Surprising practice tips: 4 arias to try too fast

How-to

Music that's meant to be slow can come with side effects like heaviness and stagnancy, which make the singing process unnecessarily difficult. Often the easiest way to find an aria's shape - and uncover some decent phrases - is to practice it at a metronome marking that's decidedly too fast.

Talking with composers: Kieren MacMillan

Interview

"I think people believe I can punch in at 9AM, and by 5PM I'll have written a few minutes of music I'm proud to send out the door. There are lots of composers who can, of course — I truly wish I were one of them, but it can take me hours or even days to get out of one mindset and into 'the zone' of music composition."

Matjash Mrozewski: "Delight & wonder are great things."

Interview

"What fascinated me when I started talking to singers was this idea that in some cases they won't be ready vocally for some roles for another 5 to 10 years. It seems like a no-brainer now, but I remember thinking that this required a huge amount of patience and view of the long game."

Talking with composers: Cecilia Livingston

Interview

"When people reach for a musical comparison they usually say I remind them of Britten, which is a huge compliment – and what a comparison to live up to! And it makes sense of the darkness that's in a lot of what I write. (I really enjoy writing music that is witty and satirical; I just keep getting asked for those darker emotional journeys.)"

In review: Mitridate, re di Ponto at ROH

Review

Overall, the quality of the production was incredibly high. It was visually stunning, particularly the unusual costuming. The aesthetic and movement choices of the production did inspire some conflict in me though. It was fantastic to see such a bold exploration of gender fluidity and campiness fearlessly played out with the costuming and physical characterisation of the singers. I also loved the aesthetic value of the costuming and set - the rich colours really brought this over-the-top world to life.

Spotlight on: Alice Privett

Interview

"Mozart chose a libretto in which the principal female character has to forgive some heinous misdoings of her male counterpart. However, Like Rosina, she does get to exact her own revenge on him throughout the opera before finally capitulating. The main message seems to me to be that forgiveness is an integral part of loving somebody."

Spotlight on: Emily Edmonds

Interview

"I value making, creating, and empathy - I believe our work as singers is a rich environment for these pursuits. If we are courageous enough to allow ourselves to be heard, and really seen, I think we can create things that speak to an audience. Perhaps through seeing and hearing us, they can be encouraged to see and hear others."

Sick singers & when it's best to shut up about it

Editorial

Singers, if you show up to a coaching or a rehearsal and you feel the urge to tell your coach or conductor that you're under the weather, ask yourself this: what do you expect will be the outcome of your volunteering this information?

Thrilling nights: Szymanowski & Orff with the TSO

Review

The TSO played both scores beautifully. With sensitivity to soloists (Benedetti included) they brought all the volatility and humanity to these two scores - something that was prevalent in the writing of the 1930s - to the forefront with skill and unparalleled technique.

The big, and ever-present, "what's next?"

Op-ed

From the perspective of my relatively secure, European composer bubble, the amount of exposure I received between the announcement of, and participation in, Frontiers bordered on empowering and overwhelming, with a dash of terror for good measure. The response I received from audiences, colleagues, and the staff of Fort Worth Opera affirmed my Brand — "I am becoming a better opera composer" — for the foreseeable future.