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s I finish off my last few auditions for college Vocal Performance and Music Education programs, I am equipped with a perspective on what qualities I possess as a singer

rederica von Stade is one of the world’s most beloved mezzo sopranos. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has sung leading roles on every major concert and operatic

Find practical ideas for reaching out and creating opportunities in COVID-19 and beyond.

ello CS Music community! We did it, we survived 2020! That’s nothing to balk at. Your perseverance and dedication to your craft is to be celebrated, wear it like a

This is a story of my friendship with Dunbar. This story is one of love, heartbreak, understanding, respect, and an enduring friendship separated by approximately a century. This friendship has refined me as a performer and helped to shape me as an artist. Within the ivory tower of music academia, it was in amplifying Dunbar’s voice that I found my own.

The artist's life is low on control even in normal times. During a pandemic, we can control even less (when theaters open, when concerts get the green light). But we can still control our thoughts. What's more: we have to. Mental discipline is a crucial part of success as an artist. And it's something we can choose to strengthen, like a muscle. 

Most audition judges will eagerly hear any singer whose repertoire shows some musical curiosity and a sense of adventure. Why choose only the “standard” five arias in your Fach for

Was there ever a time in our world when we faced a greater need to work together? For composers and singers, creating and recording new music can be a deeply meaningful and personal collaboration. The Travelled Road is a new recording by acclaimed composer Evan Mack, Metropolitan Opera mezzo soprano Megan Marino, pianist John Arida, and cellist Jameson Platte. A spirit of unity resonates throughout the melodies, as well as in the themes presented in the timely texts by historical figures including Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, world-class poets such as Mark Jarman, Carl Sandburg, and iconic woman such as Sr. Dorothy Stang, Tina Fey, Lucille Ball, Simone de Beauvoir, and many more.

Gerald Finley is one of the most accomplished and celebrated baritones of our time. His track record is impressive: Grammy for Best Opera Recording 2012 (Dr. Atomic), multiple award-winning performances on CD and DVD and a wide-ranging repertoire of roles performed in major opera houses. Finley is equally at ease performing Handel, Wagner, Tchaikowsky, Verdi or Adams. His mark on the art song and Lieder repertoire has been equally profound with several iconic recordings that now set the standard for the genre. It seems as though everything he touches turns to gold.

In my experience as a professional pianist, vocalist and educator, I have found that one of the weakest links in the vocalist community is a lack of functional keyboard skills.  This deficiency creates a huge handicap for singers and educators, keeping them from positions as section leaders, music directors and teachers.  In the post-pandemic world, singers are going to need as many tools as possible in their toolkit to carve out a livelihood.  

There are many questions to ask when selecting crossover material. Read on for
tips for the best possible start.

emind us of your experience with winning the CS Music Vocal Competition back in 2012, and what was the most important lesson you learned by participating in the competition? I