Guest bloggers

Chakras and singing

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[Editor’s note: Kirk Averitt is a conductor, vocalist and educator and is relatively new to the Listerhood. He has brought us some intriguing ideas and different ways to think about singing. Here, Kirk shares some of his recent experiences with yoga and chakra theory. We encourage you to join in the conversation by commenting below. … Read more

Tonality season opener: “Borderline”, 10/27

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Event report by Doug McDonald This morning I was compelled to look up the word “ensemble;” a group of musicians who perform together is the abridged version, and the definition goes on to talk about the coordination between performers executing their work together and speaks to the group viewed as a whole rather than individually. … Read more

New Music Is the New Black

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(or perhaps the canary in the mine?) Hi, tenor Nathan Granner here. I’ve been singing opera and classical music professionally for over 25 years and producing live shows, tours, recording albums for around 15 years. I’ve seen a lot in my day! Here are some of my thoughts. I’ve been so crazy these past months … Read more

From the trenches: A Lister diva on how to learn a lotta music

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Danielle is a longtime Lister and one of LA’s go-to divas.  The mezzo devours an impressive amount of music each year, with much of it new works and unusual pieces that are definitely not part of the standard repertoire.  With her permission, we share her recent blog post on how she gets it done.  Check … Read more

A voice against musical illiteracy

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Christopher Gravis shook up Facebook today with a thoughtful and spot-on post about the current state of choral education, and the lack of emphasis on actually reading music and learning real musical skills. Chris is an active conductor and clinician, and his post confirms a reality in the choral world that has been growing for a … Read more

H20, haunted tunes, and the big ball

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Vocal focus from CCMN Southern CA Vocal Events Coril Prochnow’s Weekly Highlights (Our guest columnist again this week!)   It was a treat to get a light rainfall in the Southland this week, but for some heavy-duty Purple Rain, take a trip to Chula Vista on Friday 10/21 at 7:30 pm, or to San Diego on Sunday, … Read more

Wagner masterclass in Ojai focuses on big voices

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by Sherry Hutson Our events moderator attended an unusual master class in June, and gives us a hint of how the day went.  Congrats to all involved, in what sounds like a very successful event! This email grabbed my attention immediately: Wagnerian Soprano Legend Jeannine Altmeyer and Virginia’s Maestro Peter Mark offer a half-day Masterclass … Read more

“Bare: a pop opera” well worth the trip to Simi

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A community review from Steve Moritsugu If you are not familiar with Bare: a pop opera, please don’t be put off by its title.  “Bare” refers to the bare emotions of a group of high school students in a Catholic boarding school. Damon Intrabartolo, the show’s creator, won an L.A. Drama Critics Award in 2001 for … Read more

Why some singers get hired…and others don’t

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by guest blogger Peter Mark — Opera conductor, coach, master class teacher; Artistic Director Emeritus, Virginia Opera The biggest question that resonates widely among emerging and well-prepared singers all over the country is — “Why do some singers get hired, instead of others – who often possess better voices and preparation?” This has got to … Read more

Is there a better way to memorize your texts?

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by guest blogger Gabriel Wyner

Most of us Listers are singers, and as such, we have way too many texts to learn. From the endless recitatives of next season’s Mozart opera to the stack of new audition arias we should probably learn, there are few professions that can even approach the memorization needs of a classical singer.

Oddly enough, while a formal vocal education includes classes in music theory, diction, acting and interpretation, we almost never take classes that teach us how to memorize. Instead, we cobble together tips from colleagues and teachers and pray that the music will somehow help us remember — and it frequently does. When we finally stand in front of an audience and the music begins to play, we usually do remember, if only a split second before we open our mouths.

But the memorization process can be made a lot less stressful. There are simple, reliable ways to memorize texts, and this article will show you several.

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