What is it about music, any kind of music, that makes us feel things? Why do we love and need it in our lives? What is your role as performer in this whole process? What responsibility do you have in making music, which for the most part was written many decades ago, become relevant to […]

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 […]

If you don't know how to choose the voice teacher for you or what your responsibilities are in preparing and taking a voice lesson, then this post is for you. It can be a win-win solution that allows you, the singer and your teacher, to both feel empowered and productive. What is the best way […]

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 […]

Procrastination is an extremely versatile phenomenon. It does not discriminate: it is practiced by both sexes, and is cross-cultural, observed in all ethnicities and religions-a sort of one-size-fits-all force with which we all have at least a passing familiarity, and all participate in to one extent or another. It is also a uniquely human condition. […]

The Secrets to Making English Your Favorite Language to Sing in and Be Understood! Several singers have asked me recently if I had any helpful suggestions for singing in English and being understood. It seems to be a universal conundrum, because, though using the English language is how we communicate in this country all day […]

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 […]