2. Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi) 5/2011 – LA Opera

3. Wicked (Stephen Schwartz) 4/2011 – OC Performing Arts Center

4. Die Walkure (Richard Wagner) 5/2011 – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD

5. Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini) 6/2011 – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD

6. Mama Mia (Andersson and Ulvaeus) 6/2011 – OC Performing Arts Center

7. Simon Boccanegra (Gaetano Donizetti) 6/2011 – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD

Me petting a random dog outside a restaurant

I have been singing and performing since I was about 10 years old.  I went from the fun and excitement of gospel and broadway music, to the cool and introspective art of jazz music, to the precise, glorious and brilliant art of classical singing.  Classical music has captured my heart and challenged my mind in a way that no other art form has.

But to be honest, for a long time I really saw classical music as pretty boring, even though I respected the art itself.  I would practically fall asleep during operas (all of the French jibberish felt pointless before I understood what it meant!), and I always preferred rock or gospel music during Sunday morning church services (even though now I can’t live without my blessed Trinity Hymnal).  And besides, mastering this art just seemed so complicated and hard, and just so far away from where I was at, at the time.  I just couldn’t wrap my mind around actually singing high Cs the way other classical sopranos did?!

When I first started studying classically in Long Island I was honestly pretty bad. Making the transition from Broadway-belter to bel canto classical singer was less than smooth! As a first-year classical singer I found my own unique way to demolish ”O Mio Babbino Caro” by Giacomo Puccini.  I had a grand ol time singing through all sorts of arias and art songs that felt totally beyond my reach. And who knows where I actually got the confidence to perform some of these pieces next to some of my friends who were actually good?  Back then I had such a hard time communicating any sort of real emotion through the piece because singing in another language just felt so unnatural and strange.

Eventually I found a piece that I loved.  It was “O Del Mio Amato Ben” by Stefano Donaudy.  And it was beautiful.  And I could actually sing it kind of nicely. I could actually hit the high A at the end of the piece and hold it for a few bars!  For the first time I could communicate deep emotions and intense thoughts through the lense of a mourning and desperate Italian girl.  And so my love of classical music _slowly_ began.

I originally made the switch to classical music for a variety of reasons. One of them being the fact that I wanted a challenge. I wanted to pursue something completely out of my comfort zone.  I wanted to go for the hardest and most disciplined form of music, and see if I could actually master it and learn to love it.  And here I am – almost 10 years later – still wondering if I will ever master classical music? But I can tell you one thing: the more I practice, the more confident I become in my craft.  And the more I perform and share my gifts, the more I know in my heart that classical music was meant for me.  I’ve experienced so many joys through the new things that I have learned in my voice lessons.  For example, taking my voice higher than I ever imagined has been one of the many joys that classical training has allowed me to experience.

I guess this post is meant to be an encouragement to all you out there who kinda aren’t really that confident in your ability to sing - but you still want to try to learn and grow.  You _can_ get better and you can certainly grow as a musician and singer if given the right training. This is also directed to singers out there who may have possibly burst a blood vessel or two (don’t worry – I’ve been there) imitating Christina Aguilera or belting a tune from Jessica Simpson’s latest album.  There is a healthy way to sing any style of music, but I do believe it is rooted in classical technique.  This is why half of a singer’s lesson consists of warm-ups and vocalizing – this is where we develop most as singers.

And for those of you who have thought about going into classical voice but have been afraid, I cannot stress enough how rewarding this pursuit is!  Classical music preserves and serves the voice and you only get better and better with age (if trained properly and used effectively for your particular voice type).  The challenges that we have to overcome while learning to sing are totally worth it in the end… and they serve as a means of keeping us humble and reminding us that these obstacles will make us appreciate success much more in the end.

Andrea and Anna - two friends of mine who have a passion for classical music and kindness

I am a trained classical singer.  I have been studying classical voice very seriously for about 10 years now.  Classical music is my passion and I believe very much in classical technique for the overall health and vitality of the human voice.  If you want to learn how to sing for 3 hours straight without going hoarse – then learn classical technique!  It is the foundation for all healthy singing.

