I had to get to Philadelphia. Two years of personal losses and other changes convinced me that I had to get out of my own environment and draw a line in the sand for myself.
The Classical Singer Convention was only 30 miles away. If not now, when? So, on May 18, just blocks from where our Declaration of Independence was signed, I made my own declaration: That was then, this is now. I’m a singer.
Everyone, all the other singers, the Classical Singer staff, and the hotel staff, were super-nice and helpful. The four-story, atrium lobby of Philadelphia’s Sheraton Society Hill Hotel rang with non-stop singing all day long. It had balconies all around on the upper floors, just like a theater. The singing was consistently excellent.
Thursday night brought more great singing, when the headliner, dramatic soprano Robin Follman, sang, talked, and sang some more, in ringing tones, for hours. Afterwards, Follman stayed late, making sure everyone’s questions were answered.
Follman has amazing energy. She finally admitted that she takes a break in the summer—sort of—when she studies new scores. She has toured with Andrea Bocelli, and praised his professionalism and technique, saying it’s better than some other tenors with whom she’s worked.
Follman encouraged us to diversify, and to sing in as many venues as possible. The more you can do, the more you’ll work, she said. She also stayed to sign her CD, Rare Verismo Arias, (I recommend it)—a gracious lady.
The AudComps finals on Friday night kept things going. The winner of the professional division, the volcanic Dana Beth Miller, absolutely rocked the ballroom. We’ll hear a lot more from her, I’m sure.
Later, I met the second-place winner, baritone Anton Belov. I joked about going into comedy because of him. He wouldn’t hear of it. Nice guy.
The masterclasses and other sessions were top-drawer. There were three or four guys and ten or twelve women in most of my classes. Why couldn’t it last longer?
N. Brooke Lieb gave a hearing-is-believing demonstration of the Alexander Technique. After some breathing exercises, she began working one-on-one with everyone as she moved around the room. She gave us the choice of singing or just practicing sitting down and getting up out of a chair.
“Stand with your legs touching the chair as you gently lower yourself with back straight. Take your body where your eyes go. Sit or stand against a wall to feel the correct
alignment.” Singers instantly gained power in their voices, as she adjusted their posture or breathing.
Ellen Rievman, another bundle of energy, was equally compelling.
“Look for the underlying emotions in a song,” she told us. “Anger is flat. Look for fear, pain, vulnerability, or hurt, instead. Picture a circle of energy around you. Feel a sense of resistance, an energy moving around you. Actions need to be slower than you think. No generic gestures.”
After using her suggestions, one singer felt she had never communicated better with an audience (the rest of us).
One listener volunteered that she was unfamiliar with the opera from which the aria just sung originated—then she told us what she thought the protagonist had felt when the aria began, what changed, and how the character was at the end of the aria.
“That’s pretty much what happened,” the singer replied. Remarkable.
CS contributor Cindy Sadler was in Rievman’s class—she sings, too, and has a rich, impressive sound.
David Hayes presented performing and auditioning tips for oratorio. Mark the music the way you sing it, he told us. Don’t assume the accompanist knows what you’re singing. They tend to know opera well, but not oratorio. Know where to cut the “mini-overtures” at the beginning of the piece. Hayes prefers the Watkins-Shaw Messiah—another version has changes in the harmonies that could throw you when you sing with an orchestra. Good news: It’s OK to sing with the score, but use it just for reference. Don’t look “stuck in the book.”
My class included the makings of a very good Messiah cast (minus a tenor): Jay Gould, a magnificent bass-baritone, Grace Gori, an impressive mezzo, and soprano Rebecca Hample. Hample’s lilting “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” actually brought a certain macho guy to tears. (Hey, baritones can be sensitive, too, ya know!)
Unlike opera, oratorio doesn’t necessarily cast through managers. What to do? Network and google choral groups. Baroque style is all about gesture, said Hayes, lead in the right direction.
Zoe Vandermeer gave a fascinating demonstration of the intricacies of recording. Mike the piano, the singer, and the hall, she said. We heard playbacks from the singers’ mikes, then the hall mike, and both together. The ambience of the room added much to the sound when Vandermeer played the two together.
Vandermeer provided three different types of microphones for the singers. Surprisingly, it wasn’t always easy to determine which mike helped a singer sound best. Singers need an engineer or producer with good ears who’s familiar with operatic voices.
In recording, the levels are most important, Vandermeer explained. You can fix the balance in the mixing. Sopranos should sing their highest, loudest notes so the engineer can fix the levels. Once they’re set, they’re set. Big voices should never use a condenser mike, she added, explaining that it will “hiss” and need adjustments.
For many of us, Mark Stoddard’s Marketing and Negotiating class might have had the most important information of all. Always show the benefit to your target audience, said Stoddard. Other important points Stoddard made included:
• Most brochures are not worth the money.
• Don’t make your recipient’s response letter look like a form letter. Include a #9 return envelope inside a #10 envelope.
• E-mails should not look like “spam.”
• Tell friends that if they use your name, they’ll get a discount on the ticket and entrance to the reception afterward. Always show the benefit to them.
At the end of the closing ceremony, everyone sang Verdi’s “Coro di Schiavi Ebrei” (“Va Pensiero”) in memory of Carla (“CJ”) Wood, Anna Moffo, Richard Pearlman, Lyndon Woodside, and sadly, quite a few others who passed away in the last year. It was a fitting and touching moment.
I received an ad for Classical Singer magazine a couple of years ago. Instinctively, I subscribed. It made me feel like a serious singer again. Going to the Convention sealed the deal. I’ve plenty of work to do, but I also have plenty more singing to do. I’m back.
