March 2007 – All Articles

After recently appearing in the Metropolitan Opera’s world premiere of The First Emperor, Hao Jiang Tian sat down with CS to discuss not only the new opera, but also his plans to bring other Chinese operas to the West. In this Classical Singer exclusive, Tian discusses the challenges of learning a work in progress and a few of the tricks he uses to memorize constantly changing music, text, and staging. Tian also shares his remarkable journey, from growing up in Communist China when western music was banned, to an international career on the opera stage.

In Part One of this article (page 32), Brent Barrett shared his words of wisdom for singers considering a career switch to musical theatre. In Part Two, read how Broadway star Lisa Vroman keeps up her stamina during a long run, why she thinks musical theatre is similar to art song, and why she’s so grateful for her classical training.

In Part One of this article, Brent Barrett shares his words of wisdom for singers considering a career switch to musical theatre.

As a young theater fan in the 1960s, I discovered the magic of Broadway musicals through original cast albums. Those recordings introduced me to leading men and ladies who sang

Another season of American Idol is well underway, and while classical singing is rarely ever the fare, many classical singers admit to watching the show. Few are aware, however, that the show’s vocal coach/arranger has roots in classical singing. In this Classical Singer exclusive, Debra Byrd shares her experiences working on television’s top reality show, and shares some advice for classical singers crossing over into popular music.

After three intense rounds of competition among more than 200 applicants, the judges of the AudComps 2006 named 13 singers Certified Classical Singers for 2006-2007.This month, read about soprano Christi Amonson from the Emerging Professional Division.

Not long after the recent release of her new CD, A Journey Through Venice: Songs by Fauré, Hahn and Head; Arias by Rossini and Handel, Joyce DiDonato sat down with Classical Singer’s Chantal Panozzo to discuss her myriad of recent successes. DiDonato shares how keeping the right mental frame of mind is one key to staying physically healthy, why opera isn’t something you’ll find in her iTunes, and how she handled the challenges of a live recording project.

World-renowned soprano Ana Maria Martinez joins CS with her first article, offering sound advice on where you need to focus to put your best forward in the audition and competition circuit, as well as a guide for choosing the best repertoire for you. If you have an issue you’d like Ms. Martinez to address in a future column, e-mail it to editorial@classicalsinger.com.

Were you one of the rare early birds who filed your taxes months ago, or is this favorite pastime still on the horizon? If you’re like most Americans and haven’t filed yet, consider some sound advice to get your business of singing or teaching in order.

Learning from other forms and looking at the voice’s component parts can help shift your consciousness from asking what is the right way to sing, to what is the most expressive way to sing—or even, dare we say it, the most fun?

Lisa Popeil studied classically for many years, until she determined to learn how her favorite singers were making the sounds she was hearing on the radio. After years of carefully observing how her body was working to successfully mimic those sounds, Lisa now teaches other singers to healthily explore the vocal colors possible in a variety of genres. Discover a few of her techniques in this interview with Classical Singer’s Marka Knight.

Met Goes to the Movies Since January 2007, opera lovers in the United States and abroad have been able to see live Metropolitan Opera matinées and later, reruns of these