Joanie Brittingham – Page 2

Fall is a season of transition. The leaves change, and we go back to school or to our next gig with a surety that we may not have had earlier in the year. Everywhere, I’m seeing singers and voice teachers choosing paths and taking ownership of their art like never before. Creating opportunities for yourself is challenging and, yes, scary. Take this fall to generate positive self-talk about your artistic future that turns wishes into goals, and goals into daily plans. Strike a power pose and say, “I’m a star!”

Nothing is set in stone for you, and you can change your mind, and correct your course as you go along. Knowing your “can’ts” and “won’ts” early on helps you to make a better decision, both for declaring a major, engaging in your studies, and embarking on a professional singing career.

Speech pathologist and voice teacher Sara K. Brown, MS, CCC-SLP, shares her top three tips for vocal health. Her mission is to make vocal health and science information widely accessible, and to train vocal athletes using evidence-based practices and cross training across genres. 

This issue marks one year since I became the editor for Classical Singer. It has been a tumultuous one for our industry. When I was a college voice teacher, I started every semester telling my students, “You are responsible for creating a supportive, encouraging environment for your colleagues and yourselves.” I told them that by the end of the semester, they’d be sick of those words, but that I hoped the sentiment would be a habit in their daily lives. 

I recently took a weekend trip to New England—my first solo trip since before the pandemic—where I enjoyed a sculpture walk near Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. One of the sculptures had floating text that read “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” I can think of no way to better describe the moment in which we find ourselves.

As we head from winter into spring, I always feel that singers, like the birdsongs our pieces often imitate, burst joyfully out into our spring and summer performances. I’m particularly

A good-quality, acoustic piano is an important tool for singers and voice teachers but can be daunting to purchase and care for. Find out from piano technicians what to look for in a piano and how to best maintain it.

he pandemic brought about many innovations in opera, and Experiments in Opera (EiO) was especially poised to respond creatively. The company commissions new operas that are adventurous, funny, and collaborative

Meghan Picerno credits much of her success not only to her “team” but also to her adaptability, courage, work ethic, and ability to be open to new opportunities. Despite the pandemic’s crushing blow to the classical singing world, these traits have allowed Picerno to adapt to new performing opportunities and learn new skills. Read about her big break, the benefits she has found as a crossover artist, her advice to singers, and her hope for the future of performing arts.

Students and teachers now face a semester unlike one they have ever experienced with new regulations and combinations of in-person and virtual learning. Read on to find ways to manage and benefit from this unfamiliar situation.

Emmie and Harry’s is a public Facebook group, set up as an online cabaret venue with a weekly schedule including individual artist shows, open mic, and themed shows of multiple

Nicole Car and Etienne Dupuis recently sang for the whole world from their home in Paris at the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala. They brought the same joyful energy to that