| Brenda Roberts |
Inhalare la voceThank you, Chris for your comments and input. I do not mean to imply that the teaching of “bel canto (beautiful singing) applies to repertoire and not to the technique. My point is that the bel canto art of singing has no boundaries pertaining to repertoire. The usage of the term bel canto emerged in the late 17th century Italy, referring to the Italian style of singing. Throughout the next centuries, the bel canto style required a technique to support the vocal performance style of easy tonal production, inhalare la voce, legato, coloratura, etc. I did not say “throat”, but “upper pharyngeal” area. The hard and soft palates are very important to the resonance of the voice. They belong to the feeling of inhalation including the “mask” and head resonance by reacting with the tongue and movement of the lips. For example, by using the “th” or “ng” in exercises, the resonance is activated and the tone is actually directed AWAY from the throat (We certainly do not want to produce tones in the throat! Never!) Vowels will also serve to produce the resonance that the voice requires. An “u” is a great help to inhalation of tone. I would also never “place the tone”. As I have mentioned, I am convinced that “placing” causes tension and limits the tone to a certain area. With the feeling of inhalation and the lightness that comes from feeling tone production from above the tone, there is no reason to “place” a tone. The body support and strength allows any tone in any range possible without placing or forcing. With the correct support, the correct opening, the feeling of inhalation (that begins outside the body) and hearing the tone before one sings, the tones will come automatically. The tones will autmatically take their required “place”. And…oh yes, the students are curious. But when they are able to visualize your instructions, they are usually convinced that it works. They hear that a breathy tone achieves clarity, they feel that the onset of the tone is so easy, and finally they hear their voices grow in size. • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2010-01-09)
Inhalare la voce - inquiriesI received the following email: “My name is Chris Tondreau. I came across your website as a result of Googling ‘inhaling the voice’. Dear Mr. Tondreau, • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-12-21)
Hometown happiness
I have been spending some time at my home in Indiana lately, trying to sell my parents’ estate. It is really heart-warming how my home town, Cedar Lake, has received me as a home town girl who is successful on the opera stage. They are absolutely wonderful people, and so I gladly sing for my home town churches in Lowell, Cedar Lake and Crown Point, giving my thanks not only to these people, but to God, who endowed me with a voice to be developed and nurtured. Here, as you see, is a photo from Flag Day (June 14th) this year. I sang the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America. You see me in a red dress on the left and with such political dignitaries as Robert Carnahan, Chamber of Commerce President and member of the Town Council, US Representative Rep. - Peter Visclosky, Indiana State Representative D.- Shelli Van Denburgh, State Representative Don Lehe, and State Senator Sue Landske. It was a beautiful day! • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-08-30)
Video Excerpts: Brenda Roberts Live in ChartresHere are some recent video excerpts from Brenda Roberts singing Dvorak’s Biblical Songs in Chartres, France. To ensure optimal video and sound quality, it is recommended to let the videos load fully before playback (i.e. press play, then pause the video, and wait until the progress bar is at maximum before resuming playback). • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-08-05)
My new CD of Wagner, Strauss, and Schreker Lieder
I am very happy to announce that my new cd is now on cdbaby for sale and digital distribution. Of course, the great Wesendonck Lieder are well known, but it was my intention to perform and record some rather unknown works of Strauss and early works of Schreker. They are unique and extremely expressive. One of the very few recordings of the Op. 67, from c. 1918, is the recording of the Ophelia Lieder by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. The last three songs of the cycle, the Goethe Lieder, are hardly available, at least it does not seem to exist as an entire cycle. The Schreker songs are very early works (189?) and very difficult to find in the recital scene. I had a great time working on these songs. They are technically difficult - both from the standpoint of vocal technique and co-ordination with the pianist. Schreker himself was an interesting personality. I would like to quote a couple of lines from his “My character study” which appeared in April 1921 in the “Musikblaetter des Anbruch” by the Viennese Universal Edition. He calls himself an “impressionist, expressionist, internationalist, futurist”. He says, “I am an idealist (Thank God!), symbolist and stand at the left wing of the modern (Schoenberg, Debussy)…” After a long list of what I am and what I am not, he says, “What in heaven’s name am I not? I am not yet crazy! And I have not yet written a critic!” I was fortunate to have an excellent pianist. I hope you like the cd! By the way, I will be singing the Dvorak Biblical Songs, Op. 99, very soon (July 11th) in Chartres, France. (Please see my entry from November, 2008.) I will also be in the Rheingau area of Germany with a church concert on August 1st. • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-06-11)