I have a passion for instilling 5 main things in myself and my students:

1.  A foundation of good classical technique for long-term singing and vocal health. This is done through a series of warm-ups and other vocal exercises.

2. I desire to help the student pursue whichever style he or she loves the most.  I encourage my students to pick at least half of their repertoire so that their lessons are FUN and exciting for them! I do like to slip some classical music in every now and then for my students whom I feel are ready for the challenge.

3. I always want my students to be developing a love for performing, competing in vocal competitions and auditioning – which is a time to showcase and share all that they have learned over the past months of studying. Students must learn to love their own individual voices and sounds. They must embrace their voice and LOVE sharing their gift with others.

4.  I enjoy developing an interest in young students for the future study of music theory, music history, and sight-singing, should they someday decide to pursue music as a career or through a college degree.

5. I try to teach a spirit of humility and kindness towards others. There are a lot of talented singers with terrible and jealous attitudes towards others. I want my students to be known for their positive attitudes towards other artists.

Melinda and I havin fun...

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) is one of my most favorite composers.  I have a personal affinity for the simplicity and gloriousness of Baroque music in general. In fact, when I was first introduced to the likes of classical music, both J.S. Bach and Handel touched my heart deeply and inevitably encouraged me to pursue the art of classical voice. I loved everything I heard from them, and it was then that I realized that classical music was going to play a major role in my life.

Handel is especially known for his oratorios and operas. Another great German composer who was originally encouraged by his family to pursue law, he found his passion for composition and music to be irresistable.  I can certainly relate to this considering the fact that I was certain I would be a CPA until about the age of 22! Something about the logic and challenge of accounting was only to be a temporary substitute for my love of music. To this day, I am so grateful that at a reasonably early age I came to my senses and went back to my first love.

Musicians back in the 1600s sought to become experts in the organ, harpsichord or pianoforte at a very young age. Handel began to play the organ before he turned ten.  He attended the University of Halle in 1702 and even became a Cathedral organist. Handel lived in many places throughout Europe, making him an especially knowledgeable and seasoned composer.  He wrote in several languages, including German, Italian and English. He lived in Italy and England after leaving Germany in the early 1700s.  This was during a time when people were born and lived their entire lives often in the same town, or at least the same country.  Because Handel won such fame and royal recognition and support in England, we Americans are now pleased to enjoy the fruits of many of his English labors.    Here Handel wrote a large amount of sacred music, including the most famous oratorio ever written, Messiah.  Here he also wrote some of his most famous instrumental music including Water Music and Royal Fireworks.

Handel never married and was known for his independent nature, sense of humor, and his generosity.  All sorts of rumors have been conjured up regarding his romantic life – of which none can really be proved.  Nonetheless, he died a very famous musician in England, after having experienced some of the greatest highs and lows of public praises and failures (A History of Western Music, 458-459).

I have personally loved and performed two pieces from Handel’s oratorio, Messiah. I have enjoyed performing “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” and “If God Be For Us”. Both have enriched my understanding of the Bible and have inspired me as a singer. Sometimes classical music can feel overwhelming or extremely complicated to learn, but not the two pieces mentioned above. They are perfect for any intermediate singer, and yet they are still sung by the most famous opera singers in the world. These oratorio pieces are easy on the voice and truly leave me feeling vocally refreshed after singing them. The notes seem to sit just right in my voice – not too high and not too low. The pitches are sustained for just the right amount of time, and there is just enough light coloratura to keep my voice humming along without strain. In addition, the pieces give you plenty of space between phrases to relax and breathe deeply. I guess Handel knew a thing or two about the soprano voice and how to write solos that feel a lot less like work and a lot more like a vocal massage! The goal of every singer should be to sing music that feels good in the voice, and for me, Messiah solos always seem to do the trick.

Jennylyn and Marie shopping in Times Square!

We took a night to see West Side Story on Broadway and I have to say that it was my favorite Broadway Show so far! I loved all of the dancing and the neat mix of jazz and classical music written by Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim. It was 2 hours of fun and thrill and romance!

Jenn and Anna back on Broadway!

