just answer my own Question of the Week with some of my basic rules of being a good colleague? I may? Thanks.

Number one: Don’t be an asshole.

Number two: Do say “hello” and introduce yourself to your colleagues without being a total snob.

Number three: Smile occasionally.

Number four: If you’re always musically unprepared, just quit and do something else. (Everyone learns differently, so I’m not suggesting that if you don’t learn music fast you should quit. Just suggesting that if you just flat out don’t do your work, then you probably suck and should find something you don’t suck at. If you suck at everything, go into politics. That’s probably the safest place for you.)

Number five: Do not give feedback about someone’s vocal technique unless you are ASKED which will probably never ever happen. Are you serious right now? No, are you seriously talking right now?

Number six: Focus at rehearsal. Camaraderie is awesome and throwing down the occasional laughable comment is fun, but for real, sometimes I wonder if people are coming to rehearsal to get better at performing, or to see how many witty things they can say in hopes that they’ll be remembered and thought of as the “cute” and “fun” one. STFup! You are annoying.

Number seven: Collaborate!!!! Don’t play dumb. It’s not cute. Stop talking in that stupid, high-pitched voice like you don’t know anything. If you like that high-pitched voice, go work for Maxim or hand out Red Bull samples on the street or something.

Number eight: Do not send emails to other people about stuff they did that pissed you off. If you can’t find a way to bring it up in person, then try having the conversation with yourself in front of the mirror and see what you come up with. If you want to punch yourself in the face, do… and then probably don’t say whatever you just said to the mirror in real life. If by the end of this session with the mirror, you haven’t worked something out, then it’s probably not that important and you should drop it. Email trains are nastier than real-live ones. It’s a very dangerous way of communicating. So is blogging? :/ NO, it’s not.

Number nine: Don’t knowingly flirt with the boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/partner/WHATEVER!!!! of anyone — but especially not people you’re working with. And don’t give me that, “I wasn’t flirting, we just really had a lot in common!” No, you didn’t. You are just so desperate to be liked that rather than take a risk and be personable or awesome with your actual colleague(s), you’d prefer to try hitting it off with their significant other because you think maybe if you can get that person to like you, it will inspire some sort of attention from the real target. Take the normally blank space that makes up your brain matter and fill it with the image of a firm hand slapping you in the face every time this seems like a good idea.

Number ten: Share candy.

Number eleven: Try to anticipate other people’s needs sometimes. Just try? Remember, Bubba said, “You can sit here if you want” before Forrest had to ask and you know what he got? Saved from getting blown up. Instead he died peacefully on a beach in the arms of his best friend because he ANTICIPATED. (Yeah, Jenny did, too, but she was really kind of a bitch for the rest of the movie, so Bubba gets props.)

I realize that this list is probably the result of only getting three hours of sleep and not yet having eaten my Chipotle burrito today. Yes, this post was inspired by real life events that have happened to me and probably you. I hope we can all be nice and considerate from now on so that outbursts like this can be prevented and I can go back to being know as the “cute” and “fun” one. Barf.

The Apple iPad is a portable and practical resource for the voice studio. Here are some apps I’ve found useful (or not!) Most apps, once downloaded via wifi, don’t need internet connection in the studio. Apps range in cost from free to a few dollars. Some of the higher end recording and medical apps are considerably more expensive but not necessarily better for our teaching purposes than less expensive apps.

ANATOMY APPS
I generally like the 99cent 3D anatomy apps by medicmake. They are fun, easy to navigate, and the 3D rotation gives the student a different perspective than 2D line drawings. These apps are probably not detailed enough for medical students but are perfect for a quick vocal anatomy review during a voice lesson.   http://www.1572-8.com/aaaa-iPhone-Dev-folder/medicmakewebsite/medicmake3D.html

1) 3D Respiratory System
I use this one the most! Detail and vivid colors clearly show the student exactly where the lungs and diaphragm are located. (And that the diaphragm cannot possibly fill with air, as so many young students believe!) In addition to a full view of the Respiratory System, there are separate 3D views of the Pharinx (Pharynx), Trachea, Lungs, Lobar Bronchus, Diaphragm. In the separate views, the body part stays anchored is its relative position, but you can turn it sideways, upside down, front, back…making it easy to see where the organ or muscle is attached. The app also has a Lungs Encyclopedia for further study outside of the lesson.

2) 3D Skeletal Anatomy
Use for colorful and detailed movable 3D images of the Head, Chest, Arms, Pelvis, and Legs. Within each general area there are specific 3D images. For example, Head view breaks down to G Skull, Skull Top, Mandible, and Teeth. Its easy to show how the mandible is separate from the skull (and that humans have a jaw not jaws plural!) I love turning the skull upside down to show that the spine is in the center of the skull.

3) 3D Brain Anatomy
This app doesn’t have as many 3D views as I’d like, but it is useful to show the relative size of the human brain (and how small analytical/critical “lizard” brain is.) There is an extensive brain encyclopedia in this app, but I will probably only use it for the 3D images. Still worth a dollar.

4) ILarynx http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ilarynx/id396637170?mt=8
I’m not a fan of this app, which I only purchased because the price was dropped to 99cents. There is very little explanation, and the drawings are simplistic. I was hoping for 3D views of the vocal tract (as in the excellent medicmake apps above), however the only function here is to awkwardly guide a scope through a mouth into the vocal tract to view the vocal folds. Nice idea, but it needs a lot of work. Its not worth a buck and I will delete this app.