Auditions continuedA few additions to “Auditions”, my last entry. Your audition documents should include a complete, well-written resume, a professional photo, a list of engagements (even very small roles), your repertory, and your address, telephone number and email address where you can be reached. Include every performance no matter how small or insignificant you think it might be. Even small roles show that you have sung on stage and have experience. It should also include any contests you have won and recitals you have sung. Address your resume to the name of the agent, artistic director, etc. and not just “Dear Sir”. Do your homework and find out with whom you are personally dealing. It is important in professional life to have an answering machine. Being quickly reachable and available is necessary in the professional world. Please no funny recordings on your answering machine. A “Hallo, not here!”, for example, is not responsible. You want to show that you think in a business manner. A mobile telephone is of utmost importance nowadays when you have to be quickly available. An email address is indispensable in the modern music world. If you have any questions, please ask. I want you to be successful and I’ll try to help!! • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-06-04)
AuditionsOne can say and write a lot about auditions, but here are a few important tips for a successful audition. Always remember: you have to show your love for singing. If you are overly nervous and create the impression that you wished you were not there at the audition, you will fail. Love singing! Be absolutely well-prepared. The first aria you may usually chose yourself. This aria must be, in your opinion, your best aria. You may not get a second chance, so don’t consider your first aria to be a “warm-up”. You have to show right from the very beginning how good you are. Don’t chose a newly-studied aria, but one that you have sung many times and know very well. You may chose an aria that people don’t know very well, but shows your best qualities. You may chose from various languages, even ones that are not well-known, such as Russian or Czech. The aria should not be too long - 3 to 5 minutes is good, otherwise, make cuts. Be extremely punctual. Sometimes there are “no-shows” and your appointed time will be moved forward. It is of great advantage that you are there - and ready! The theatre business is dependent upon your punctuality and reliability. Show that you are a professional. • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-05-13)
Careers and childrenI know many women opera singers who decide against having children, in order to concentrate entirely on their careers. I agree that having children and, at the same time, leading careers is difficult, but I refused to sacrifice any aspects of my private life to my “career”. I was born to sing. Lotte Lehmann said to the public when I sang Master Classes with her at Northwestern University: “Brenda, you were born to sing opera.” This was always my belief, but I was thrilled to be mother to my son, Mark. It was often, if not always, very difficult. As an only parent, I either took him with me on my engagements, or, if it was a short engagement, left him at home with an au pair girl. I was well aware of my responsibility as mother and would not cut any financial corners for his care. Mark went with me to Geneva, Switzerland; Gent and Antwerp, Belgium; St. Petersburg and Talinn in Russia; Tokio; Florence, Italy for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; Catania, Sicily, etc., etc. He learned to feel comfortable in any country and any environment. He was born in Hamburg, Germany and speaks, fluently, English and German. I often took Mark with me to opera performances. Mark heard my Kundry in Parsival as a child and after that evening, he always asked (when I wanted to take him to the opera to hear me): “Mommy, is it longer or shorter than Parsival?” Parsival was the ultimate limit for him as far as time went. Everything was measured from that night on according to Parsival! • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-04-05)
More on vocal practicingI would like to continue my last entry on vocalizing. In my experience, as I said, it is of utmost importance that professional singers continue to practice, even when they have heavy schedules. At the Hamburg State Opera, where I was engaged for 9 years, I noticed that the singers engaged there - either as ensemble members or guest artists - hardly practiced when they had free time. To my knowledge, a perfect example of discipline was James King. I sang the Dyer’s Wife in Frau ohne Schatten with James King as Emperor and was absolutely amazed at how young his voice sounded although he was nearing the end of his career. The voice still sounded brilliant and youthful. James King and I would meet almost every afternoon in the hallway of the practice rooms. It was really very amusing. He would say, “Brenda, are you here again?” And I would answer, “Are you here again, too?” And we would laugh. Hard work and discipline seemed to be our bond - almost our secret. • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-03-29)
Practice and Vocal GymnasticI have been asked so often by students how long they should practice a day. Let us be clear on this issue: vocalizing is vitally important to the health of the vocal mechanism and longevity of the voice. I believe that every student must find out for himself how much time he should invest in practice units so that a constant development of his voice and its vocal possibilities result. In any case, at least 2 hours a day - and that is probably too little! One should have a long warm-up phase, adequate work on vocalizations, including work on consonants, vowels and their clarity, range of the voice with the goal of expanding the range and balancing registers, optimal tone resonance, and diverse technical aspects such as mastering ornamentations (trillers, mordents, etc.), coloratura, etc. This requires time, concentration and discipline! • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2009-03-08)
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