what kind of soprano: lyric or lyric coloratura?

Over the past year I've been blessed to find an excellent voice teacher in Philadelphia: Don Marrazzo.

Yes, we singers continue voice lessons throughout our careers, especially for the operatic/classical voice. And Don teaches both classical and pop vocals styles. He studied at Curtis and also apprenticed with Bill Riley (Celine Dion's teacher) so he knows how to work both techniques.

Thanks to Don I've had some real breakthroughs - for one, I learned how to do a "mixed belt" so I could carry my "chest voice" higher and mix it with head to give it more power. Now we're focused on something even more exciting with my classical singing ...

For years I've been a lyric coloratura, which means I sing repertoire that moves fast and goes high. When Don first heard me, he felt I was imposing vibrato onto the voice and not fully engaging my breathing ("support" as it's called in singing vocabulary.) Well .. what was discovered after we worked on moving me towards a more natural, fully supported voice, was a much warmer, wider, more vibrant sound with a slower vibrato. It sounds full and rich in the lower register especially. And Don said, "you know what, Emily, I think you are a full lyric, not a lyric coloratura."

What?!?!?!? Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the past weeks Don and I have just been freaking out in the studio hearing this voice come out of my face. (So crazy!!!!) It's WILD to hear so much sound and color. For those of you that know me, I'm a relatively small and skinny lady, we're wondering where on earth does this sound come from???

So for those of you who don't know opera so well, and for those of you that do, the lyric sopranos are some of the biggest prima donnas who get exquisite music to sing. And it's so exciting to hear that kind of voice come out of my mouth! It's like a whole new me. Renée Fleming is a lyric, as is Kiri TeKanawa. Here's is Kiri singing the aria from the lyric repertoire that I am now learning: "Je dis" from Carmen.  (Seriously this is crazy exciting for me that I can sing this aria!!!)

A lyric coloratura today that Don references is Sarah Coburn, who apparently has a sound that will "rip your face off" it's so rich and big. The natural vocal color is the difference.

(Sarah is a bad a** and Don worked with her at Glimmerglass when he ran the young artist program).

So besides the voice coming in, now I need to work on a new way of approaching the coloratura and legato and work on new arias. What a trip, so much new to discover!

Don is now head of Astral Artists in Philadelphia and if you are a pro in need of an excellent classical vocal teacher, he's your man.

Now back to the weather .. it's 72 F and sunny!!!

Happy weekend,
Emily

"Penny the One-of-a-Kind Piano" provides music lessons for foster children

Cover of Penny the One-of-a-Kind Piano

About ten years ago, my friend Suzanne Jackson woke up in the middle of the night with a story in her head. That day she'd been at the Washington National Opera and paid particular attention to the upright piano used for her rehearsal. Hours later, she dreamed of a special piano that traveled the world and came to terms with being unique, and with being herself.

Now the Kennedy Center will be presenting Penny the One-of-a-Kind Piano the musical on their Millennium Stage on March 25, 2012. 

Penny the One-of-a-Kind Piano, as illustrated by Bob and Tessa Jackson

Just like Penny, it's been quite a journey for Suzanne herself.

Suzanne wrote down the story that night years ago, and, then, set it aside. A mother of three, a company member at the Washington National Opera, a yoga instructor and private music teacher, Suzanne had plenty to keep her busy. But, after a number of years, the story surfaced again, and her husband, artist Bob Jackson, began to work on sketches for a children's book along with their daughter, Tessa. Placido Domingo, world-famous opera singer and former General Director of the Washington National Opera, gave his support to the story as well, and wrote the foreword to Penny the One-of-a-Kind Piano, the illustrated book that Suzanne released in early 2011.

The Penny story teaches children the meaning of living a one-of-a-kind life. Through making music, Penny has many priceless experiences and discovers the home within herself.

Carmen Balthrop, David Cook, Placido Domingo, Suzanne Jackson

Suzanne was inspired to donate proceeds from the book to foster children when she realized one of her own voice students was a foster child and was using money she earned at Chick-fil-A to pay for her voice lessons. “I witnessed the true healing power of music while teaching voice lessons to Catherine. Foster youth often feel they are different.  I hope this book inspires them to find their inner home just as Penny does in the book." Jackson awarded the first Penny the Piano Scholarship with Placido Domingo to David Cook on September 26th, 2011.

Visit Penny's website to learn more about the project and to order a copy of the book. You can also donate to the project to help provide music lessons to foster children at http://www.theawakeningarts.com/about-penny-the-piano.html. And to learn more about Suzanne, visit www.theawakeningarts.com.

Here's to inspirational, enriching projects like Suzanne's!

A gift within a gift

Last week I visited a friend's home in the rolling Pennsylvania hills for a trunk show. Having been told that the clothes were from artisans in Afghanistan and other countries, I expected a homemade look to the clothes. But when I walked into a room full of glorious colors and luxurious fabrics, I realized that these were some of the most beautiful handwork pieces in the world, all brought to us in the comfort of our American homes by Zaanha.

Hand embroidered pillows

Wendy Summer, the founder of Zaanha (www.zaanha.com), established the non-profit after she closed her marketing company and traveled to Asia to volunteer. Since 2006 she has made multiple visits to Afghanistan, meeting many of the families of the artisans and learning how much they want for their children to be educated. Wendy directs the proceeds of her sales to fund a school in Afghanistan that needs strong support to stay open.