More Reviews coming for iPad Apps for the Voice Studio.  In the meantime, while you are waiting for your student who forgot his lesson, download HD Solitaire or Angry BirdsHD for iPad!
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Cynthia Vaughn is co-author of the popular college textbook/song anthology The Singing Book with Meribeth Dayme and is a former editor/feature writer for Classical Singer. Vaughn is the vocal literature coordinator for the NATS Intern Program and has been an adjudicator/clinician for masterclasses and presentations for NATS, MTNA, MENC, College Music Society, and Classical Singer conventions. Vaughn has 25+ years experience as an independent studio teacher in CO, CA, NY, IL, and OH and was on the voice faculty at Colorado State University, Cedarville University, and Arvada Center for the Arts. In 2008, Vaughn founded Magnolia Music Studio in Fort Collins, Colorado. She has a thriving business teaching a wide range of singers and styles, including professional singers and recording artists, actors and dancers, teens and beginning adult “recreational” singers. She uses a variety of web-based and stand-alone technology to manage her studio, which now includes contractor instructors for voice, harp, fiddle, and flute.

Magnolia Music Studio (“Like” us on Facebook)

A special thanks to Naxos for providing this recording for review!

by Danielle Buonaiuto

When I popped in the Esther Schapira documentary on the life and career of Luciano Pavarotti, I wasn’t expecting to learn anything I didn’t know about the great Italian tenor the world called the King of the High C’s.  Raised on a steady diet of Pavarotti and Friends, blared at top volume while my Italian father washed the car and sang along at the top of his lungs, I know more trivia on Pavarotti than the most seasoned opera buff.  And yet, Schapira’s documentary opened a window into Pavarotti’s personal life that I hadn’t expected.

Amidst the familiar recordings and archival footage of Luciano in his prime, singing “Che Gelida Manina” in the famous Modena production of La Bohème, or clutching the beloved handkerchief in photos from his first solo recital at Carnegie Hall, a steady stream of family photos, endearing home videos, and revealing interviews with the individuals closest to Pavarotti paints a picture of a man to whom there was much more than a miraculous voice.  The people who knew him best — Herbert Breslin, his manager; Mirella Freni, the diva with whom he grew up; Adua Veroni, his first wife; and Edwin Tinoco, his faithful assistant of 12 years – show us relics of his life and career, and answer questions about Luciano the teenager, father, and master chef, and while it is clear that to each of them he was special, he was not perfect.

The documentary traces Pavarotti’s career through its humble beginnings in Modena, to his rise to stardom with Breslin at the helm, to his earth-shattering success in Milano, London, and New York.  But it never romanticizes Pavarotti; for every tale of success, there is Adua explaining how Luciano was never at home, and for every triumphant photo, there are images of Pavarotti growing larger and larger as the years pass, trying to fill a void that his astral career somehow did not.

The excellent interviews are what makes this picture of Luciano Pavarotti so human and so well-rounded.  Adua is frank and does not mince words, while Tinoco, the archivist of Pavarotti’s career, provides photos and relics heretofore unseen.  Breslin’s stories from the front line always provide some insight into what Pavarotti the businessman was really like, and interviews with Mirella Freni and another childhood friend, also named Luciano, reveal anecdotes that even I hadn’t heard.  There is even an appearance by Bono for good measure.  If the documentary itself leaves you wanting more, there is a bonus 35 minutes of footage comprised of extended interviews with (slightly spaced-out) Bono, José Carreras, Herbert Breslin, and Joseph Volpe, from the Metropolitan Opera.

It’s also nice to hear the voice of Schapira from behind the camera, reminding us from time to time that this was a documentary made from her own interviews and research, and with journalistic acumen.  Her questioning produces detailed and eloquent answers – in German, English, and Italian – and the camera work places us within the intimate circle of Pavarotti’s friends and family with whom she spent so much time.

Though the chronology skips around slightly and it therefore requires some effort to assemble the timeline of Pavarotti’s life, the film is packed with footage and photos that are a veritable museum of the private Pavarotti.  The ubiquitous recordings of beloved arias and video and stills from his most famous productions don’t hurt either – there is even a clip from the ill-advised movie Yes, Giorgio that Pavarotti did in 1982 – and make this a great watch for any die-hard Pavarotti fan.

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Danielle Buonaiuto is a Canadian soprano of Italian heritage, who is gaining a reputation for striking a successful balance in her performance career between thoughtful, original executions of traditional repertoire, and compelling interpretations of new compositions. She recently made her debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Knabe 1 in Die Zauberflöte just days before she gave the premiere of Purple King, a song cycle by emerging composer Jeff Zeiders.

Danielle is deeply committed to new music, and frequently premieres the work of contemporary and emerging composers. She recently recorded songs on Sappho fragments for voice and piano by Toronto composer Adam Scime, as well as Purple King. Stage premieres include The Children’s Crusade by R. Murray Schafer with Soundstreams Canada and the 2009 Luminato Festival, and Peter Fischer’s O D’Amarti o Morire with Toronto Chamber Opera Productions.

