Voices of Summer

GREATER EXPRESSION IN SINGING

Voices of Summer is a two week course 13-26 July 2025, devoted to the enhancement of interpretive skills.

~ Better alignment for posture and breathing aided by a physical therapist

~ The establishment of a legato line based on the portamento thread. Legato is portamento sped up.

~ The dramatic acting of the texts associated with opera, art song and oratorio, apart from the music,

to find the emotional center of important words.

~ The application of the emotional understanding of the words to the legato line.

~ Result: Greater expression tied to the specificity of the text and the composer's wishes.

This method is part of an historically informed performance of Wagner's Die Walküre by Kent Nagano and the Concertgebouw:

"Nagano used the same rehearsal method as Wagner. The text, or what Wagner called the poem, was written before the music, so the singers approached it with a similar trajectory. When they first gathered, they spoke the libretto as if it were pure theater, Nagano said, “with a strong emphasis on punctuation marks, commas and agogic accents” — accents that also prolong a note — “and correct pronunciation of certain dialects.”

Next, the artists would again speak their lines, but with music underneath. Only at the end would they sing their notated parts. The aim is for a strict attention to the text, with performances that follow the dramatic design of Wagner’s words. By the time cast members are singing, they also know the material extremely well. It’s no surprise that at the Concertgebouw, no one relied on a score." (Joshua Barone, NY Times)

This intensive course asks operatically trained singers first to establish a vocal line on the portamento/legato thread. The next step is to divorce the text from the setting provided by the composer and - using the vocal-technical resonance of operatic singing - declaim and act the texts until a personal connection is formed with the words. The expressive information gleaned from acting is then infused on the legato line. This skillset amplifies the choices made by the composer as well as providing an interpretation unique to the individual performer.

Participants receive videos of their progress throughout the course, copies of the audio/visual content of the course and a complimentary copy of one of the books associated with the bel canto vocal technique.

Please see the webpage, www.voicesofsummer.com. for the details about the faculty and the process.

Bass-ically Bel Canto has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.