Silk and Cashmere scarves

Along with gorgeous embroidered pillows, silk and cashmere scarves, throws, embroidered notebooks and coasters were a number of beautiful sweaters and jackets. My generous friend, who had brought me to the sale, said that I had to try on one of the sweaters for a Christmas present. After some (but not much) arm twisting, Wendy and all the ladies at the show helped me pick out a purple sweater that we loved.

Wendy Summer helps me try on a cashmere sweater and matching silk scarf.

Wendy's got style and grace

While Zaahna, who's motto is "glamour. for good," is often sold at home shows and benefit parties, you can shop for Zaanha online and read more about its mission. By giving a Zaahna gift this holiday season you'll create happiness for your friends at home and your new friends in Afghanistan who, thanks to you, can devote themselves to school and a better life.

Cashmere and silk throws

Zaanha allows you to experience true beauty by opening a window to a better world for children who might otherwise live in the dark.

For more information about Zaanha and to visit their online store, visit www.zaanha.com, and be sure to visit them on Facebook www.facebook.com/zaanha and Twitter www.twitter.com/zaanha_tweets

Zaanha ships all over the world, so for those of you in Sweden and France, or wherever you may be, you can also make Zaanha a present this holiday.

Happy shopping!

Voice lessons for you: in pop and opera

Oh my gosh .. where were we?

Voice training!

Over the past few months I have begun working with students from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Each of my students is special in her/his own way, and it's so exciting to see each individual's style express itself as we train. My students range from age 7 to age 18. Some sing just for their own pleasure, and some are working to enter Cab Calloway, the local school for the arts in Wilmington, Delaware. And I have students training to enter college vocal programs as well.

For the past few months I have been teaching these students at Accent Music on Concord Pike and the Kirkwood Highway (http://www.accentmusic.com), and now thanks to a special invitation from The Grand, I will also be joining their Arts Academy. 


(visit http://www.thegrandwilmington.org/Education/Academy for a full listing with links)

The Grand provides an excellent place for musicians to perform along with good studios in which to take lessons and train. I will be teaching workshops and masterclasses as well as private vocal lessons. All are meant to help singers find the unique voice that only they possess.

Share this blog with anyone you know who would like to expand their vocal expression. I can be contacted via email at info@ivasound.com or by calling Pam Mannochio at the Grand 302-658-7897 x 3300

See you in the studio...

whaddup ...

... this is a shoutout to WSTW! Especially Mark Rogers and Hometown Heros. Thanks for all the IVA time and for coming to visit.
<3

the teacher and the student

Over the past few weeks I've been continuing my work in the studio .. the voice studio, that is. Yes, all singers need to continue to take lessons. And opera singers? Definitely! Since coming back to the States I've started up with a fantastic teacher named Don Marrazzo. He went to Curtis and teaches full-on opera technique, but also studied with William Riley (Celine Dion's and my dear friend Keith Porteous's teacher) and teaches pop voice. We have opened up some incredible things in my voice so I thought I'd explain to you a bit .. and hopefully enlighten you on how to open up your own voice if you so desire.

One of the things we've been working on in the pop voice is having a proper "mix". This is sometimes known as a "belt" and it's mixing head and chest voice into one register that the body knows how to instantly call up when you sing a note. Don gave me a number of exercises that we worked on for weeks, as well as pointing me to some videos online.

This is Hayley Williams from Paramore doing her vocal warmup.

We also worked on stripping out all the vibrato on the pop voice. Vibrato is the natural shake in the voice. With both my opera and pop voice I was imposing vibrato on my sustained notes, and we worked so that I only used my natural vibrato, which is a lot slower and produces a much more free sound. And with pop music, too much vibrato clouds the words. When we cleaned up the vibrato and took most of it out, the words of the song and the emotion began to jump out! I used this new voice on my show at the Queen Theater, and you can hear the difference. (listen to "Future Love" on http://www.reverbnation.com/iva)

As for the opera voice, since I'd been singing mostly pop for a while, we had some work to do. The voice had grown since the clips on my opera website and I hadn't been using my full voice. Plus, once I started using my natural vibrato, things just got crazy big!  So we're working on new sound clips for the end of the summer/early fall so you can hear the difference. The opera voice is kind of a wild animal, so for the past months I've been on the 1-2 hour a day practice schedule while doing classical concerts to test it out. Phew .. I am tired after one of the sessions, but things become more and more natural. And progress is made. So really, there's no complaining allowed. I mean, what else would I be doing with my time?? Silly me, did I forget that this is what I love to do??

So, what else; we are working on dynamics. Now that I've got this bigger voice, I have to learn how to control it. Especially pianissimo (very quiet) in the high registers. It takes incredible presence to make it happen, and the body is working, working, working for air production and the right amount of pressure in the voice. Take a listen to Renée Fleming if you'd like to know. Especially at about 5:00 of this clip - you'll hear her come off the note with a little release of pressure from the voice and a breath in. She is in top-gear, thought it's the most quiet full sound she can sustain.

Am feeling a bit embarrassed to share clips from my voice lessons, but now I'm seriously temped to upload some audio and even make some video clips to show you so you can hear what's happening.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some wisdom from Brett Manning:

p.s. someone tell him to get some rest!!

guest blogging for Dilwyne Designs!

Svenskt Tenn

This week my longtime friend Bree Wellons asked me to do a guest spot on her blog for Dilwyne Designs. She asked for all things Swedish, so I got to revisit my favorite things in Stockholm.

Check out my guest blog as well as Bree's other posts. They're fun, beautiful, and give you great ideas on what to do at home. Bree will help you make the space you've always dreamed of, using new pieces and re-inventing what you already have!

http://dilwynedesigns.com/blog/

Enjoy .'.

www.dilwynedesigns.com