Over the summer I have had many singers ask me the best way to get the emotion, along with their ideas of the character into a role or even just an aria or song so it doesn't seem contrived or as if they were just acting. They wanted to know how to make a piece […]

Because I have recently adjudicated several competitions in succession, this subject is heavy on my mind. There are so many different aspects, of being comfortable and prepared for each and every audition, that most singers don't even seem to be aware of. Of course there is the obvious. You have to gather the information about […]

In the Sunday, October 22, 2006 edition of the New York Times, critic Anthony Tommasini wrote an interesting article "A Lamentation on the Dearth of Divas." He begged the question, "Where are the singers to give voice to opera's grandest music? Probably tackling a wider repertory." He went on to say that everyone is singing […]

Do you like mysteries? If so, you should enjoy the process of properly preparing a role, aria or lieder. It requires the same sleuthing, historic background checks, and intuition required of a detective. First, gather the facts - research the relevant time period connected with the composer, the librettist, and find any pieces of literature […]