Dear Editor: This is such a practical publication for all who are involved in the business of “singing.” As a teacher, I find that it addresses so many issues that are important to students aspiring to be performers as well as singers well entrenched in performance careers.
Joan Frey Boytim
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Dear Editor: Your December article on Charles Workman attracted my attention because I watched the TV broadcast of Acis and Galatea, as well as hearing a brief prior appearance on Radio 3. I very much enjoyed his singing, and am surprised that he has attracted so little attention in the UK (where I am based) after being here 15 years.
The interview with Joel Frederiksen in your November issue raised the very important question of early musical training for singers. Most instrumentalists learn their craft from an early age, but voices are so unpredictable that a singer can easily find himself or herself with an excellent instrument but not the skill to exploit it. I learned first-hand about this problem from a young schoolteacher whose inexperience in reading music had forced him to give up an attempt to become a professional baritone. He added that he might have persevered had he been a tenor, rather than trying to compete in the over-crowded baritone class.
Name Withheld
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Errata:
The photo of The Magic Flute on p. 36 of the March issue is of the Utah Opera production, not the Arizona Opera production as credited. In addition, the production was performed first at Utah Opera and then at Arizona Opera, not vice versa as stated in the article on the same page.
