January 2015 – All Articles

The year 2015 marks two remarkable milestones for the legendary Sherrill Milnes. This month the baritone celebrates his 80th birthday, and in December it will be 50 years since he made his Metropolitan Opera debut. Since then, he has sung nearly all of the major baritone roles on stages the world over. Always committed to teaching and education, he continues to draw on his vast experience to fill a void for the next generation of singers through his VOICExperience Foundation. Read about Milnes’ life and career, what he considers the “golden age,” and his newest endeavor: the Savannah VOICE Festival.

After a recent petition decrying YAP audition fees made the rounds on social media, Cindy Sadler decided to enter the discussion to better understand the issue from both the singer and administrator viewpoints. Hear from both sides of the table in this first in a series of articles further examining the sticky issue of audition fees.

When you have two toddler-aged children at home, if the house gets very quiet for very long, you usually know mischief is afoot. Recently, after a moment of such silence,

Wintertime is the dry time. Make sure you stay hydrated so your voice and body can work optimally.

Courtney’s Stars of Tomorrow honors the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., through its cultivation of promising young artists and passing on the torch of classical music—including a concert this month in Harlem featuring legendary singer Grace Bumbry.

Heading abroad this year for a summer program? Thinking about tacking on a European audition tour at the end of it? As with any endeavor, determining whether you are ready, if there are opportunities to be had and, thus, if it’s worth your time and money is the place to start. Find out from agents and singers as they discuss auditioning in Europe.

When Dr. Robert Bastian was studying medicine, he was taught to “never operate on singers.” But in his early years of practice, he began to question this prevailing dictum. Now highly revered for his 25-year career treating singers, Dr. Bastian discusses how attitudes about surgery have evolved, when he feels surgery is necessary and what the positive and negative effects are, what he considers the major vocal myths, and why voice teachers need to be well educated when it comes to surgery and vocal health.

Founded in 1986 by Metropolitan Opera’s Joan Dornemann, IVAI continues to train and inspire the next generation of singers. Read what changes are in store for this longtime program as it revamps its locations while staying focused on its primary goal: giving singers what they need to succeed.

Choosing a summer program can be overwhelming. With so many programs and limited funds, how do you know how and where to spend your money? Thoroughly assessing your own skills and the offerings of prospective programs is key. Find out how to break it all down here.

Sometimes getting the education you need requires thinking outside the American college experience box. Read about how one singer traveled abroad to get the language skills she needed by combining an Italian university experience and a summer program.