Latest Articles

Two Sides to Anne-Carolyn Bird’s Story

One year ago this month, CS’s cover story featured Anne-Carolyn Bird and her husband, Matthew Burns, two singers on the road with their young family. This year, we catch up again with Bird to find out how her family’s changing needs led to an unexpected but perfect career change.

Feb 01 Greg Waxberg

From the Editor : Love and Sacrifice

At last year’s Classical Singer Convention in Boston in May, I was assigned to work at the registration desk, checking singers and presenters in, giving them their convention packets and

Feb 01 Sara Thomas

The Music Major Minute: : Interns, Volunteers, and Apprentices—Oh My!

Even if you know your long-term goal is a career on the stage, taking a look at some other jobs in the music industry is never a bad idea, and an internship can be a great place to start.

Feb 01 Christi Amonson

Musings on Mechanics : Why Can't We all Get a Song? The Perils and Paradoxes of Auditions

Nary a singer loves to audition. And a Twitter account highlighting things “overheard” at auditions shows how they often bring out the worst in singers, even though every singer goes in hoping to show their best. Claudia Friedlander takes a look at this and other contradictions of the audition scene.

Feb 01 Claudia Friedlander

The Singer’s Library: : Matters of the Heart

Singer and voice teacher Agatha Carubia melds yogic philosophies and classical singing technique in her recent book. Carubia has found that her methods for opening the body and freeing the voice can help singers of all genres, including her student Katy Perry. Read more about her unique technique and how she is sharing it with students and voice teachers.

Feb 01 Brian Manternach

Why We Still Can’t Get Enough of Callas

Forty years after her untimely death, we operaphiles are still being mesmerized by the voice of Maria Callas. Why, I pondered, would such a singer endure and evoke such emotion

Jan 20 Tony Villecco

Musicians’ Networking Solutions

| Blog-Monday Bytes, Networking | Happy 2017: January is conference time for many musicians and that means networking—for better or worse. If real-time networking makes your skin crawl, get 12 tips for making

Jan 11 Angela Myles Beeching

IT’S THE SINGING, STUPID

This New Year gives us all a glorious opportunity to refocus on what’s essential. Recently I’ve allowed various distractions to take my eye off the ball in my personal and

Jan 09 Jonathan Blalock

How Many YAPS Are Too Many YAPS?

Unsure of the next step in your training or what to do with the coming summer months? Find information on how to evaluate your needs and finances by taking a closer look at the different options available for summer programs and YAPS.

Jan 03 Dana Lynne Varga

The Loaded Weight Question

Should singers be asked to list their weight on an application for a Young Artist Program? Programs who do ask the question explain why—including one program that will be removing the question for the 2017 audition season.

Jan 01 Jessica Tobacman

What a Singer Needs

Welcome to this year’s summer program issue! Each year, as I review programs (the exceptional ones, the mediocre ones, and the sometimes bad ones) and singers’ experiences (also exceptional, mediocre,

Jan 01 Sara Thomas

Music Major Minute : Summer Opera Festivals: A Student's Secret Weapon

A new summer program in Mexico offers singers the opportunity to sing full roles with orchestra and compete for cash prizes. Read about its inaugural year and meet the lone American among the 94 singers who attended.

Jan 01 Christi Amonson