WIN-WIN

The excellent artists of the International Vocal Arts Institute 

onstage at Mannes College of Music

It has become a yearly event that we look forward to every June--Joan Dornemann's International Vocal Arts Institute in residence for ten days at Mannes College of Music. Last night we wrote about Diana Soviero's brilliant master class and tonight we attended a concert of arias performed by the students. It was particularly interesting to hear singers we heard last night to evaluate how well they incorporated  what they learned. For some, it was too soon to telp but one soprano stood out.

Melanie Spector was last on the program last night but the first to come to mind since she took what she learned about breathing and let the sound fly. She performed Norina's scene from Donizetti's Don Pasquale with a voice twice the size of what we heard at the master class. Furthermore, she demonstrated an understanding of the text and a lot of personality. The ascending and descending scales were beautifully rendered, as was the trill.

This opera is full of humor and charm and we enjoyed baritone Gabriel Garcia's Dr. Malatesta as he tries to sell Don Pasquale on his so-called sister, the aforementioned Norina. His baritone has a nice texture and pleasing tone.

Donizetti was quite popular in this concert. We were thrilled hearing mezzo-soprano Jihyun Choi who performed "O mio Fernando" from La Favorita. Her intense involvement in the role pulled us right in. There was a lovely contrast between the legato of the cantabile and the animated cabaletto.

From the master's L'Elisir d'Amore, tenor Eduardo Belmonte performed "Una furtiva lagrima" with sincerity of feeling and generosity of spirit. He has a graceful crescendo which opens up his voice beautifully.

From the same opera, tenor Zachary Sebek lent his sweet tone to Nemorino's other aria "Quanto è bella". When he lets go of the piano and steps forward toward the audience he comes across much better.

Donizetti also set operas in French and Fille du Regiment is a favorite. Tenor Nicolas Gerst bravely tackled "Ah! Mes amis...pour mon âme" with some fine French and a lovely descending portamento at the end.

We do believe French is more difficult to sing than Italian but all of the students excelled. Soprano Hyune Kwon performed "Je suis Titania" from Ambroise Thomas' Mignon, an opera we have never seen. Her coloratura was excellent with fine execution of the fioritura; the upper register had an appealing bright tone. We wanted her to let go of the piano and act the part. The character Philine is an actress after all!

Édouard Lalo came along a generation later and his Le Roi d'Ys is high on our list after hearing tenor Yunxuan Zhu perform Mylio's aubade to his bride. We liked the timbre of his voice and his ardent delivery. Lalo's music is as melodic and rhythmic as one would wish. We'd like to hear more!

Massenet came along shortly thereafter and, although we are familiar with his more serious operas, hearing soprano Angela Candela sing Chérubin's Act I aria "Je suis gris" from his light hearted  opera of the same name made us want to hear the whole opera. We think singers love doing scenes of intoxication the way actors crave death scenes. Ms. Candela chewed up the non-existent scenery and created the character before she even began to sing. We loved it!

As an aside, several composers have tried to continue what Mozart and Rossini started with mixed results. We liked Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles and we hated Milhaud's La mère coupable.

But in telling the tale of the Almavivas, nothing can compare with Mozart's Nozze di Figaro and we enjoyed Cherubino's aria "Voi che sapete" sung by mezzo-soprano Heather Jones who showed that she knew what she was singing about. We remember Ms. Jones well from her performances with Cantanti Project, Light Opera of New York, and Mannes Opera.

From his Don Giovanni,  soprano Jaeyeon Kim gave a convincing portrayal of Donna Anna in "Crudele...Non mi dir". There was a good contrast between the legato and the fioritura. We appreciated that she stepped forward from the security of the piano and connected with the audience.

We found plenty of other works to enjoy from the Baroque and Classical periods.

From Händel's Giulio Cesare, soprano Mithuna Sivaraman tackled the long and difficult aria "Da tempeste il legno infranto" and wrestled it to the ground. We loved Cleopatra's enthusiasm expressed through accurate coloratura that served the text. Her performance reminded us of how much we enjoyed her performances with Cantanti Projects and New Camerata Opera.

From his Rinaldo, we heard the famous "Lascia ch'io pianga" given a splendid performance by soprano So-Chung Shinn who conveyed Almirena's grief by means of vocal artistry and facial expression. We would like to see her add some involvement with her body as well which would necessitate letting go of the piano! The embellishments in the return were finely rendered.

In the opera canon, Haydn is kind of a wild card. Baritone Luka Jozic conveyed the joy of a happy farmer in "Schon eilet froh der Akersmann" from Die Jahreszeiten, and he did it in good crisp German.

Sarah Heilman's German was also fine in "Ach, ich liebte" from Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Her bright tone was notable in the upper register.

