As we head from winter into spring, I always feel that singers, like the birdsongs our pieces often imitate, burst joyfully out into our spring and summer performances. I’m particularly ecstatic about the new music that finds its way into our hearts and voices. This issue’s focus is new music: who is writing it, how we learn it, and what it means to include a variety of voices into the classical canon of vocal repertoire.
I’m delighted to welcome a singer and composer to the cover in this issue. Kamala Sankaram is not only massively successful as a vibrant voice in the operatic community, she’s also brought thoughtful commentary on technology and female empowerment. Her experiences as both a singer and as a composer show that we, as singers, have agency in the music we create.
We celebrate Brian Manternach, of the column The Singer’s Library, in his 100th article for the magazine. Like most of us, Brian began the writing side of his career as a singer who had something to say about the industry, and has been part of the Classical Singer family since 2006. I too, began my writing career with little more than a hello and a writing sample, and since then, a world of expression has opened up for me.
We mourn the loss of Carol Kirkpatrick, a singer, educator, author, and mentor who encouraged singers to be “aria ready,” and whose contributions to the Classical Singer community extend to all of us. Her book was life and career changing for me when I was finishing graduate school and entering the audition landscape as an emerging artist.
Like new music, writing about classical singing is something that cannot be learned in the abstract or in a one-size-fits-all manner—every interview, how-to, book review, column, and essay reflects both the experiences of the subject and of the writer themselves.
With that, read on! I hope that when you are through with this month’s articles, you are inspired to seek out the new—in your voice, in your creative output, in your personal goals. Happy spring!
