2008 – All Articles

Eric Owens started out playing oboe and was playing professionally by the age of 15. Soon his love for opera changed his long-term ambitions. Find out how he arrived at an international career, what advice he has for up-and-coming singers, and why this singer has lots of gratitude and no regrets.

CS remembers the life of performance coach and stage director Janet Bookspan, who passed away in September.

Submit entries to the bulletin board by e-mail at bulletinboard@classicalsinger.com.

In our last pedagogy article, we discussed the importance of proper breath management for the singer. In this article, two experts, Tracy Watson and Betty Jeanne Chipman, discuss vocal resonance—what makes good vocal resonance, how to achieve it, and the freedom of healthy singing you can attain.

Jake Heggie’s new opera, Three Decembers, appears this month in Berkeley with San Francisco Opera, starring mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. Heggie and von Stade collaborated on the project from the beginning and for the world premiere of the opera in Houston last March, under the title Last Acts. Read about the collaborative process, how the work evolved, and how these two artists gained insight and inspiration in tandem.

Most of us would like to be full-time performing musicians, but realistically, all of us have to take on some other employment at some point. So let’s find the best jobs for us. Flexibility? High salary-to-hours ratio? Music- or performance- related? Classical Singer explores some working singers’ outside-the-box jobs.

This month, Classical Singer reviews an exciting new gadget, amazon.com’s Kindle—a device for reading books on the go. Find out what this paperback-sized device can do for classical singers.

Church gigs offer a great income source for singers, especially around the holiday season. Feeling a little hesitant about a first-time church job? Unsure what to expect or how to behave? Find out here.

Finding a way to practice when you’re on the road without a piano often presents a challenge. Here are some free-to-cheap options for turning your favorite gadget into a portable keyboard.

From more than 200 applicants competing in three intense rounds of competition in the Classical Singer AudComps, the judges named the 12 top competitors Certified Classical Singers for 2008-2009. This month, we feature soprano Jennie Litster from the Emerging Professional Division and soprano Elizabeth Beers Kataria from the Professional Division.

Just in time for the holidays, we wrap up our series on historical recordings with recommendations for starting your own library. A singer, coach, and conductor make their lists of not-to-be-missed singers of the past. Also, find several must-have books, as well as recommended record labels for finding the best recordings at the best prices.

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, finding the peace and joy we hear about in sermon and song can be difficult or nigh unto impossible. Examining the calming influence of music in these three examples, however, will set you on your way to finding more peace this season, with yourself and with others.