singing
Breath
Breath management feels mysterious because breath management is a deeply personal thing. In the same sense that your relationship with the Divine is a deeply personal thing.
interoception
Feelings
Skill at interoception is not all that difficult to develop or teach—it’s just often counterintuitive, within a culture that is intensely fixated on outcomes and external validation.
Support
A supportive teaching practice requires strong communication and an atmosphere that feels safe and affirming to the student.
Spirals
Spirals go in both directions. Strap in, and don’t forget to use your turn signal.
Cookies
What could possibly be more important than the quality of your own moment-to-moment experience? The cookies you bake are one thing—the quality of experience you had while baking them is another.
I Want To Believe
My favorite X-Files episode involves no paranormal phenomena. "Hell Money" relates an all-too-human parable. (Before you keep reading, spend a little time and $1.99 to watch it on amazon.com and enjoy cameos by the young Lucy Liu and B.D. Wong) In "Hell Money,"
What You Need to Know About the NYIOPs
The NYIOP International Auditions, or the NYIOPs, were born out of the frustration facing aspiring international opera singers in their desire to audition for European, Domestic and International opera houses. The concept behind the NYIOPs reverses the traditional understanding of international opera auditions: The opera companies travel to hear the
How to Get Discovered as an Opera Singer
All aspiring performers dream of that moment when they will catapult to glory. Actress Lana Turner was famously "discovered" in a malt shop as an impoverished 16-year-old. At the same age, supermodel Cindy Crawford attracted the attention of her industry when she was photographed while at a summer
Better Singing Through Technology: A Conversation with Professor David Ley
Professor David Ley's phone has not stopped ringing since redOrbit ran an article about his research on vibrators and vocal production. I was therefore very grateful to him for carving out some time to share his work with me over Skype last week. A Professor in the Drama
Possessive Voice Teachers: A PSA
At some point in their training, most singers inevitably encounter the stereotypical possessive voice teacher. Their comments about their colleagues range from dismissive to scathing. Their methods are shrouded in mystique, to be revealed gradually only to the most loyal. It's whispered around the opera department that if
Connecting the Dots
A friend recently observed that "Life may be considered as a dichotomy: Either one can set one's goals moderately and strive for them effectively, or one can set many lofty goals and flail between them like a moth in a chandelier." He wasn't talking
Kurt Moll: A Master Class with a True Meistersinger
I attended Kurt Moll's master class at Zankel Hall last week. It was a revelation. At 72, the veteran bass has the most perfectly coordinated, expressive, and economically produced voice I have ever heard at close range. In fact, I've never even heard anyone come close