We are looking forward to a performance of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischutz next season and got a good preview when soprano Hanna Lee performed Ännchen's aria "Einst träumte meiner sel'gen Base". This character has a lot of personality and Ms. Lee captured all the nuances as she related her scary dream to Agatha the bride. She had no problem establishing the character by means of expression and gesture. It was a treat.

We have saved for last the aria "My Darling Jim" from Tom Ciupullo's Glory Denied. This is one of those prosey arias that amounted to a weather report, apparently from a wife to her husband who is fighting in the Vietnam War. Soprano Jessica Bayne employed perfect diction and appeared involved but we were bored. This is generally the case with contemporary opera with which we rarely can relate. We crave melody!

The excellent accompanists for the evening were Jestin Pieper and Pei-Wen Chen.

Next week will bring another concert of arias and two recitals of opera scenes, all of which we intend to attend. The win-win situation here is that the students at the institute get an opportunity to perform and the audience gets a thrilling evening of singing, without cost. Do come!  You won't be disappointed.

(c) meche kroop

e

WORK OR FUN?

Pei-Wen Chen, Joan Dornemann, Melanie Spector, Diana Soviero, Emilia Poma, Cloe San Antonio, Jennifer Jaroslavsky,
Zachary Sebek, and Clara Iranzo

We have lost count of all the master classes we have attended. We have noted that each master teacher brings something else to the table. Some focus on role interpretation, some on language skills, some on stage presence, and other aspects of performance.

Last night, as part of the International Vocal Arts Institute at Mannes College for Music, we became acquainted with the unique style of superstar soprano Diana Soviero. Ms. Soviero is a "character" and we mean this in the best possible way. She is fearless in her attempt to get her students on the right pathway, even at the expense of making funny faces and saying funny things, and contradicting "received wisdom".

The true measure of her method is the change in the sound of the students. The six people we heard were all excellent to start out with but achieved a far fuller sound under her tutelage. We would say that they did the work and we had the fun but, truth to tell, they seemed to be having as much fun as we did. Ms. Soviero stands right next to the student and moves their arms, conducting them as they sing. 

Rather than describe what each one sang, we will share with you some of the valuable tips we gleaned. We confess that some of the tips exceeded our modest understanding but most of them made sense to anyone with a basic knowledge of vocal production.

Before the singing began, the arrival of a few latecomers became an opportunity to tell the singers to never turn their backs to the audience but to stand and wait, in character, until the audience settles down. She also pointed out how the orchestral introduction tells the singer when and how to begin. Never begin by belting the note but slide into it.

Of course, everything starts with the breath and most singers have an unclear picture of the role of the diaphragm and have been ill-advised to "push the breath". Ms. Soviero is careful not to label anything as "wrong" but prefers to call things "misunderstood". One way to keep the larynx and diaphragm down while going up is to try to lift the piano!

Some of the singers needed to be told not to hold back but to send the sound out. We have always heard the instructions to send the voice forward but her instructions were often to send it back. For our understanding, this would require a bit more explanation but it certainly made a positive difference. 

To achieve a diminuendo, she instructed the student to send the sound out with energy so it vibrates, and then to bring it back in. Another tip for a dry mouth is to suck in on your cheeks.  That's one we never heard before!

In a trill, the singer should put the lower note on the beat. That was a good one!

Since the tongue connects with the larynx, it is important to avoid mouth positions that tense the tongue. The upper molars should be well separated from the lower ones. "Nyeh, nyeh" is a good way to find the right place for the tongue.

It isn't necessary to open the mouth wide to get a big sound. We've never heard a teacher focus on the embouchure but she described the upper lip as a steering wheel that directs the sound. Singers should be careful about jutting the jaw forward.

Before going higher, lift the palate first. 

To find the center of the pitches one can practice humming them first. Hum the upward jump, then open the mouth. Keep the vowel in place for upward leaps.

Much of this comes from the Garcia technique, of which we have never heard; but since it worked so well for these six singers it would be valuable to learn more about it.

Beyond the technical aspects there were a couple acting strategies that we'd like to share. In "Stridono lassù", the soprano should not keep looking up. A flock of birds doesn't remain overhead, they sweep across the sky. The singer can follow them just for a brief moment only! We never heard that before but it makes so much sense.

Also in Pagliacci, when Arlecchino serenades Columbina, he should be very relaxed and can . "tune the lute" before he begins to sing. It's these little gestures that make a performance believable and we were so glad to be made aware of them.

We expect big things from these six promising young singers!

We plan on attending the concerts of arias and opera scenes for the rest of this 10-day institute about which we have written a great deal in the past.  So should you!  Particulars are on the IVAI website.

(c) meche kroop