Danielle is the third-prize winner of the 31st Eckhardt-Gramatté National New Music Competition, a Peabody Career Development Grant and entrance scholarship recipient, and a two-time recipient of the Board of Governors Award from the University of Western Ontario,where she completed her Bachelor of Music. Danielle is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studies with Phyllis Bryn-Julson.

Recent engagements at Peabody include Javotte in Manon in November with the Peabody Opera Theatre, the Italienisches Liederbuch with pianist Ka Nyoung Yoo and performances of Pierrot Lunaire with Gemma New conducting, and in the wider Baltimore community, an appearance with Mobtown Modern Concert Series.

Danielle moved to Baltimore after a year of study and travel in Europe, and returns to travel and sing in Italy, Germany and Switzerland whenever she can. For Danielle’s schedule, media and other information, please visit www.daniellebuonaiuto.com

A special thanks to Naxos for providing this recording for review!

by Matthew Scrivner

There’s a confession I have to make before this review begins. Before taking on this assignment, I had never heard of Carlo Colombara. That said, after watching Carlo Colombara: The Art of the Bass he has become one of my absolute favorite interpreters of the great moments in opera to be a bass. A DVD like this one is what happens when a top singer of dramatic repertoire combines with some of the world’s finest orchestras, conductors, and leading innovators in opera production. In addition to musicians and directors, a team of seventy people worked for the Spanish companies Opera and Flamenco Productions and Ópera Actual magazine to create a lavish production centered around the vocal and acting prowess of Carlo Colombara. This particular recording includes a flamenco dancing introduction, “Votre Toast” from Bizet’s Carmen, “Ella giammai m’amò” from Verdi’s Don Carlo, “La Calunnia” from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, “Il lacerato spirito” from Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, ‘Vous qui faites l’endormie” from Gounod’s Faust, “Tu sul labbro” from Verdi’s Nabucco, “Ecco il mondo” from Boïto’s Mefistofele, “Mentre gonfiarsi l’anima parea” from Verdi’s Attila, Aleko’s Cavatina from Rachmaninov’s Aleko, and “Farewell, my son” from Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov.

The opening sequence features a drummer, a tap dancer, and a musician clapping to create a rhythm for the lead dancer representing Carmen, who proceeds to do some incredible flamenco dancing. This introduction is shot in the same space as the famous Toreador aria scene that follows. Both the introduction and the aria ooze sensuality and are a glorious representation of Bizet’s music.

It is not only the performers who sparkle in this collection of scenes. Nearly every filming location is an ornately decorated palace or cathedral covered in beautiful paintings and the elaborate precious metal gilding of the Baroque and Rococo periods. In addition to excellent locations, the power of silent drama is never neglected. The scene from Don Carlo features the complete long orchestral introduction to the King’s recitative and aria. Despite having nearly 5 minutes on screen without a line to sing, I was never left with the impression that Colombara was waiting for his moment to start. From the beginning to the end, he was a perfectly world-weary and lonely King Philip II.

Throughout his career it has been as an interpreter of Verdi and Mefistofele that Colombara has garnered his highest praise. The reasons for both are evident in spades from the performances of “Tu sul labbro” and “Ecco il mondo” in particular on this recording. The Nabucco aria showcases his control of the long legato line and effortless change in register required in nearly all Verdi arias. Colombara’s line is so smooth and hypnotic even through the ornaments of the prayer’s second half, it is difficult to believe that nearly six minutes have passed before the scene ends. The Boïto aria showcases his effortless control of the extended upper register while maintaining a sinister presence as the Prince of Darkness himself. This scene is recommended for mature consumption only due to the highly erotic nature of the staging and topless dancing demonesses.

There are a few things about the DVD that did not excite me as much as the rest. Certain of the vignettes are extremely difficult to understand. For example the performance of “La Calunnia”. Colombara is made up to resemble a certain dark wizard who must not be named and spends the entire aria throwing red and white balls around a ball pit in the middle of a lavish palace suite. Equally as confounding to me was the choice to set “Vous qui faites” in a jazz club reminiscent of Golden Era Hollywood. The other staging oddity was in Aleko’s Cavatina when at the end there is a sudden explosion of light from the church altar behind the dancer portraying Aleko’s gypsy lover Zemfira. The original OFP production includes a “making of” section sadly missing from the Naxos DVD that likely explains the thoughts behind these less immediately accessible choices.

Despite a few figurative and literal sour notes, the moments of absolute greatness make this DVD a must- see for anyone who appreciates or wishes to learn about the bass repertoire, or the opera buff looking for great singing and great scenes.

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Bass-Baritone Matthew Scrivner is a DMA Voice Performance student  in the Conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he is also finishing work on a Master’s in Musicology.  Mainstage roles at the Conservatory have included Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Colline in La Bohéme.. Outside of the Conservatory Matthew is newly appointed Adjunct Voice Faculty at Avila University, a member of the chorus in the upcoming production of Nixon in China at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and has been seen on the concert stage as bass soloist for the cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden and the Bethel College presentation of Verdi’s Requiem, also as bass soloist.

