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Are Opera singers merely very accomplished craftsmen - where does the “Art” come into it?


What is “Art” anyway?


I believe that “Art” lies in communication and a sense of connection that it brings when experienced.


It should not be confused by mere emotions because it reminds us of something that once made us happy, angry or sad.


Something more profound takes place when an artist has mastered their medium and cleared the path for their soul ( for lack of a better word) to pass through it.


As a classical singer our medium, the voice, is tied to the medium of a composer, his composition.


When a great singer renders a great piece of music, it’s magical. You can also feel the limits when a great singer sings a not-so-great piece of music and vice versa.


Because we are not creating the medium through which we communicate we face limitations in what we have to work with and comparisons to artists that have done it before us.


In narrowing down what opera singing should sound like to the sound of past singers because it was “perfect” for them - the unique creation of the current singers is stifled and in my opinion the art-forms evolution is halted.


Singers work within the frameworks given but they have to have the freedom and courage to give it their own expression - as every great composer intended.


His creation was meant to be completed in the hands of the musicians. The flow of creation does not stop on the page - it lives on and evolves at the hands of the instrumentalists and in the sound of the singer - they have to be brave enough to add to it not just read the recipe.


Don’t stifle your creativity by trying to fit into the expression of someone else. You become a “cookie-cutter” singer, it’s boring.


It echos of something great but it does not evoke a profound connection with your audience.


Find your own spice.


It’s easy to just follow a recipe, the hard part is to bring out what’s written between the lines.


Developing confidence has to start with establishing credibility with yourself.

It is based on how congruent your thoughts and your actions are.


How often have you promised yourself something just to break that promise?

Your subconscious and body learn not to take your statements seriously if you never follow through with actual actions.


When times get tough, always taking the easy way out will develop a kernel of disbelief within you saying that you can’t actually achieve or be good at something.


And the worst thing is, it’s your fault.


Nobody is to blame for your lack of confidence, it was you who made the promise, it was you who failed to keep it.


Take responsibility and follow through.


Set a goal, make the plan, break it down into actions steps, create momentum by committing to one step a day. Integrate wins into your identity, be proud, however big or small they are.

Be nuanced in your approach, off course.


Going through the steps develop a clear mental picture of what you can and can’t do, what needs work and what doesn’t and what needs to happen next.


Be honest with yourself, this might reveal that you have to go back and, what feels like, start from scratch.


Abandon the idea of shortcuts, there aren’t any.


This honest work ethic you have now developed will enable you to better handle the critics.

Standing on stage with the utmost belief in yourself. Maybe you are not “perfect” at this moment but if you know you put in honest, painstaking work, nothing a critic will say can affect your confidence.


Your Confidence is now tied to your work ethic, the belief in the clarity of your plan, and that you will figure it out.


Something a critic says can either confirm something you already know, or it’s utter bullshit. But you won’t know the difference if you don’t know where you are in your process.


Know that there is no destination - if you really want, you become incrementally better over time and you should enjoy the ride.


It’s been said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.


If you practice and practice but aren’t getting the results you want, you have to take a step back and analyze your actions.


As an example, let’s say that you are struggling with a high note.


Let’s take it back to the beginning of the phrase and explore what you have been doing leading up to that high note.


How did you start the phrase - did your low notes feel free, what did you jaw do, your tongue, how did you take your breath, what happened after you took your breath, what happened when you pronounced your consonants etc.


Finding the solution means going deep, going micro, FEELING it, really developing a mind-muscle connection and staying with the problem until you figure it out.


Maybe you’ll be able to figure it out quickly. Maybe you’ll need your teacher to help guide you through it. Maybe it will take weeks, dare I say years!


Maybe you’ll have to let it go for the time being because you realized that the underlying cause of the problem was something else entirely and you’ll have to work on that first.

Don’t lose patience or faith! Part of mastering something is discovering this cycle of a process; you fail, you learn, you correct, and you repeat!


Develop resilience! As you get better the problems will change but the process will not!

Every artist has to claim autonomy for the development of their instrument, their process, and their artistic vision.


Understanding and constantly evolving your own tools and processes also puts what others might have to teach you into perspective and allows you to evaluate it with a more discerning ear. And that is empowering - and in my opinion, that is one of the cornerstones of true confidence.


So don’t just hammer away at that high note - go on a journey of discovering of so much more than just how to sing it.


Don’t “fake it til’ you make it” - master your craft, be brave, go deep and detailed!

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hrundosk.com - Berlin, Deutschland

soprano/vocalcoach

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