Dear Editor: Thank you for the “holiday gift” login. I’ve never tried getting in before (even though my wife has been a long-time magazine subscriber, I’m not sure if she has ever made arrangements to use the feature). The interface (sorting capability) works very nicely! I appreciate your good use of technology.
At this opportunity, I also wish to applaud Classical Singer’s collaboration with Boston Singers’ Resource. I feel blessed to have CS and BSR as my main sources of vocal information, collaboration, and prospects.
—Anonymous, received via e-mail
Dear Editor: The [December] issue of Classical Singer starts with a mistaken concept of vocal color. Each singer has a distinct natural color to their voice. The author is sadly misinformed in saying this color is created by “impurities of tone.” We each have an individual collection of overtones, created by the unique contribution of our vocal cords, resonating spaces, and technique. This set of overtones is known as a “formant,” and even a basic essay on timbre should include this understanding.
—Thomas Cowan, Washington, D.C.
[You are correct in stating that color occurs naturally in the singing voice. Charles Riley’s article, “Color and Voice,” covered both the natural and manufactured colors that can occur in the singing voice. When a proper and healthy technique is in place, a singer’s unique and natural vocal color emerges, as Riley discussed in the bulk of his article. A singer can also create or manufacture color in the voice through unnecessary tension and manipulation. Such an approach can be damaging to the instrument, as Riley pointed out briefly towards the end of the article in a quote from Metropolitan Opera assistant conductor Craig Rutenberg. Overtones and formants do play a part in this, and would make for an interesting topic in a future article. —ed.]
Dear Editor: Thanks for the wonderful article [December 2009] on Nadine Sierra, soprano and recent winner of the Met’s National Council Auditions. It was refreshing to hear about this outstanding young, unspoiled singer. I’m sure we will hear much more of her in the years to come. I hope you will keep us informed of her future endeavors.
—Neil MacLaren, via e-mail