Let me upgrade you…..Love that Beyonce song! Here we are January 2012. I would like to start by asking this one question. Since last year at this time, what have you done to UPGRADE you? It could be your love life, health, personal relationships or dare I ask……..your career as a singer. For the sake of being verbose I’ll choose “career” to focus on for this article.  With that in mind, I’ll ask you once again, what have you done to upgrade your career since last year at this time? As I reflect on a particular goal I set for career last December for 2011, I am proud to say that I met that goal and went beyond.

After going through a crappy divorce and finding myself a single parent. I was not sure which way to go with my career. I was really stumped. I sat and made a list of things I knew that had to be done in order continue to thrive in my music career. What I realized is that I had an entire network of friends who I could go to and ask for advice.  As professional musicians, we often feel the need to have to ALWAYS know what we are doing and how we are going to do. Sometimes life throws all sorts of craziness at us which in turns throws us for a loop and leaves us scratching our heads.

The first thing to upgrading you, as a performing artist, is have a heart to heart talk with yourself. Really look at your flaws. Ask yourself are you where you want to be in your career. If not then write down things that you think are hindering your progress. Here is where you must be brutally honest with yourself. Write down every single character flaw you have. Remember it is for your eyes only.  With those flaws in mind, work on them one by one and start doing things that will help correct them. Keep in mind it takes 30 days to break a bad habit and thirty days to make a new habit.  Set a goal for yourself.

Secondly, remember your friends are there to help you. Many times I have scheduled a “business meeting” with my friends to discuss the business at hand….ME. Before I schedule our “business meeting” I write down specific questions about what I would like to do and what THEY think is the best way to get there. When it comes down to it, your true friends know you better than anyone. Your TRUE friends will be the ones to call a spade a spade and give you the honest truth when you ask for it…..along with encouragement. Together, you can take the constructive criticism and turn it into a workable game plan. Keep in mind the friends that you seek out for professional advice should be a professional themselves with some working knowledge about the business.

Lastly, make technology your (for lack of a better word) slave. The Internet is often free and if you do not have immediate access of a computer, you can always make a visit to your local library.  Use all of the social media tools that you can get your hands on and start a blog. Many web sites offer free hosting and design. Just a few years ago we used to send much of our press information via “snail mail”. Now it is just a click away. Put together a professional looking EPK (electronic press kit) to send to your contacts and for goodness sake PLEASE do not pay anyone hundreds of dollars to do what you can do yourself. If time is a factor than maybe.  However me being the control freak that I am, I end up doing it myself anyway.

We have chosen a path (the performing arts) that requires our time, effort and attention. Money will always be a factor. After my divorce, there were many times I was not sure how I was going to afford to make ends meet between singing jobs. I did the unthinkable…..I ditched my cable. I was able to save a little over $1,000.00 dollars by the end of the year that I was able to reinvest into head shots and audition transportation. Being a performing artist is an investment…..always keep in mind that you want a “return” on your investment and to always spend at least 10 minutes out of the day to UPGRADE YOU!
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Award winning mezzo soprano, Bridgette Cooper was named one of the “Voices of the New Millennium” making her Carnegie Hall debut in the Weill Recital Hall. Most recently, Ms. Cooper was presented in recital to rave reviews at the historic Star Spangled Banner Museum, The Green and Gorgeous Event benefiting the American Heart Association and  the 2011 Caribbean American Heritage Awards, which was televised throughout New York, Florida and the Caribbean. She was included as Outstanding Alumni of East Carolina University School of Music of summer2010 and nominated for Outstanding Alumni of 2011. Her debut CD Heavenly Grass: Great American Art Songs remained on The Music Arts Center Top 10 Chart for over five weeks. Bridgette’s guest soloist engagements also include singing for The People’s Inaugural Luncheon Honoring First Lady Michelle Obama and the Independence Day Celebration of the Bahamas hosted by Ambassador of the Bahamas, His Excellency Joshua Sears, which celebrates her Bahamian heritage. Her operatic and recital performances have led to several outstanding reviews in throughout Europe, the United States. Ms. Cooper is the recipient of several awards including the Paul Robeson National Vocal Competition,  Marjorie Lawrence International Vocal Competition,  Bel Canto Competition of Chicago, the YWCA Studio Club Competition,  International Who’s Who of Professional and Business Women, and  Ms. American Achievement of District of Columbia and the National Association of Teachers of Singing state and Regional Finalist. She is also contributing columnist for Smooth Jazz Beach Radio and Operagasm.com. Bridgette received her Bachelor of Music in Opera Performance from East Carolina University where she was awarded outstanding College students of  America and then went on to study at the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Her CD is available on Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walden Books, and all digital distribution outlets.

You can follow Bridgette on Twitter @bridgettcooper and FB Bridgette Cooper, Mezzo Soprano

by George Shirley

It took us a long time to get in. Are we looking at a fast exit? 1945 was the point of entry, a mere 65 years ago when Todd Duncan broke the color barrier with his debut with the New York City Opera, the first instance of an established opera company signing a black singer to a performance contract in America.

The intervening years have seen a steady parade of entrants into the field, and roles have gratefully not been limited to “black” characters like Aida, Otello, and Monostatos. However, I sense in today’s casting trends a burgeoning focus upon physical presence akin to that which rules in the film, TV, and musical theatre genres. If, at the time of audition, one does not by birth or surgical alteration look like the director’s vision of the character, one’s chances of being hired are practically nil.

