Dear Editor: So glad to see an article about chamber opera [“The Road to Romulus” by Cristina Necula, October 2007]. My company, Alabama Operaworks, has been devoted to that literature for the past ten years. How wonderful it would be to see your fine magazine devote more space to that enormous body of literature. New operas are being written every year, most of this size and scope. Historically significant composers of every style period wrote works of this size.
Maybe a listing gleaned from companies who have used them, and an article about their merit would be in order at some point.
Love your work, keep it up.
—G. William Bugg, Director of Opera Samford University,
Producer/Director Alabama Operaworks
Dear Editor: I loved the October issue with the variety of stories showing singers’ devotion to their art . . . very informative and inspiring!
I have read with great interest the articles by Cindy Sadler and the e-mail from Robin Taylor on selecting a voice teacher. My question on voice teachers is this: Are they going to teach you how to sing or are they simply going to give your voice a tune-up? That is to say, will they work with you to peel away whatever layers of bad habits you have (which might be mixed with a pretty voice) and teach you basic technique, or will they simply provide maintenance or enhance whatever you start with? In my experience, it is the rare teacher who has the interest, dedication, and knowledge to go back to basics. Also, if a teacher claims a well-known singer as a student, ask yourself how much natural talent the singer began with—can the teacher really take credit for “teaching” that person how to sing?
—Karen Lundry, Montclair, NJ
Dear Editor: I really loved [Amanda White’s] article about Chicago in [the] November 2007 issue of Classical Singer! It was great to read about my hometown (technically I grew up in Skokie). I just had a couple of observations:
I feel the statistic of $1600 a month for a one bedroom in the city was a little overblown. Yes, you can rent a one bedroom for $1600, but there are a ton of $800 a month options as well (I even found one for $675). Granted they are not right downtown, but if there is a cheaper option, I have yet to find a musician who would quibble with that option. Also, I know it gets cold in the winter, and maybe the average really is 24, but it never feels like that—that’s what hats, sweaters, gloves, scarves, and coats are for, right?
I would hate to think that the above statistics would scare anyone away from moving to this fine city. I have an ulterior motive—if more singers move to Chicago, then maybe more auditions would take place here, and that would mean fewer trips to New York!
—Guinevere E. Tiffin, received via e-mail
Author’s response: You’re right, there are certainly deals to be found in any city—[$1600 month] is the average price, not the realistic starving artist’s bargain-hunting option.
On the other hand, speaking as someone who also grew up near Chicago, I’ll disagree with you and say that winters there are way too cold! The other seasons are beautiful, though, and if you’re willing to tough it out for a couple months with extra layers, it’s well worth it.
—Amanda White
