Kidon Choi
Go hear the Tafelmusik Vocal Competition
NewsI always recommend opera lovers to go and hear voice competitions; it's always fascinating and the energy of the competitors is something that's quite different than seeing them in a production. The event is scheduled from 1-5:45pm, and there are two intermissions during which you can meet the singers and the jury members over some food and drink. Plus, if you stay for the full afternoon, you'll be able to vote for the Audience Choice Winner.
10 pop singers with pipes
EditorialI'm a big old fan of opera singers and their alien skills. They can do anything at all with their voice, it seems. But of course, opera isn't the only place you'll find fantastic singing. We wanted to collect some proof of that statement, which definitely made for a fun day's work.
Talking with singers: Leah Crocetto
InterviewAmerican soprano Leah Crocetto is a Cardiff BBC Singer of the World, a Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Grand Finals Winner, a former Adler fellow at San Francisco Opera, and this season, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Liù in Franco Zeffirelli's iconic production of Turandot.
Why This Opera Singer Took a Non-Singing Job at an Opera Company
Op-edWhile directors and conductors often hold directorships and administrative positions within opera companies, singers themselves rarely have the opportunity to continue to perform while contributing to the other side of the footlights. There is definitely a stigma attached -- that if you have time for any kind of other job, your singing career must not be going well.
Schmopera is two!
Op-edIt seems as though the odd thoughts knocking around my brain about this wacky world of opera weren't unique. Readers, you too were curious about how artists learn their craft, how they earn a living wage by doing it, and what those opera directors are up to. You too wanted to stop defending our beloved art form, and start making more of it without apologies.
By the Numbers: 2nd birthday edition
MetaMeet Andrej, our co-founder and brain behind all things technical here at Schmopera. Since we're kicking off our third year in operation, and Schmopera has grown from a blog into a brand, we figured it was a good time for Andrej to fill you in on the technical happenings from behind-the-scenes.
Chiaro vs. scuro: what does it all mean?
EditorialSome of these descriptors are everywhere in operatic circles, yet it can often be hard to imagine what a "bright" colour sounds like in the voice, or what the word "warm" means when it comes to sound. We thought it would be handy to point out a few major categories under which voices fall, and let you easily hear the differences.
A tale of two audiences
Op-edThis isn't a post about how singers need to become better actors. The problem of dual-audience opera is almost a microcosm of an issue that's becoming more in the foreground of what's demanded of opera singers today. Many of these same singers - who have all the right stuff for the world's largest stages, yet lack the refined acting skills that are required of the camera - would be equally out of their comfort zones in much of the so-called "indie opera" happening in small venues.
T-shirts and tender artists
Op-edThe trope is that when kids are trailblazers of sorts, the kind to think outside the box, they rebel and turn their attention to something slightly verboten, perhaps exasperating to their parents. Often, that's the arts. It's not difficult to find a tale from a musician or one of his friends about their unsupportive parents, and their stubborn pursuit of their artistic career in spite of their family's disapproval.
How it's made: stage combat
InterviewLike much of rehearsing live theatre and opera, stage combat direction is one of those elements that goes unnoticed until done poorly. Enter the fight director, who specializes in staging duels, tussles, and brawls that looks like the real thing. Choreographing onstage combat can be a long and difficult task, resulting in a sequence that lasts minutes at most.