The recent departure of Italian soprano Daniela Dessi from a production of La Traviata scheduled for the Rome Opera resulted from the director Franco Zeffirelli’s criticism of her physical size: “She is not exactly the kind of woman who is likely to die of tuberculosis.” An old criticism to be sure, the same as was leveled at Sra. Salvini-Donatelli who sang the premiere of the opera in 1853. Both audience and critics, however, praised Sra. Salvatini-Donatelli’s singing. In spite of her avoirdupois, which occasioned at least one rude response from the audience during the performance, her vocal artistry carried the day. The fact remains that many of history’s greatest interpreters of the role of Violetta would have been denied an opportunity to perform the role if general managers of opera companies had prized their singers’ physiques over their ability to sing the score.

In a misguided attempt to bring “reality” into operatic production, many directors are following Zeffirelli’s lead in demanding that singers look like the director’s idea of the character even before they put on make-up and costume. This attitude strikes at the very heart of the essence of opera, subordinating the voice –the primary interest in opera– to the shallow realm of visual looks. Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner wrote for voices, not for looks. The art of the costumier, wig master, and make-up artist has historically provided the visual eye candy to compensate for whatever Nature has failed to bestow upon possessors of great voices that can sing the music. Why go for glamour over the quality of voice great composers doubtless had in mind when they created the masterworks we love to perform and hear? Do the visuals validate opera, or does the reality sought by directors live supremely within the music?

Opera is the most unreal of all theatrical art forms and, arguably, one of –if not the– most powerful. We humans don’t go around singing to each other in everyday life; thus, any attempt to claim reality in opera by insisting that performers look the part is defeated from the outset. In real life, stout people are loved by thin, and short by tall; Blacks, Whites, Catholics and Jews intermarry; criminals don’t always look like stereotypical villains. This is reality. In opera, however, sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, and basses portray characters fundamentally through singing. Their voices must be capable of meeting the technical and expressive demands of the music, and their interpretative skill must bring the music to life in a manner that rings true to life as portrayed in the musical score. The audience must consent to play its part in the game by suspending disbelief, accepting the stout Violetta with a great voice as a consumptive heroine, and the black Des Grieux as a French nobleman. Within this synergy exists the sole reality of which opera is capable.

My great concern in all the current “Hollywood-izing” of opera is that African Americans, who, after all, don’t generally look Caucasian, will now be faced with yet another hurdle to leap when the director says, “Wonderful voice, but you don’t look like Mimì or Rodolfo!” Observing the successes of singers like Leontyne Price, Simon Estes, Vinson Cole, Shirley Verrett, Jessye Norman, Denyce Graves, Lawrence Brownlee, Grace Bumbry, and Martina Arroyo, to name but a few who have made their operatic mark over the past six-and-a-half decades, I am concerned for the future of young black singers who train for operatic careers today. Do they stand to encounter a new-old barrier erected on their path, one that, although spawned from a different fish, bears the same old smell of denial of access due to circumstances beyond their control? While it is true that the reject bin created by today’s penchant for physical typecasting will not be populated exclusively with birds of dark hue, to what extent might the return of this old wolf in sheep’s clothing bode ill for the operatic future of black singers? Alternatively, might this sharpening focus on physical type provide an opportunity to strengthen the art form, expand its reach, and secure the future of operatic performance in America and globally through the creation of new works that make capital of our racial diversity?

Operas like Danielpour’s Margaret Garner and Davis’s X (The Life and Times of Malcolm X) point the way to the growth of an operatic repertoire that has the advantages of being based upon American history and representing Americans of all races in roles that range from hero/heroine to villain. If looks are becoming the driver of the operatic enterprise, then the time is ripe for composers black and white to step up to the plate and swat out music dramas that tell our story with honesty, power, and with great music that requires great singing. Casting of such works will require hiring black singers for leading roles, thus ensuring our place in the operatic sun. Let this trend become an opportunity to create opera anew in the American image, thereby giving the world a fresh and powerful operatic repertoire that reflects the best and worst of the human condition American style. Our rich heritage can produce opera libretti galore that, once mined and set to music, will ensure for every Rigoletto contract awarded to a non-minority baritone, one role of like significance assigned perforce to a baritone of color because, like that of Porgy, the role demands it.

To young singers who desire careers, I say, “Be ultra-prepared.” In studying, build perfection in layers. Solidify your vocal technique; master every detail and nuance of every language you sing in; know the score as perfectly as the conductor; develop your interpretative ideas from the score and libretto so that you don’t arrive at the first rehearsal an empty vessel waiting to be filled; in sum, don’t give anyone a legitimate opportunity to criticize any aspect of your artistry. A tall order? Yes, but not impossible! See to those things you can do to become competitive, and don’t sweat the petty stuff!

Barriers of one sort or another will always be players in this game; given this verity, one must determine to destroy, go around, go over, or go through them in order to realize one’s potential and live the life one is given. Under no circumstances should one throw in the towel until life itself dictates it must be done; until such time, my advice to young singers of color is to pursue your dream come hell or tsunami!

