2004 – Page 14 – All Articles

Despite having soared in the upper reaches of some of the great operatic Valhallas of the world, Eugenie Grunewald is a diva who speaks in down-to-earth terms. Classical Singer caught up with Grunewald in Madrid’s Teatro Real, where she sang the role of Morgan le Fay in what she called a “dream gig,” the world premiere of the long-lost opera Merlin. Isaac Albéniz, known mostly for his piano compositions, composed the work in 1898.

We love to sing. We love to perform. To be able to sustain our love in a big way, we realize that we need to establish a name for ourselves, a career. So how do we make our career happen?

Last fall, Classical Singer conducted a survey to find out how you feel about singing at weddings. Most of you are happy to pick up the extra work, while one or two feel their art is cheapened by the very idea! For those who are interested, read on for tips that will help you sing more weddings, charge a fair fee, and increase your repertoire

If you're going to sing weddings, at some point, you'll sing a Catholic service. Here are some tips and information from Caterina Erba, a soprano who is the Sunday Mass Cantor for a Catholic church in the Bronx, New York. She also sings plenty of weddings for the members of her own parish, and for other churches.

Wendy Bryn Harmer is a Met Regional Finalist and recent graduate of The Boston Conservatory. In November 2003, she appeared in Rigoletto with Boston Lyric Opera. She has spent the past two summers studying at Music Academy of the West and part of one summer at the Music Academie in Villecroze, France, a small private school.

Dear Erda, I have recently been “burned” by a colleague who I thought was my friend. Others have told me that you can’t trust anyone in the opera business. I

Summer programs are one place you can go to work with Metropolitan Opera coaches and conductors. We asked one of our favorites (the founder of the International Vocal Arts Institute) to give a written master class to you!

When CS went shopping for an article on the basic ingredients of the Bel Canto style of singing, we turned to the founder of Bel Canto Institute summer program. Here you’ll learn from one who teaches not only at the Institute but is a prompter at the Metropolitan Opera.

Classical Singer magazine asked the summer festivals to write in with some experiences that happened during the summer of 2003. Opera Festival di Roma made us smile with this, “you had to be there” moment!

You’ve heard the advice before: “first the words” — but maybe you’ve never really known how important it was to your success as a singer. Can you move an audience or not? Your missing ingredient may be right here.

ll in all, it’s been a great year for the summer programs. CS has received very few complaints about the programs, and the complaints that have come in have been minor. As always, we refer singers, teachers and administrators to the January 2002 issue for warnings about a few problem programs. PLEASE READ THAT ISSUE CAREFULLY BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR A SUMMER PROGRAM NOT LISTED HERE. The issue is in the archives on the classicalsinger.com website, which now has a search engine, giving you the power to search by word, by phrase or by issue date.

This month’s issue is a treasure trove of articles for singers on all levels, with a host of special features for singers who enjoy summer programs. Our cover story highlights