Hello Everyone.

I’ve just got back from a five-day Summer School with London Opera Vocal at the National Opera Studio in Wandsworth. It was an amazing experience and INCREDIBLY hard work - we had four days of preparation and one day of concert. A number of the participants are either professional musicians, or semi-professionals or at conservertoire, and the standard was HIGH - I was scared I wouldn't keep up! But I did, thank goodness. Each night I came home so tired I was in bed by half past eight or so!

The great thing about the whole week was that the professionals were always prepared to help and advise the beginners. I learned so much! I got so many repertoire suggestions, all of which sound fascinating. And a lot of advice on technique too. Several people were kind enough to say I'd go a long way --- if I could afford the train fare!

Days involved a couple of repertoire sessions with a pianist and often a tutor too, being drilled thoroughly in the performance of one's concert solo (mine was Marzellina's aria from Fidelio - sung in German), a small ensemble session where one worked on a duet, trio or quartet (ours was the quartet from Idomeneo - sung in Italian) and work on the staged opera extracts (The Consul - sung in English). One of the things that added to the pressure a fraction was that for repertoire sessions anyone who was free could sit in on anyone else's class if they wanted. (Alternatively you could sit in the green room and guzzle coffee and talk your head off )

As an example, my last rep. session on Saturday afternoon was attended by:
• the pianist
• the tutor
• two observers who'd been visiting for the whole day and who had seen staged rehearsals, small ensembles and many, many, reps – they were looking a little glazed over.
• One course student who's a singing teacher in her day job with whom I'd become quite friendly
• One course student who's a Serious Professional Soprano who was "curious to see how I was getting on".
And then I tried to enter the room too, and had to ask whether there was actually enough room for me toget in and sing! And when I did so, EVERYONE except the observers started giving me coaching and advice.....I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed!! Talk about an excessive teacher-pupil ratio!

At the end of that session I was in such an exhausted daze I managed to totter to the station, and promptly got on the wrong train to go home!

The concert day was lovely, and everyone was so positive about my (and everyone else's) singing. It was absolutely great.

Pictures from the concert day:

here

Particularly check out my posh outfit in "The Consul"!!!!!!!

(The costume was OK given the subject-matter of "The Consul". The opera's set in the visa office of a consulate in an East European state in the 50s, and all the singers are refugees trying to leave the country. The outfit was, however, spectacularly UNsuitable for stage lights and no air-conditioning!!!)

They've got another course in October - I can hardly wait!

Cheers

Katyjay

Very fetching...

Sounds like you had a good time.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your course, Katyjay! I had a great time on mine too.
Not long till September now - looking forward to hearing your solo at the Forum Users' Concert - and will you get your soldier in the end.......?

Sounds amazing, daunting, frightening, exciting..... Lucky you!

I'm just reading Renee Fleming's autobiography - I suppose it's really w work in progress. It's great to read that her struggles in technique and professional development are any singer's sturggles. It's so refreshing - doesn't make me feel such a loser! I think every singer should read it.

(so which one are you?)

Blue headscarf

Hehehe! Sounds you had a very inspiring time! Are you in the "concert" pictures as well in the white shirt?

Yes, that's right.

I was wondering how you managed to sing in that headscarf!

Glad you had a good time. It's a year since my flute course last summer. I tried to book on a course at Benslow this summer, but left it too late and they're full. I've just received the brochure for the first half of next year, so I'll have to go on one then instead.

You look totally different to how I imagined you!

You know, I've heard that somewhere before.......

Well, I am sure you imagine me differently to how I look!

I'm glad you had a good time, Katyjay. It sounds like a wonderfully positive atmosphere.


You must have been cooked! Oh the sacrifices one has to make for one's art.

Um, wonder where that might have been ("but you're not katyjay, katyjay's tall and blonde...")

Sounds great fun, and I LOVE the costume! Let me know when you make your Glyndebourne debut - I'll raise a glass to you in the dinner interval.

Sounds like you had a fab time, katyjay, that's very cool!

you look completely different to how I imagined you, too!

Not very cool at all, sarah-flute.

Full stage lights on
and no air-con?

