2008 – Page 14 – All Articles

Does having kids make you a better artist? Can you stay in
touch with your kids while you’re constantly on the road? Are the issues of balancing career and family different for male singers than female singers? Three singers who know the ins and outs, struggles, and joys of juggling fatherhood and a singing career discuss this and more.

A fundamental part of the online Classical Singer Community since its creation in 1998, the General Interest Forum is more than a resource. For classical singers and those interested in the art of singing it has become one of the most popular discussion panels available on the Web. Here are some quotes from some great moments this past month on the forum. Want to voice your opinion on something here or otherwise? Visit www.classicalsinger.com.

Women in opera are taking on the role of a lifetime and having it all, balancing high-maintenance careers with motherhood. Five divas sit down to discuss how they determined when it was the right time to have kids and how that decision has affected their careers.

Women are not the only singers in opera that having children affects.

Many singers choose to continue their careers at full speed while coping with the challenges of being full-time parents. Soprano Robin Wiper was one of them. Now she shares the reason she made the decision to slow down and stay at home with her children.

Soprano Mary Dunleavy appears this month at L.A. Opera in James Conlon’s Remembering Voices series. Daniel Vasquez caught up with this singer on the rise in New York City last November to discuss her upcoming appearance in Los Angeles, her meteoric rise to the top, what she wishes she had done more of in school, and how she stays fit while constantly on the road.

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

Are the singers of the East and the West that different? Do singers from the Western world have different
voices than those in the East? Is the structure of the vocal cords or the lung capacities different in one part
of the world as opposed to another? One voice teacher weighs in.

Every singer dreads getting laryngitis. To get it the first weekend in December, when holiday work is plentiful, is doubly frustrating. To get it the first weekend in December, when you also have a callback for the role of Carmen, now that’s just a plain old drag. One such weekend prompted the following thoughts on canceling—when to do it, how to do it, why to do it, and how to navigate the rough waters well enough to stay emotionally and vocally afloat.

Cindy fields questions on how to leave an old teacher behind, how to pursue a lead with a new teacher, and how to create your best “virtual” image.

In this first part of a two-part article on German Lieder, Wolfgang Lockemann outlines the differences between opera and art song, differences that are often stumbling blocks for singers. Whatever language of art song you’re currently working on, find the keys to true expression here.

You don’t have to be in the singing business long to realize that highs and lows come with the territory. How can you determine when those highs and lows have surpassed normal levels, however, and are affecting your overall wellbeing?