© 2010 George Shirley

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The black American tenor and teacher, George Irving Shirley, began music lessons at age 6, when his family relocated to Detroit, Michigan. He was active as a vocalist at churches in the area and as a baritone horn player in a local band. He entered Wayne State University in Detroit as a music education major, receiving his bachelors degree in 1955. He was drafted into the military the following year and became the first African-American member of the United States Army Chorus. After his discharge in 1959, he continued studying voice with Therny Georgi in Washington, D.C.; then he moved to New York, continuing his vocal training there with Cornelius Reid. In New York his professional career began.

George Shirley made his debut with a small opera troupe at Woodstock, New York, as Eisenstein in their production of Die Fledermaus. He then journeyed to Italy and made his European debut as Rodolfo in the Puccini opera, La Boheme. In 1961, he won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions by performing Nessum dorma, beginning an eleven-year association with the house. While at the Met, he sang a 28 different roles from 26 operas, especially those of Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and Wagner.

From the 1960’s to the present, George Shirley has performed on the concert stage, singing recitals and oratorios. He has premiered several works during his career, on both the concert and operatic stages. In recent years, he again became involved with education. He taught at the University of Maryland from 1980 until he accepted a position at the University of Michigan in 1987, where he currently serves as the Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Voice.

George Shirley is a tenor whose voice has been known for its vibrancy and flexibility. His power and richness of sound easily filled a opera house or a concert hall.

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”  (The Tao of Show Business.  How to Pursue Your Dream Without Losing Your Mind, Dallas Travers).

When I first read those words, the answer rushed at me with surprising speed and accuracy, diving to the center of my heart like a swift jolt of truth before the fears and doubts could take hold.  Even after the hesitation and struggles that followed, the answer had set up house within me and would remain there demanding action.  It was time for the next step, the leap, the upgrade, the “up-level.”

Last Spring, I took a deep breath as I walked through the backstage halls back to the dressing room, my body still humming from the performance long after the curtain came down on the closing performance of the show.  This would be my last performance, I had decided, as a non-paid actor.  One might think that in that moment I would be overcome with excited anticipation or a feeling of pride for having made the decision, but that wasn’t entirely true.  It felt more like the momentary pause before a leap of which I was certain of survival, but still felt, while hovering midflight between the world I was leaving and the world coming towards me, that I might still fall to earth in flames.  I sat in front of the dressing room mirror and took a long look at the eyes staring back at me, knowing I wouldn’t be coming around this way again.  I had decided a few days before to finally gain my Equity status, leaving Community Theater behind.

A week later I found myself walking briskly down Broadway towards the Equity office with the substantial initiation fee gripped in my hand.  In a moment of serendipity, a man in front of me stopped suddenly, his phone in his hand, and said loudly to his friend, “I got a callback!” before embracing and lifting her off the ground.  Later on the 14^th floor I handed over my money, still smiling from the earlier encounter as I took the moment in.  My feelings volleyed between the exhilaration of stepping on the bigger stage and the fear of never stepping on the stage again.  Was the smaller fish ready for the bigger sea?  Was I good enough?

As I tucked my temporary Equity card in my purse, my eyes shined with happy tears, because I remembered why I was doing this and why the not doing it would have served up the undesirable, regret-laden alternative.  I remembered how much I wanted to be challenged and pushed….and paid.  I have always felt the most alive when skirting the edge of profound possibilities.  The greatest rewards are found on the flipside of risk.  All of us in this business are doers with dreams and we know that despite whatever discouragements (most unfounded) we are dished; we live for moments like the one seen in the street with the happy couple getting the happy news.  It all comes down to deciding that you will put in the work and reap the rewards the next level offers because you simply love it more than anything else.

In the months that followed, I threw myself into auditions, acting classes, dance classes, and a very intensive 42-Day Book a Job Challenge, which imparted valuable marketing and networking skills, and elements beyond the craft that are  an essential part in the reaching of our goals.

This month at an audition for a Broadway show, I handed the prompter my audition card, resume and headshot, chatted and laughed with the other singers as we waited our turn in the audition room.  I opened my songbook a final time to double check that my 16-bar selection, which I moved to the front, was at the ready for easy access once inside the room.  Although the butterflies danced in my stomach, as is always the case, the calm quickly settled in, a calm finally obtained after several dozen Equity auditions were under my belt.   As I heard each singer enter the room and sing quite splendidly and competently, I smiled at the simple satisfaction felt being in the game at this new level and that this new level had made me better than I had ever hoped.   I have had off days and so-so auditions as well as good ones too.  But on that day, I gave the audition of my life.  In that moment, every fear I had ever harbored about my decision to dive into the bigger sea was dispelled.

