Joseph Smith

A Close Look at Monostatos Aria from Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte”

The composer has provided a more detailed description of dynamics than is usual for music of this period, and attention should be paid to his wishes.

A Close Look at “Sein wir wieder gut,” the Composer’s Aria from Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos”

The Composer’s aria from Ariadne auf Naxos is one of the great soprano arias in Strauss. Soprano? But it is usually sung by mezzos, isn’t it? In recent years, yes.

A Close Look at : Surprising, even perverse, changes in dynamics hold the key to this aria's effectiveness. _

The internationally indispensable Robert Lloyd is one bass who never has to worry about the low notes in Banco's aria. His cavernous bottom register is the stuff of legends.

A Close Look at Quando m’en vo from Puccini’s La bohème

In this lilting favorite, Musetta makes an outrageous statement. Savoring the words helps to put it across.

A Close Look at “Here I Stand” from The Rake’s Progress

Singing in one’s native English is often more difficult — rather than easier — than a foreign language.

This modern score, couched in Eighteenth Century idioms and allusions, presents its own special set of difficulties.

A Close Look at “Vedro, mentr’io sospiro”

The Count's Vengeance Aria from Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro is a study in contrasts.

Step by Step Through Adalgisa’s Prayer from Norma

An expert coach helps you find the right stresses for Bellini's complex recitative

Step by Step Through “Je Veux Vivre”

A leading opera coach shows how to express the hidden urgency in Juliet’s famous waltz song from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Often singers miss the point of this too-familiar showpiece, failing to understand what is really being said. CS explores this aria and steers your interpretation away from the insipid toward the inspired.

I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ : from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess

A well-known coach brings you closer to the authentic Gershwin style
Tricky rhythmic notation and memorization traps are two of
the difficulties of this deceptively familiar aria

Step by Step Through Voi che sapete

A leading opera coach reveals the secrets hidden in Cherubino’s
popular aria from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro

Step By Step Through Adele’s “Laughing Song”

An opera coach takes a close look at the famous aria from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus

Digging Deep into your Aria

Great vocal performances happen when singers truly explore a role, and it helps to have a coach who can walk you through the process. Joseph Smith, a New York vocal coach, shows you how to begin the task of getting beneath the surface of a piece using the tenor aria “E lucevan le stelle,” from Tosca. The specific aria or song may vary, but the ideas are universal.