April 2004 – All Articles

Most professional singers have some sort of correlating career. Secondary income sources are almost always necessary due to high costs of living, student loan debt and the competitive state of

Tenor Gregory Kunde is one of the most celebrated American singers on the international stage today. He has performed in all the world’s major opera houses and his repertoire extends from the standard tenor roles such as Alfredo and Rodolfo, to Baroque masterpieces.

Dear Erda, I’ve recently discovered, to my surprise, that rather than being nothing more than a time-wasting source of income, my church job actually brings me a lot of joy.

During the weeks since last month’s article, “Why Singing?”, I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to “break eggs without making omelets.” The questions I asked in that article

A Two-Tenor Aida? When German baritone Josef Metternich sang Amonasro, he often warmed up by singing “Celeste Aida,” to the consternation of the tenor in the next dressing room. Sometimes

Dear Editor: I thoroughly enjoy the articles on each artist and student who is making a dent in the musical life of America. I particularly enjoyed the background on Shirley

I was a young voice student at Cal State Northridge when I first heard of Carol Vaness. It was during my second lesson with Dr. David W. Scott. I didn’t

As singers, we can get so caught up in auditions, competitions and "forging ahead" that we forget what it is we are really doing. The power of music to heal, empower and transcend is very real and if we forget that, we forget who we are

If there is anything on this planet a chess player dreads more than a trapped queen, it's a kibitzer. When the chess players are Met Opera musicians, however- and the kibitzer is Luciano Pavarotti, who politely inquires if he may please play the winner- the request is difficult to refuse indeed.

Here is a guide to evaluating your own sight-singing strengths and weaknesses, and selecting the right sight-singing class for you

Question: I have the career “bends.” First I’m on top of the world, with feedback one minute that I’m the next Renée Fleming—and then I get feedback that tells me

Those who know me know that, in addition to being an opera singer, I am also a slightly-less-than-rabid football fan. Having grown up outside Buffalo, NY I suspect that being a Bills' fan is written into my DNA, so it was probably only a matter of time before I began to think it would be "Way Cool" to sing the National Anthem at a home game.