After seeing a bunch of my college friends in Manhattan, it was off to Long Island and back to where so much of my growth and life was spent. I love Long Island. I love the east coast and it felt like being back home again…

Back at LIU as Alumns

Me and the Maniscalcos (my east coast parents) at a BBQ in West Babylon

My beautiful Mary-Noelle from Bayside, Long Island

I miss the east coast so much already! It was a wonderful vacation and a great way to spend my last free week before beginning my first semester as a graduate student at California Baptist University.

My favorite tenor - the amazing Luciano Pavarotti!

Teaching men how to sing in their falsetto register is one of the most challenging tasks for voice teachers today. It is a register that many men would like to ignore altogether. Because men tend to speak primarily in their chest voice (the lowest register), to sing in anything other than their chest voice feels strange, weak and abnormal. But mastering high notes with ease and agility is essential for beautiful and resonant singing. The falsetto register is key to transitioning from the lowest notes of the scale to our highest pitches.

In order for a teacher to properly assist her male students in mastering all areas of his voice, she must first designate and strengthen the two main parts of the voice: the chest register and the falsetto register. Cornelius Reid sums this up by writing, ”This approach to voice building gives every exercise a twofold purpose: 1) the strengthening of the individual registers [chest and falsetto] while in their separated form, and 2) the simultaneous purification of the vowel quality.” So, from the beginning, one can see that understanding registers and proper vowels for singing is key to mastering difficult transitions in the voice. Oftentimes the best teachers will remind their students that their voices are only as good at their vowels!

So to begin our discussion we will identify each major area of the human male voice and explain the most important aspects of each register. Firstly, there is the chest voice. Chest voice is that series of notes in which the vocal cords are said to vibrate in their entire length and greatest breadth, which encompass the lowest tones of the voice. The lowest notes resonate deep in the chest with a great sense of relaxation of the throat, chin and face. Chest voice occurs from the lowest tones in the male range to approximately E4. This voice requires less breath pressure to manipulate successfully and is the most comfortable and familiar range for most men. Therefore, it is important that all male singers learn the limitations of chest voice so as to not overuse or abuse this natural area of the voice. Many voice teachers believe that no attempt must ever be made to pull the chest register up higher than E4 on the bottom line of the treble staff. Any effort to do so will only lead to forcing.

Every trained Bel Canto classical singer knows the dangers of forcing the chest voice far too high in the voice; most of us have sat through excruciating performances where singers demonstrated tremendous tension and straining due to poor technique. Listening to this kind of singing is often painful for everyone involved! The respected vocal teacher, Cornelius Reid, points out that, in general, all tones above E4 belong primarily to the falsetto register. There may be components of chest voice still present, but once he has arrived at E4, the falsetto voice takes precedence and increases with each ascending note. The chest voice simply holds and eventually becomes obsolete.

The falsetto register is the highest register of the male voice. It is characteristically reedy, thin, airy and light. However, over time it can be built up to be just as strong and vibrant as the chest range: The falsetto, too, must be strengthened and brought to a comparable intensity level with the chest register. After these conditions have been satisfied, then the registers are ready to be brought together and made to work as a single, co-ordinate unit. One must never bring the chest above the register break (F4); instead, he must learn to grow the falsetto down to the chest range. It is helpful to vocalize a male student in his falsetto all the way down to at least E4. This allows him to get used to incorporating the falsetto register in his lower notes. This strengthens the falsetto voice, and gives a certain amount of confidence to the male singer; only the falsetto voice allows him to access higher and higher notes than he ever thought possible. It is helpful to remember that, above the passaggio and F4, the falsetto voice is the dominant register.

Male singers have additional challenges when it comes to singing through the transitional part of the voice, which is located between approximately C4 and F4. This fragile area between the chest voice and the falsetto voice is also known as the “passaggio” or, the passageway. For men, there is a very noticeable break in the voice occurring consistently around E4, which is located at the top of the chest register, or the bottom of the falsetto range. Learning to sing through this unstable area of the voice is necessary for a balanced and resonant sound. The desire for all singers is to achieve a sound that is free of any noticeable “break”, or change, in the overall quality of the voice.

