Chris Kelly and Stephanie McCranie, founders of The Musical Athlete and a newly engaged couple, have made it their mission to demystify physical training for vocalists and take singers to the next level.
Like many singers during the pandemic, John and Gillian Riesen learned new skills to advance their careers. Their experience with recording, streaming, and promoting recorded classical music is a new growth area for classical singers to explore.
Columnist Brian Manternach reflects on having written 100 articles for Classical Singer. He shares his experience of becoming a writer and then a columnist—and of the opportunities that abound when singers and voice teachers also become writers.
Kamala Sankaram is both a singer and a composer, celebrated in the worlds of contemporary opera and experimental music. Read on to learn about her work, which exists at the intersection of art and technology, as well the integration of cultures influencing her creative output.
Verdi baritone Jason Duika shares how singing helped him overcome his Tourette Syndrome.
With the passing of Carol Kirkpatrick, the operatic world has lost one of its best. Carol lived by example and was herself a shining example of the artist’s life. She had a way of seeing the artist within everyone around her, and her goal was always to help us find it. She was the mentor young singers didn’t know they needed until they met her—and she was the first to see us and tell us the whole truth, even when we didn’t want to hear it. Her career spanned multiple continents, but at the same time she understood what it took to maintain a family along with a career.
Adrienne Boris has always felt comfortable traversing multiple worlds and wearing multiple hats, as performer/director/producer of theater and opera, focusing equally on new work and old. She is now serving as the Executive Producer and Stage Director at Harvard University’s Lowell House Opera, the longest continually performing opera company in New England, as Chief Strategy Officer at Helios Opera, and as Booking Manager at ADA Artist Management, but her artistic journey started at a community theater company outside Boston. Her parents, a lawyer and a sociologist, caught the theater bug when she was very young, and used to take her to rehearsals, where she would sing along to herself, and even appeared in children’s choruses a few times. “I began seeing myself as a serious arts practitioner and pre-professional from a very early age, and my parents are my biggest supporters to this day,” she tells CS Music.
Fresh from his performance in the critically acclaimed production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Metropolitan Opera, Will Liverman boldly steps forward as a Black artist leading others in the industry.
Mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor is one of the most exciting and versatile artists in the world of classical music. She is a quadruple threat at least, in that she is a phenomenal singer, actress, pedagogue and is simply “drop dead” gorgeous! Her repertoire is as wide as you can imagine, ranging from highly acclaimed performances of such dramatic heavyweights as Britten’s Rape of Lucretia with Boston Lyric Opera, 2019 and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with both BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, 2019, to a string of world premieres by international composers, including her Grammy winning portrayal of Federico García Lorca in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar.
Baritone George Gagnidze returns to stages all over the world, appearing in his celebrated villainous roles. In this interview, Gagnidze shares his strategies for success, his regular practice routine, and how he continues to strive to prove himself.
Singers take many different paths in maintaining an opera performance career, and many factors contribute to success. In addition to the excellent musicianship skills and vocal artistry needed to remain competitive in the industry, more elements also play large roles. A singer needs a strong belief in themselves, drive to keep moving forward, and the ability to maintain physical and mental health to serve them as they continually challenge themselves as artists.
Analisa Leaming is a brilliant and versatile Broadway performer who has translated her success into mental, emotional, and spiritual support for other artists through her podcast and coaching. In this interview, Leaming shares her thoughts on approaching transitions, the unexpected, and disappointments that artists of all levels must face in an uplifting way.
