When Christoph Willibald Gluck, in 1762, sought to clean up what he felt were the excesses of opera — the florid vocal displays, the endless da capo repetitions — he
Singing in one’s native English is often more difficult — rather than easier — than a foreign language.
This modern score, couched in Eighteenth Century idioms and allusions, presents its own special set of difficulties.
Dieting and Diet are two different things. Don’t deprive yourself of food. Instead, learn how to manage what you eat and when you eat it.
No matter which side of the footlights you’re on, understanding Da Ponte’s ironical interweaving of myths of the classic past brings an enhanced enjoyment and depth to Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
It brings personal rewards and satisfaction to those who possess it. It gives pleasure to the listener. But sometimes the gifted are called upon to bestow something else: Comfort for the bereaved
Just as teachers, classical singers and listeners were beginning to get it right, a new specter appeared: “ Audio Enhancement,” a microphone at the opera. The author argues, passionately and reasonably, against this newest barrier between artist and auditor.
When it comes to trouser roles, girls will be better boys than boys themselves.
Think MTV invented gender-bending? Marilyn Horne was cross-dressing when RuPaul was still in Huggies. Mezzo soprano Katherine Ciesinski investigates the genesis of the “breeches part.”
From a beloved singer who has had his share of adversity comes optimism and sound advice on both repertoire choices and diplomacy within the opera house