So a teacher must train him to learn to bring his falsetto voice down lower than he normally would in order to strengthen the falsetto and to train the falsetto to engage before the break in the voice. Once you get to the break, the chest register holds, and the falsetto rapidly increases, step by step. Once a teacher has strengthened the falsetto range and brought it to match the natural strength of the chest voice, it is time to join the two registers. It is important to remember the dominance of the falsetto voice once we arrive at the vocal break. The falsetto is the dominant factor in all tones in the region of the register “break”, and must be built up to achieve equal prominence with the chest register. The gap separating the registers should never be lessened by the forcing of the volume of the chest register, but always by increasing the strength of the falsetto.

Another amazing singer - the young and handsome Placido Domingo!

New York City

I grew up in OC and all I ever knew was OC until age 18. But I had this crazy dream of being a Broadway singer or maybe a pop star and of living in Manhattan and enjoying all of the fabulosity and creativity and intelligence that only New York has to offer. I moved across the country at 18 because I was committed to my dream of being a musician and a performer and because I was fascinated with New York. I can honestly say that NY is all that it is cracked up to be and more. It is truly the most warm and intelligent and opportunistic place I’ve ever been. And to be honest I am now convinced that I fit in better in NY than anywhere else in the country — I’m convinced that I’m a little too driven/pushy/opinionated for my own OC good! LOL.

 

Broadway

 

I plan to definitely see a Broadway show, I want to jog in Central Park without my IPOD, I am dying to eat at Carmines in Times Square, I want to sip on a Starbucks latte in the middle of a freezing cold coffee shop because they are making up for the suffocating humidity outside, and I want to be in the suffocating humidity for a while because as strange as it sounds… I miss the humidity on the East Coast. And besides, humidity is great for my desert dry skin.

 

Carmines in Times Square

 

My closest college cronies from all over the NY metro area are coming out to see me, and words can’t express how much this warms my heart! My friends always make me feel loved and welcome when I go back to NY, and I know that it isn’t easy for them to get away from work and responsibilities to come and keep me company. After all these years they are still interested in my life, and after all these years they are still giving me the chance to be interested in their lives. The same little group of people that came to all of my singing and choir concerts in college are still a major support system in my life today; and I don’t take this lightly. I thank God that He has given me these friends to love despite my failures and inadequacies as a human being. Okay, off to the land where dreams are made and accomplished.  Back to where I learned to move a thousand miles a minute and to still think about what more I could do and learn and explore!

I’m one of those girls who loves to workout, to run, to dance, to hike and swim. Ok, so I am not athletic in the sense that I have always been terrible at all legitimate sports (does cheerleading count because I was actually pretty good at this?), and I’ve always hated the idea of balls flying at me and people screaming at me to move/go/run faster. I’m not athletic in the sense that I can play basketball with the boys, but I am athletic in the sense that I love to run and be fit and I can seriously rock those STEP classes at the gym! Ok… so… time to get back in shape and live up to my potential. Time to be more in shape in my 30s than I ever was in my 20s! My motto for life has always been improvement. Be better this year than you were last year. Be more today than you were yesterday.

My plan is to follow through with what my model (for reals she is super cute and fit and a real model!) friend Jodi told me, along with my voice teachers of the past — Pilates! I’m relatively obsessed with it these days. For the last two weeks I’ve started doing about 15-30 minutes of pilates 5-6 days a week. I have also been pairing this with tennis or running a few miles most days of the week. I’ll keep y’all updated with my progress after a few months!

Jodi explains the fabulousness of pilates and I am thrilled to try it!

Of course, this doesn’t mean I am forsaking my delectable lattes (right now I am blogging at my favorite coffee shop, Peets) and my daily chocolate fixes. As a kid in the 80s I drooled over ding-dongs and to tell you the truth not much has changed. But these days, I am just trying to be very controlled and thankful and moderate with everything I eat. And as a 30 year old woman I still somehow believe that if I am focused and willing to continue working rediculously hard in life, and if the Lord has predestined it, I can possibly have almost everything I really want in life… just not all at once. So this concept needs to translate in to how I approach food on a daily basis. I am also learning to embrace the idea of, “taste everything eat nothing”, when I am at a party or at a restaurant where I might want to throw in the towel and just indulge. Indulging in entire brownie sundays from Norms (for real these are ghetto but so good), or slurping down massive bowls of mac n’ cheese, I’m convinced, is for 8 year olds; tasting a little and moving on with life is for a grown-up woman like me.  Some of the most practical ideas about realistic eating as a busy woman in today’s world have come out of Bethenny Frankel’s new book, “Naturally Thin”. I love learning the insider tricks to how all those fabulous-looking New York socialites stay thin and healthy year after year, all while going out to dinner and cocktail parties MOST nights of the week!

