Soprano Penelope Shumate shares her experiences in multi-genre singing, as well as her approach to balancing performing and teaching.
Praised by The New York Times for singing with “bell-like clarity and surpassing sweetness” and The New York Concert Review for “her sparkling coloratura perfection,” soprano Penelope Shumate’s engagements encompass numerous soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall at New York’s Lincoln Center as well as with orchestras and opera companies across the country. Ms. Shumate’s discography features performing in the Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Her academic service includes positions as associate professor of voice and opera director at Austin Peay State University and Western Illinois University, where her students’ successes have included vocal competition awards, professional engagements, vocal scholarships, and graduate program assistantships.
You are a versatile singer and at home in many vocal genres. How do these genres inspire you?
I love performing classical vocal genres such as opera, oratorio, and art song—and also musical theatre, jazz, and popular music. Within my current performance schedule, I frequently present my “Bach to Broadway” recital, which features all of these vocal genres. With all of them, my inspiration comes from the beauty and engaging nature of the music and text. The text may evoke experiences from my past or suggest experiences that push me to unexplored emotions. The beauty of the music also attracts me to study and perform certain works.
Delving into a character with other cast members in a production is exhilarating. When it comes together with the orchestra, costumes, and lighting, it is an enchanting playground where I have the privilege of being a part of a story. When I perform as a soloist in an oratorio or a concert work, being in close proximity to the orchestra onstage is exhilarating. Hearing the wall of sound coming from the chorus behind me is also thrilling.
Unlike a production where the lights are often set so I cannot see people in the audience clearly, I can usually see the audience in concert works, which I like to perform from memory to fully share the emotions the text inspires with the audience without looking at the score. With vocal genres where the songs are not within a larger work that includes a plot, I enjoy the freedom of creating a character of my own and exploring the playground of my imagination.
Shumate directing the cast in Austen Peay State University’s production of Cendrillon, 2023.
What technical adjustments do you make for each genre?
Different vocal genres require adjustments, and I enjoy exploring all I can to master my instrument. My classical selections have phrase structures that allow me to explore extremes and endurance regarding range, tessitura, flexibility, and agility. Working on these daily helps me nurture my journey of continually striving to master my instrument. It brings me back to the core of my initial interest in singing as a fascination with the capability of the human voice.
When I perform with orchestras, I remind myself to sing with ease and trust that a well-produced voice is always heard. The demands of musical theatre can include belting, which can be as challenging as the most extreme coloratura passage in an opera aria. Belting is a fun exploration of incorporating natural vocal production within a song, and I have used it in my non-singing life since childhood. I plan when and how I want to use it and then work it into my voice with intention.
Jazz tunes also present challenges similar to those of classical and musical theatre. Like other vocal genres, a distinct “style” needs to be mastered to bring out the authenticity of performance practices. In jazz, one challenge lies in developing phrasing that speaks to me as a performer and works with my voice within the framework of more rhythmic freedom.
One constant within all vocal genres I perform is my intention of the character. Emotional expression is something I explore and incorporate simultaneously with my musical preparation from the start. The dramatic decisions I make color every aspect of my singing in tone quality, dynamics, and phrasing. In practicing and performing, I like to delve into my most authentic interpretation of the work that serves the music and text. I strive to get a clear message to the audience in hopes they can experience the emotions and message.
No matter the vocal genre, I keep the foundation of healthy vocal production that nurtures freedom without unnecessary tension, which has guided me throughout my career and continues to serve me well.
What was your first foray into singing?
My first experience singing was as a child when my mother would sit at the piano and teach me all the jazz standards, including “Misty,” “Deep Purple,” “Skylark,” and more. We enjoyed performing together throughout my life. She inspired my love for songs that I still sing today.
I also sang in the church choir in my early years. My mother was a talented pianist, and we performed sacred music for the senior Bible study group and the main church service. As a fond memory: the church members would compliment my mother’s youthfulness by joking that I had brought my sister to accompany me.
I will always be grateful to the members of the First Baptist Church in my hometown of Waynesboro, Virginia, who gave me opportunities early in my life that helped me lay a foundation of confident performing. It wasn’t until I was an undergraduate that I began to sing vocal genres other than sacred and popular music.
As an opera director and associate professor, you work with many young singers. What are some general observations about the new generation of singers as opposed to your student days?
I am excited for those students who understand the beneficial use of media in their training and performances. Watching videos of iconic singers of the past as well as current singers allows them to study performance practice. Because video recording today is ubiquitous, I stress to the students in my vocal studio that recording their lessons and weekly performances is a key factor in mastering their artistry. They grow to understand that both hearing and seeing their performances motivate them to set goals for continual improvements and offer positive reinforcement of their strengths.
What are your teaching principles?
I see myself in every student I teach, from beginners learning basic principles to advanced singers exploring technical and dramatic mastery. My current professional performing career helps me empathize with students, meeting them at their unique skill levels and helping them solve vocal and dramatic challenges.