You must all be roasted peanuts! Never mind since you sound like you have had a GREAT time!!!

Tess

cleverclogs!

Sounds fantastic Katyjay - what a great week you had.

Hope it's not too much of a let-down returning to earth!!

Sounds interesting! You must have had a great time!

Car Expert

Wow - this sounds fantastic! And well done! I'm going for a week long masterclass next week - I hope it's as good as this! Having looked at their website, I'm now seriously considering trying to get in on their October session! If only funds will allow...

Glad you had a nice time!!! It sounds like you had a very valuable experience!

Katyjay thanks for writing about your experiences at the workshop. Sounds like you really gained in confidence from it. I,m a soprano in north surrey too, so maybe we'll come across one another musically in the future. Still, keep posting about your endeavours.

Sara

that is such a fabulous aria- one of my favorites
heck- i love all arias!

Hi Katyjay.

Do you think that with my terrible voice and lack of any natural ability I'd be able to attend a summer school like that? Would they just laugh at me like the RWCMD did? What are the requirements?

Hi Lady Moonlight

I'm sure that if you chose to do a summer school you'd be welcomed, and that they'd take you seriously. And personally I found it to be a terrific way of finding out a lot more about my capabilities, and getting advice from lots of people.

And one of the big eye-openers was that people suggested repertoire to me that hadn't occurred to me - and explained that the reason why I was struggling with some of the stuff I was singing was that it basically didn't suit my type of voice (I'm a lyric soprano).
One lady on the course was told that she was a mezzo rather than a soprano, and had a whole raft of repertoire ideas suggested - and the music she tried out as a result of this, she sang much more easily and musically than the soprano repertoire she'd prepared and brought along to the course. It was quite a stunning change.

Sadly, it's a bit late for this summer season, but there are workshops and events all year round if you keep your eyes open - British Choirs on the Net is a really good place to look for them, as well as for finding a choir in your area.

Enjoy your singing

cheers

Katyjay

Hi Katyjay,

Can you explain what a 'lyric soprano' is? As I've heard you sing, I know what your voice sounds like, but what makes it a lyric soprano? And what other sorts of soprano are there (or indeed, other voices)?

Hi Andante-in-C

There are as many ways of classifying voices as there are singers , but to give some examples, my voice is a lyric soprano one because it's quite a light voice, and reasonably high. Although I have a pretty wide range, the best sounds are a fair way up into my head register (roughly from F at the top of the stave to the C above it). Other soprano types include coloratura (which tends to be very high and very elaborate singing, with a lot of ornamentation and athleticism) or dramatic (which tends to be a bit lower and a more robust sound). I can sing in those styles, but not as well.

Mezzos may also be lyric or dramatic, as may the other lower voices. What determines whether you're a soprano or mezzo, and what kind, is really the nature of your voice, and where the best notes are, rather than the overall range you can reach.

On the course I met mezzos who could sing well up into the soprano range, but their "quality" notes were a lot lower down, and I met other sopranos who, like me, had some low notes in their range, but they weren't the best part of their voices.

Hope this gives a bit of an idea.

Cheers

Katyjay

Thanks, Katyjay, that helps a lot. I'm now trying to reconcile the lyric soprano and the pig. Others will have to wait until September 24th to know what I'm talking about, but, believe me, it's worth the wait!

Your explanation has given me several ideas, actually. I'm mulling something over at the moment, which I'll launch on the Forums as soon as I'm comfortable with it. Watch this space!

Ooh-er! I know my voice wasn't in top form the other day, but I didn't think the pig was the best of it!



Waiting with baited breath!

No, no, no! That wasn't what I meant AT ALL!

I enjoyed all of it, but the pig is such a lovely contrast to the lyric soprano. I won't say any more, because I want the others to enjoy it as much as I did.

I hope that after september 24th the rest of us get to hear about it!

Waiting in anticipation of your other "something"...

Glad to hear you had such a lovely time KatyJay, it sounds like a great experience. And well done too.

Most interested in the reconciled lyric soprano and pig - can't wait!!!!



Amber
x

I hope those of us who can't attend the concert get to hear about the pig afterward... I'm most intrigued...