So back to music. Do I think singers need to be in shape? Well, yes, I think it helps. I truly think that being more fit will make a difference in my singing, and mostly, it will make a difference in the way that I present myself as a performer. Fit opera singers are all the rage and the fat Wagnerian-style singers have been officially out of style for at least a decade now. So I do think that being healthy does benefit a classical singer’s career in a practical sense. Don’t get me wrong, less-than-petite singers such as Deborah Voigt or Aretha Franklin have blown us away with their strength and power… and I don’t think their appeal would have been quite the same in another body. And there are legitimate reasons for the old Germanic opera stereotypes and sayings such as, “It aint over till the fat lady sings!” I guess I’m just saying that I don’t want to be the fat lady that’s singing. 

We can't wait to workout!!!

I love animals!

Ha ha we look so tan in this pic - it is an illusion!

Getting ready to see the show... dang I look tall!

I recently took a trip to Las Vegas with my family and we had a blast shopping, eating buffets (I normally hate buffets but somehow the Vegas buffets seem to call my name!), playing $1 blackjack, lounging by the pool, sipping cocktails (anybody had a chance to try Bethenny Frankel’s new, “Skinnygirl Margarita”?), visiting the Mandalay Bay Shark Aquarium, M&M World, watching fireworks, and seeing a Broadway Show! Vegas is one of my favorite vacation destinations and I somehow manage to enjoy the blazing heat whenever I’m there. I like anything but cold. Don’t ask me how I survived the winters for five years in NYC?

I think the highlight of my vacation was the “Lion King” at Mandalay Bay. I was so impressed with all of the costumes, designs, colors, and creativity. The show starts with the entire cast singing the song, “The Circle of Life”, as the cast is making its way down the isles and on to the stage. African animals of all kinds, from elephants to cheetahs, were featured in the opening and closing scenes of the show. The incorporation of African and modern dance movements brought life to each character/animal.

The two strongest singers were the female Nalas in the show. The adult Nala and the child Nala had amazing voices with excellent technique. Crisp and clear singing with free flowing high notes and a relaxed approach to singing were music to my classically-oriented ears. Although both the lion cubs/children had a pretty quality to their voices, the resonance and clarity in the young Nala outshined the young Simba throughout the show.

In addition, the grown-up Nala sounded a lot like what I would expect from a Disney singer. Very “Ariel” sounding (think “The Little Mermaid”). She was precise, clear, resonant and easy to listen to. The older I get the more I appreciate a singer that is easy to listen to. I get very stressed out watching a straining singer who is out of breath or flat because they are singing a song that is too high for them! 

I think the weakest singer in the bunch was the adult Simba. At one point I thought his voice might actually crack on a high note! His biggest problem was pulling his medium/chest voice up way too high, without blending both the falsetto and the medium registers. Oftentimes singers feel tempted to always sing in medium voice. We don’t desire to explore the strangeness and newness of the falsetto range. This is because the falsetto voice does not feel natural or normal to us. It is this strange placement in the voice that feels beyond our grasp, weak, airy, without a lot of character and sound. But the falsetto voice is a wonderful thing and truly the greatest means to an end for singers. Once we are comfortable in the falsetto, and able to access very high notes, we notice the medium register also begins to expand. Eventually the goal is to unnoticeably blend the two registers! This allows a singer to sing high notes with power and strength and with health. No straining or cracking necessary.

BTW a friend of mine, Derek Davis, whom I went to college with, is currently starring as Mufasa with the Vegas cast. Go Derek! He was always a star and had such a humble attitude. Sooooo excited to see how far he’s made it already! And for the record, Mufasa was amazing!