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During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, universities around the globe switched to online learning for what remained of their spring 2020 semester. For many of us, this change happened swiftly, and

CS Music recently had the opportunity to host a masterclass featuring Dan Micciche, the current music director/conductor for Wicked on Broadway. He offered some wonderful advice during that class that readers can learn a lot from. Here is a portion of the question and answer session, and if you want to listen to the entire class, look for the link at the end of this article.

Any artist or musician can fall victim to feeling like they’re stuck in a creative rut. In fact, even commercially successful musicians still struggle with this feeling from time to time. Therein lies the first step to breaking out of your own creative rut – understanding that you’re not alone. It’s a shared feeling for many in the creative professions. And the good news is that there are many ways to break out of this rut and start creating again.

A new publication offers solutions and an increased perspective for maintaining a lifetime of singing. 

Dr. Jahn answers questions from singers about a teenage girl’s vocal development, a fear of dentists, and a tummy tuck.

Amid the country’s turmoil about racism, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves-Montgomery is happily enjoying quiet time on her porch in early summer. “We’re in an incredible historical moment, but nothing happening now is any different, except that people have cameras on,” she says. “In this moment of global interruption [caused by the pandemic]—a pause, a time of reflection and quietude—people have the time to listen and look at what’s important.”

CS Music recently had the opportunity to host a masterclass featuring Dan Micciche, the current music director/conductor for Wicked on Broadway. He offered some wonderful advice during that class that readers can learn a lot from. Here is a portion of the question and answer session, and if you want to listen to the entire class, look for the link at the end of this article.

Why does it seem that the musical theater, or even the straight theater actor is more at ease with their delivery of emotional content than most opera singers? Is it

A lifetime of performing is a large part of Marilyn Maye’s legacy. Though she is not a classically trained singer, her advice on singing technique, connecting to lyrics, and reaching an audience is something all singers in any style should heed.

Asthma doesn’t seem to bother me any more unless I’m around cigars or dogs. The thing that would bother me most would be a dog smoking a cigar. – Steve

Self-tape auditions have been discussed at length in the TV/Film world. In working with my voice students and fellow singers, however, I am not sure the importance of a good self-tape setup has been adequately explained in the singers’ world. Let me see if I can help clarify why self-tape auditions are so important.

These step-by-step scenarios provide a glimpse into a variety of audition situations and can help with preparation for pounding the pavement in the Big Apple.