Here is my full recap from Sunday of the Classical Singer Competition & Convention:
Sunday:
As you already know, I woke up on Sunday morning to see that I hadn’t advanced to the semifinals of the competition. But, I didn’t have time to wallow, I had convention classes to attend. Mark Stoddard, Robert Mirshak, and Angela Beeching gave three classes in a row on Negotiating, Being Successful, and 5 Next Career Moves. All very informative, and definitely good for a singer to learn from as a break from the regular day-to-day of being immersed in music & the voice. Then, it was time for what I had been excitedly anticipating all weekend: the masterclasses with Deborah Voigt!
She gave two masterclasses, one that was an Audition Feedback Experience and another that was a regular masterclass, which was open to all singers of the competition in the larger hall – which I had the absolute honor of singing in.
Before her first class, I ran over to the designated warm-up rooms in the hotel to vocalize a bit. I was really looking forward to this, I’ve been diligently working on ironing out some technical issues for the past few months and was excited to participate in a masterclass with my new “voice,” especially with someone as amazing as Deborah Voigt.
“Debbie” was our featured Singer in #SingerCrushSunday on April 17th, so since I’m posting this on a Sunday, we can make her our featured SCS again – she deserves it! Right from the beginning of the first class, you could tell that she has a fun energy that makes her a great person to be around & shows that she’s fun to work with. She was able to laugh along with the students in both masterclasses which kept the students disarmed and tension-free to follow her suggestions. The way a teacher should be!
When the first class was over, Beth came to meet me in the larger hall. She was going to be my videographer/photographer for this class – I wanted to make sure I had this masterclass on video. Between both of our iphones I new one of us would have enough storage! I need to say thanks to Beth for coming with me and getting the FULL THING on video AND simultaneously taking photos. I owe you one!!
I didn’t realize this previously, but Voigt was working with three singers for the second masterclass, and I was the third and final singer. There were only three slots and I was lucky enough to grab one. How amazing! The first student was a Soprano and the second a Mezzo-soprano. It was fantastic to watch her teach both of the singers. She was funny and entertaining, and both singers were eager to follow her guidance. Then, it was my turn (cue fangirl squeal).
I was anxiously gulping down all of my water during this class, I was basically a water balloon by the time I went onstage (singer problems). I gave my music to the accompanist, stated my name, and the aria I was singing: Addio del passato. My absolute favorite aria of all time. =) Part of the reason why I love this aria so much is because of the drama: Violetta doesn’t think she will see Alfredo again, and now she is facing her own mortality. She is weak, hurting emotionally and physically, heartbroken, and it is such a vulnerable state. It’s absolutely heartwrenching and the music is stunning. I finished the aria and waited for Voigt to begin her suggestions. She said she could tell that I like the aria, which is fantastic. I wouldn’t want to seem static onstage.
She wanted to address a few things that I’m actually currently working on, which is great because that means I know I’m on the right track as far as actively fixing technical issues (which is a neverending journey, in the first masterclass, Voigt mentioned that working on technique never ends). I’ve always had issues supporting properly, and not really using my whole body while I sing, and lately I’ve been focusing on hooking in to that low support. However, in my effort to find that low support (since it still isn’t consistent yet), sometimes my body gets a bit stiff and I don’t have as much buoyancy as I should. Debbie (I’ll call her Debbie from here on…because OBVIOUSLY we are besties now) caught on to this immediately and the first thing she mentioned was that I needed to let go more. I’m listening to the video as I write this post, and the difference in my sound from when I first sang the aria to when she began fixing these details is quite clear. The sound is much more free. I spent this past week really working on breathing low and not getting stuck, and after one week I’m already noticing the difference. It’s amazing what some focus and dedication can do.
She was great to work with, I felt like I was in a regular voice lesson. I’m so jealous of all of the students who will be able to work with her at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music! She is not only amazingly talented, but knows how to communicate well and obtain the correct sound from a singer. She’s also gorgeous and funny – there were a few times where the audience and myself were laughing while I was onstage. It wasn’t an intensely serious atmosphere. Reading her book is now currently on my to-do list!
After the class was over, the final concert round of the competition began about 20 minutes later. Beth and I took a seat farther back to watch the concert, and there were really some phenomenal singers. A few stuck out in my head: one soprano sang an aria from Linda di Chamounix that was extremely impressive, and I think she was part of the High School division. Brava to her for singing like that at such a young age! There was another woman named Rachelle, who I believe placed second in the Emerging Artist division, and her voice was stunning. Cheers to all of the singers in this competition! Everyone who made it to the final round sounded fantastic. I applaud all of you!
After the concert was over, the convention and competition were both complete. Beth and I frolicked outside to enjoy our final night in Boston with some margaritas and guacamole at another restaurant on the water. A lovely ending to a lovely weekend. Hopefully I’ll be back next year!
-Christina
By JACOPERA. Follow their regular blog at www.jacopera.com.