My goal is to help them build confidence by actively participating in their training through repertoire planning, effective practicing techniques, performances, and time management skills. I use a collaborative approach in selecting repertoire while prioritizing vocal health and growth. Maintaining a foundation of healthy vocal production without unneeded tension is critical in my teaching for a lifetime of performing.
Singers learn by performing. Whether singing in competitions, auditions, rehearsals, or their final semester jury, I encourage them to see all these opportunities as part of their journey to mastering their artistry. I video record my students so they can continually grow from hearing how they sound and seeing what they look like when performing. Watching the videos improves their listening skills and fosters independence and confidence as they track their improvement.
Helping students explore and feel their resonance nurtures healthy vocal production, regardless of location acoustics. I train them to create their intention of the vocal tract space, voice integrity, dynamics, and emotional expression before the phrase and then release and flow their intentions forward rather than listening and judging as they sing, which puts them on a delay. This is particularly helpful as singers’ careers evolve from performing with piano to primarily orchestras. Feeling inner technique and vibrational energy is dependable, regardless of venue or accompaniment size.
Teaching them a practice routine that includes time-management strategies where they continuously rotate daily vocal exercises and repertoire prevents vocal fatigue. I also share with them techniques to manage their thoughts and intentions so that they can focus on what they want and how to achieve it. Whatever their plans, I enjoy helping them learn about the different paths available to achieve their goals so that they can make educated decisions.
Penelope Shumate
What do you think about the Fach system?
There are valuable aspects of the Fach system. Key factors such as role length, tessitura, range, difficulty level, and character can be met with voice classification, size of voice, tone color, physicality, and level of experience onstage to determine appropriate roles. The roles associated with each Fach have similar characteristics.
I assist students in finding roles that match their current natural strengths and abilities to nurture healthy vocal production. Singing roles that are too heavy can compromise a voice and lead to compounding problems. For some singers, staying within their Fach is just what they need for a long career. Other singers may naturally grow into a heavier repertoire.
There are roles of varying difficulty within each Fach, permitting singers to explore lighter options within a heavier Fach that offer growth opportunities. Singing an aria doesn’t always indicate suitability for that role. It is essential to also consider endurance when performing an entire role. A singer needs to produce a healthy sound throughout the rehearsal process and the performances.
In addition, singing an aria from a whole role that is learned creates a greater depth in the performance of that aria when sung outside the context of a production. Knowledge of the Fach system aids singers in choosing roles that suit their voices and identifying growth opportunities if their voice changes over time.
What about competitions?
I encourage students to use competitions as opportunities to learn to manage their minds and bodies to sing well under pressure. When they care about their artistry, they may be anxious. A competition is an opportunity to learn how to manage nerves so their technique still serves their performing intentions. The more they do this, the more mastery they will have over their body and mind.
To help singers manage their nerves, I teach them how to simulate the “fight or flight” response by doing physical activity. Then, I teach them techniques to quickly calm their body and mind so that their technique still serves them even when they are nervous. I want them to get used to the feeling of nerves when they occur. Instead of nervous energy being something they try to control or avoid, the goal is to sing well while being nervous.
Competitions can also be opportunities for singers to learn from other highly skilled performers. When I perform with singers who have a healthy technique free of unnecessary tension, it improves my singing. Hearing and feeling their free sound releases my throat and body to openness. I believe singers who are open to this can physiologically “talk” to each other and use this positive energy to work toward their full potential.
How does teaching enrich your own art?
Teaching and performing continually revive and nurture my growth and mastery of both. I love being around singers, listening to singers, singing with them—all of it. When working with a student, I can hear how they will sound when the unnecessary tension is released, and I systematically work to help them find their full potential.
Every student is different, so challenges are constantly changing. Helping students find various solutions that foster their journey to master their vocal artistry nurtures my technique and continually improves my performing. I am grateful to my managers Kathy Olsen and Kaiyan Wang at Encompass Arts for the critical role they play in supporting my performance career, and I also enjoy serving as a mentor to support students with their professional development.
Shumate as the soprano soloist in Distinguised Concerts International New York’s world premiere of Mark Hayes’ Kindness, 2024.
What does it mean to you to participate in the 2025 CS convention?
I am honored to be a part of the 2025 CS convention and vocal competition. I have benefited from reading helpful articles on a wide variety of topics in Classical Singer for many years. I enjoy learning about the versatility of singers with different career paths.
In this ever-changing industry, singers find innovative ways to supplement their income in various ways. I am so excited to connect with the participants to share ideas. The convention gives us a sense of community and a place to share ideas about teaching, performing, entrepreneurship, and many other topics. Being with other people who share my passion for exploring and serving the performance industry is exciting.
Visit www.penelopeshumate.com to learn more.