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”  I am grateful to answer that it is what I’m finally doing now.
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A Texas native, Amy Armstrong began her formal training at the University of North Texas studying classical voice even though she began singing musical theatre at a young age.  Although starting out singing regularly with opera companies such as the Denver Opera Company, Opera Colorado and the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Amy decided to return to musical theatre and has sung several roles including Sarah in Guys & Dolls, Margaret in The Light in the Piazza and Julie in Carousel.  Past roles have included the title role in Suor Angelica, Laurey, Oklahoma!, Luisa in The Fantasticks, and Edith, in Pirates of Penzance.  Amy currently performs with the Voices of the Pops under the direction of Two-time Grammy Award-Winning pianist Peter Nero and the Philadelphia Pops Orchestra, as well as the Philadelphia Singers where she has sung numerous concerts at Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York.  Her greatest competitive venture was being a two-time Regional Finalist in Metropolitan Opera Council’s Rocky Mountain Region Auditions.  Amy is a regular columnist for Stage Magazine, a past guest contributor for Operagasm and regularly chronicles her challenges and triumphs in her pursuit of a full time singing career through her blog, www.operamouth.wordpress.com .

by Blair Skinner

Deutsche Oper Berlin
DVD Recording of Don Giovanni – September 24, 1961 

Art Haus Musik’s 2011 release of the 1961 Deutsche Oper Berlin performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni offers not only a unique perspective on this monumental work of art, but an important historical artifact in the history of Western culture. After almost twenty years of the de-Nazification process that occurred as a result of the Allied victory in World War II, German nationalism was too often viewed as synonymous with Nazism. In 1961, while in the face of Soviet oppression, the city of Berlin reopened the doors of their opera house with a piece of music and theater that showcased the positive attributes of German and Austrian culture. The information provided in the liner notes gives insight to the importance of this production as a matter of post-war German nationalism and an attempt to re-enter the world’s artistic scene after coming out from under the shroud of the Third Reich.

The most striking feature of the performance was the youthful interpretation of the piece by Maestro Ferenc Fricsay. It is extremely rare to hear a Mozart performance from a conductor of that generation without having been struck with the blunt force of a stodgy, self-indulgent, and antiquated aesthetic that was meant to stay under lock and key in the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. Fricsay’s approach however is very much in keeping with today’s historical performance experts as far as tempi, phrasing, and melodic inflection. There are moments that wax slightly Romantic on the part of the singers, namely Fischer-Dieskau (who sings the title role). The energy and bravura that poured out of this rendering was easily comparable to a performance by James Levine, Sir Charles Mackerras, or even Ricardo Muti.

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Originally from Paducah, KY, Blair Skinner is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University as a conducting student of Gustav Meier, Marin Alsop, and Markand Thakar. He received a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University under the mentorship of Victor Yamposlky. He has also studied conducting with Pinchas Zaukerman and Kenneth Kiesler as a Conducting Fellow at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, ON,  with Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School where he was awarded the Osher Conducting Fellowship, and has participated in the International Conducting Workshop and Festival in Chihuahua, Mexico. He also holds a Bachelor of Music, cum laude, from Wheaton College, where he studied violin with Lee Joiner and Paul Zafer, chamber music with Sharon Polifrone, and conducting with Daniel Sommerville. Other conducting influences include John Nelson, Paul Vermel, Mallory Thompson, and Robert Hasty.

I’m going to start out by making a bold statement.  Every singer, whether currently singing professionally or planning to embark on a professional career, needs to have a website.  Period.  Furthermore, said website should be at your own domain (ie: www.janedoe.com or www.janedoemezzo.com and not http://rossinimezzo.blogspot.com or http://cherubino85.wordpress.com).  Your website is your #1 way to market yourself as a singer so you want to be sure that your site looks clean and professional and is easy to navigate.  Having a website created is much simpler now than it was even just a couple of years ago.  Gone are the days when getting a website meant investing thousands of dollars, waiting 6 months for it to be completed, and then paying hundreds of dollars in ongoing costs for someone to update it.

Here are a few tips, tricks, and words of advice so that you can get your website going quickly and easily:

1.  BUY YOUR DOMAIN NAME NOW – If you don’t already own your domain name, buy it now.  Domain names should cost  you no more than $10 per year (if you are looking at a site that is charging more, don’t buy it there).  Your domain name is your identity on the web so you want to make sure that you purchase your full name if it is available.  If you have a more common name and you can’t get just your full name, add your fach to the end of it so that it is identifiably you.   Buy not only the .com but also the .org and .net of your domain name while you’re at it. This will prevent someone else buying a domain that is similar to yours and setting up a fake website there .  These people are called “squatters” and it is no fun trying to get a domain name back from them once they have it. 
   Another quick tip:  If you sing under a variation of your given name, it is best to own domain names for your given name AND your stage name just to be safe.

2. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO EASILY UPDATE YOUR SITE YOURSELF – You should not be reliant on someone else to update your website.  When you are searching for ways to build your site, make sure that whoever is giving you a quote will build it in a way that you can update it yourself easily via the web.
3. 

BUILD YOUR SITE USING WORDPRESS – Going along with #2, I recommend singers of all levels to have their sites built using WordPress.  I’m not talking about WordPress.com which is where you can host your blog for free, but rather WordPress.org which is a free content management system that can be the framework for your entire site.  WordPress is great because the product itself is free and there are tons of cheap templates (we’re talking $20 – $40 here) that you can use straight “out of the box” or have your developer customize for easily.  Unless you are a web developer in your spare time, you will need someone to help you get your site set up but there are tons of people who can do this for you.  Do a simple search on Google for “Wordpress website designer” and you’ll find quite a few options.  You can also take a look at freelance services like www.odesk.com or www.elance.com and bid the project out.  For the average singer starter site in WP using a template as a framework, it should cost you no more than $800 for a few pages that include your bio, repertoire, some embedded media, and your upcoming engagements.
Another quick tip:  If you find yourself totally out of your element here and need some more specific advice, let me know and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

4. STAY AWAY FROM FLASH – It can be tempting to choose to build a site in Flash because it is animated and can have some cool moving things on each page.  Resist this urge!  Search engines cannot read Flash so no matter how great your metatags are, Google will not be able to pull up that you have sung the role of Dorabella 50 times when an Artistic Director of an opera company types in that search.  Also, don’t forget that iPhones can’t read Flash and mobile web browsing is growing more every moment so people trying to access your site won’t be able to see it.
   Another quick tip:  Are you thinking about building your site using a free online site like www.wix.com? Please don’t.  These sites are in Flash and, although free and easy, it is better to get your site going from the beginning the right way.

