Singing Lesson & Voice Training Blog|
Jan 26
2011
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Christina and I attended the Annual Young People's Concert on Sunday January 23rd sponsored by the Danbury Music Centre. It took place at Danbury High School before a large audience. We were especially interested in the new Danbury Youth Choir under the leadership of Dan Coffman and Maureen Kelly, two superb musicians who have been active in community musical enterprises for years.
The choir is directed by Dan Coffman with Maureen Kelly serving as vocal coach and accompanist. They rehearse at 5 pm on Sunday afternoon at the Music Learning Center, 425 Main Street in Danbury. There is no fee associated with this but it is important to commit the time so the group can develop. It’s a mixed group (boys and girls) ranging in age from about seven to twelve. Contact the director directly at (203) 791-2706 for a brief, friendly audition and more information.
The 14 member chorus sang Walking in the Air (Howard Blake) from the very popular film “The Snowman” in a beautiful arrangement by Mr. Coffman for orchestra and chorus. This was followed by the scene from the opera Hansel & Gretel (Engelbert Humperdinck) including When at Night I Go to Sleep. The young singers resonated beautifully with a sure sense of harmony. The text reads “When at night I go to sleep, fourteen angels watch do keep” and there were our fourteen angels right before our eyes. It was very moving. Two of our grandchildren were in the choir (ages 9 and 10) having, from all reports, a genuine and unique musical experience. Imagine the rare thrill of singing with a full live orchestra.
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Jan 18
2011
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I love the news item of the little eight-year-old girl singing the national anthem at the hockey game. There she is, at a huge arena, holding her pitch-pipe in her hand, her mom close at hand. She starts off beautifully, is just in the middle of the bridge when her mike cuts out. And there she is in this huge arena, lips moving, not a sound. At first you hear a woman near the videographer laugh, then someone shushes her, then the voices of the entire arena swell to join the little girl in singing the anthem. It chokes me up every time I watch it.
I think it’s a great lesson for my students of how what may seem to be a disaster of a performance can turn into a great opportunity. Had this girl’s performance gone perfectly to its conclusion, it certainly wouldn’t have been broadcast all over the world on yahoo!! Of course, the important thing is that she didn’t allow the technical difficulties to stop her from finishing the job she was there to do. She maintained her dignity and continued to sing to the end. That is class!!!
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Jan 11
2011
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SINGING STUDENTS of the CHRISTINA ROVICS VOCAL STUDIO
are presenting a Winter Concert at the Danbury Music Centre on Saturday, Feb 26, 2011. Two programs, one at 4 pm and the other at 5:30 pm will represent the full range of our singing talent. Admission is free. You are welcome to attend both programs or either one. Each concert is limited to 80 minutes of music, about ten singers per program. All will be accompanied by Howard Rovics at the piano.
It’s an exciting time of the year for us and our singers of all ages. For many, the weekly voice training sessions with Christina produce dramatic results. The range of styles, repertoire, and levels of accomplishment make every teaching day unique, and now with the holidays behind us it’s time to share publicly what is going on here.
We are in the midst of planning the two programs. Each singer will do two songs and some are already preparing duets.
The presentation will be entirely acoustic. That means no microphone, no amplification and everyone accompanied at the piano by Howard who rehearses with them week after week. The Danbury Music Centre is the city’s premiere rehearsal and recital hall and it has a wonderful grand piano, good lighting, comfortable seating, and a nice, resonant sound. It’s time to show our families and friends what we can do. The real work of creating music is our daily practice. Different from working with prerecorded tracks (Karaoke) in which the singer learns to adapt to a recording that is fixed in time and unalterable, everyone is working now with a live pianist, learning to create ensemble. There’s give and take, a level of nuance and flexibility that responds to the moment, the way music making was for centuries before the era of recordings and computers. Currently there are 23 singers studying with Christina and most see her every week. Some have been serious about their voice training for years and many who began lessons recently are new at it. Recently there’s been an explosion of interest in studying voice. Maybe the economy is improving, but more likely word is getting out that something of quality is being offered here in Fairfield County, Bethel.
That word quality does not restrict itself to classical training. Opera and art songs play but a small part. Songs written for the Broadway theater right up to the present, the brilliant cabaret creations of Songs for a New World, jazz influenced stylings and even some songs from the contemporary pop charts are all part of these programs. Don't be surprised if you hear a vocalist sing a French or Italian aria in their legitimate voice followed immediately by some all-out belting. It's possible and we prove it!
The majority of our singers are in high school and are regarded as among the most talented and ambitious in their pursuit of music and the performing arts. There are now seven people of college age and older seeing Christina regularly and a small group of younger people who are amazing to work with. So we’ll put the whole variety of ages, levels, and styles together and have a good time. Admission is free. The Danbury Music Centre is located at 256 Main Street. There is a public parking garage right next door to the Music Centre on the nearest side street. If you need to use the elevator enter at the side of the building near the parking garage. The hall is one flight up on the second floor. Howard Rovics