December 2008 – All Articles

When stress or illness cause vocal problems, singers often look for a quick fix, such as a cortisone or homeopathic shot. But is this always a good idea? And what do you, as your own primary healthcare expert, need to know about the shots you get? Here’s our resident medical expert with everything you need to know on the topic.

CS remembers the life of performance coach and stage director Janet Bookspan, who passed away in September.

In the first three articles of this series, Adria Firestone took us through deciding when to retire, fully grieving for your loss, and discovering your passions. This month she shares how to evaluate your own skill set and find meaningful and fulfilling ways to create away from the stage.

Eric Owens started out playing oboe and was playing professionally by the age of 15. Soon his love for opera changed his long-term ambitions. Find out how he arrived at an international career, what advice he has for up-and-coming singers, and why this singer has lots of gratitude and no regrets.

Perched at the top of a hill on Manhattan’s Upper Westside sits a beautiful mausoleum. Its massive dome and stately columns rise high above the Hudson River, and yet President

From more than 200 applicants competing in three intense rounds of competition in the Classical Singer AudComps, the judges named the 12 top competitors Certified Classical Singers for 2008-2009. This month, we feature soprano Jennie Litster from the Emerging Professional Division and soprano Elizabeth Beers Kataria from the Professional Division.

Barbara DeMaio Caprilli Dramatic Soprano Winston Salem, N.C. Please tell our readers about your career highlights so far. Odabella in Attila at La Scala, Aida in Verona [and] Rome, Tosca

Church gigs offer a great income source for singers, especially around the holiday season. Feeling a little hesitant about a first-time church job? Unsure what to expect or how to behave? Find out here.

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

In our last pedagogy article, we discussed the importance of proper breath management for the singer. In this article, two experts, Tracy Watson and Betty Jeanne Chipman, discuss vocal resonance—what makes good vocal resonance, how to achieve it, and the freedom of healthy singing you can attain.

Finding a way to practice when you’re on the road without a piano often presents a challenge. Here are some free-to-cheap options for turning your favorite gadget into a portable keyboard.

Most of us would like to be full-time performing musicians, but realistically, all of us have to take on some other employment at some point. So let’s find the best jobs for us. Flexibility? High salary-to-hours ratio? Music- or performance- related? Classical Singer explores some working singers’ outside-the-box jobs.