5. UPDATE YOUR SITE OFTEN – Being that your site is the best way that people will be able to find you, make sure that it is updated often.  (This is another reason why you want to build it from the beginning in a way that you can update it yourself whenever you want.)  It will only reflect poorly on you if the most recent date on your upcoming engagements page is December 2010 or if your media clips are all a year or more old.
   Another quick tip:  Make sure that you are able to easily embed YouTube videos and mp3 files in your site so that you can put up new content when it is fresh.  WordPress will embed a YouTube video just by copying and pasting the video URL.  You want  your site to have capabilities that are this simple as well.

A good way to start any website project is to do a bit of research by identifying websites that you like and ones that you don’t like whether they are by singers or not and figure out generally what you want your site to look like and what basic layout and functionality you want to have.  This can help get you going and clarify what you want your website to be.
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Ceci Dadisman is the Director of Marketing & PR at Palm Beach Opera.  She also likes to empower arts organizations and individual artists through good marketing and the use of technology. A self-professed tech geek, Ceci has a penchant for social media and new technology and a mission to make those things actually work in the performing arts world.  She is also a mezzo soprano specializing in early music and oratorio.  Known for her down-to-earth style and real-world solutions, Ceci is able to use her background as a musician and her marketing savvy to bridge the gap between arts and business. She is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and has a music degree from West Virginia University.

by Melissa Wimbish

We’re taking our cue from Beyoncé Knowles this month! (Oh, yeah, featuring Jay-Z…I guess. No offence, Mr. H.O.V.A.).

Her hit single from the album B’Day is the inspiration for this month’s focus! “New Beginnings”, “Resolutions”, “Renewal”… all of those options sounded a bit too New-Year’s-Day-Bikram-Yoga-recycled-Naked-Juice-bottle … ya know? It’s 2012. Time to bring the badass in you out for a party that don’t stop — NO tiptoeing! (PS, Bikram Yoga and recycling is also badass, but it’s hard to dance to that stuff.) In other words, “Lemme Upgrade U!”

That’s our resolution anyway, and we’re getting started immediately. Some exciting new features are coming your way this year and we think you’ll find Operagasm even more appealing as we execute our own upgrades! A few new weekly segments you might be interested in checking out include:

Christie’s Book Pick — Move Over, Barbara Bush!

We all need to read more! In these tech-heavy times of easy access to movies, games, chats, and Facebook while we’re on the go or even winding down at the end of a long day, we’re slowly killing our beautiful brains and vocabularies. Reboot your minds and consider adding some of Christie’s picks to your 2012 Book List!

iTunes Download of the Week

This new segment is designed to keep us on our toes with all the latest “freshness”. A fabulous new classical recording, a must-see live performance, or a really sick new single from our favorite boy band that might be a good option for your alarm clock music are all candidates for this dynamic category. Go ahead, create an Operagasm playlist and watch your iTunes library get down with itself.

Production of the Week

Not another review section — don’t worry! In the “Production of the Week” column we’ll dive deeper into all aspects of the production at hand including venue, costumes, cast, maestro, and any other fun deets we can muster. This will offer many companies an opportunity to be showcased on Operagasm and hopefully build some audiences for their worthy efforts!

Musical Joke of the Week

Self-explanatory. Jokes will range from naughty, hilarious, corny, and just plain dumb. BUT, they will always be fun. Promise.

Even more great things slated for this month are coming by way of guest writers including Ceci Dadesman, Amy Armstrong, Bridgette Cooper, Blair Skinner, Andrew Lunsford, Danielle Buonaiuto, and Matthew Scrivner. What a beautiful lineup! All topics will be focused on ways to upgrade your singing, productivity, and your vision. How are you getting there? Are you doing as much as you can to stay healthy vocally and spiritually? Who do you lean on when you need a break? Is music technology working for you, or against you? Do you even know what music software and apps are out there to help you? What kind of voice recorder are you using to track your progress and learn how to know your own voice? How are you keeping your schedule straight? What is your next move? AHHHH!!!!

Don’t get overwhelmed — upgrades can take some time! If you’ve done the iPhone update then you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.

So….what do you think?! Since January is a month of reflections and resolutions, isn’t “Upgrade U” the perfect anthem for our quests?! [Insert your fervent favorable nodding here.] Why, yes… we thought so, too! Themes of power, beauty, sheer badassnes, “introduction to some new things”, and lovable bling are prevalent throughout this diddy and…ahem…titillating music video. Perhaps save this one for the privacy of your own home if you happen to be at the workplace. It’ll certainly get you pumped for 2012! Have fun this month and once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR from Operagasm! BRING IT!!!!