Browsing all posts in "Overcoming Fears and Obstacles".
Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself? Try Singing Opera.
by Caitlin Vincent In the world of opera, fear is as commonplace as neti pots, water bottles, and the Schirmer Opera Anthology for Soprano. Fear of cracking on a high note, fear of embarrassing yourself during an audition, fear of getting rejected from yet another summer program…we’ve all experienced it at some point or another. [...]
Coloratura Conniption
Lots of people are feeling the pressure of coloratura – I’m not alone! This was one of the top-read articles of 2010. Please continue to add to the list if there are any resources that you think would be helpful for those of us who struggle with the movement. Have a coloratura-filled 2011! by Melissa [...]
Overcome Performance Anxiety with ‘Alexander Techniques’
With the holiday’s in full swing, many of us are performing at those annual, popular seasonal events in addition to managing everything else that comes along with this time of year. So, the last thing we need to deal with is performance related pitfalls. It is for this reason that Alexander Technique instructor, Heidi Brende Leathwood’s [...]
A New Way to Learn
by Beth Allred I stand onstage, feeling the lights on my face and sing! “Batti, Batti, o bel Masetto.” “That’s great Beth, sounds wonderful. Now, how might you plead with someone to forgive you if you have done something wrong?” My friend Emily asks from where she is sitting in front of me. Emily and [...]
Singing Sucks My Pockets Dry: Overcoming the Ness of Broke
by Melissa Wimbish Singing is muy expensive. Scores, audition fees, accompanist fees, travel, voice lessons, coaching, and hundreds of other incidentals that you might not even realize. Copies. Ugh. Copies. Stockings. Bottled water. There’s always something there to swipe away your cash money. This can become one of the hugest obstacles in the lives of singers both young and seasoned. For us, no money [...]
Shyness – Singing In Spite of It
by Cassidy Warner There are many obstacles when it comes to performing, and each person who chooses to place themselves on a stage has something they have to overcome. This is not news to anyone who has felt the heat of a spotlight, but it always surprises people when they learn that my most ferocious [...]
I could have been a lawyer
by Christie Connolley Right now I am somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, flying home from a Spring Break vacation in Europe. It was fantastic, shopping in Paris, relaxing on the Amalfi Coast and eating gelato in Rome. While in Europe I thought about this month’s focus of overcoming fears and remembered that during a previous [...]
Know Thyself – One & Two
by Lucia D’Ambrosio Performing can be a very stressful and frustrating thing to do for musicians. It is easy to start worrying too much about pleasing the audience and about other exterior factors that we forget to concentrate and become the music while performing. After taking a performance psychology class, I became aware of multiple [...]
Transylvanian Hiccups
by Melissa Wimbish I was just talking to my brother on the phone and he does this thing where he talks in a Transylvanian accent. I have no idea where it came from or what cartoon character inspired it, but when he’s feeling extra goofy he breaks out the accent and today he made himself [...]
Combating opera’s death sentence with a Guerilla-style attack!
by Emily Šaras “IS OPERA GOING EXTINCT?” asks a well-meaning friend, worried about my future as a young singer embarking upon a career in opera. I have heard the question myself a million times, usually coupled with suggestions to “try out for American Idol instead” or to “find a more stable career.” Nothing can be [...]
