I think covers have nerves of steel and a particular make up that allows them to work in high adrenaline situations. They need to be present but unobtrusive at rehearsals for the main cast.
Some people nodded to the music, others had tears in their eyes. Some held hands and others looked knowingly at each other, as one sometimes does in a movie theater. I wished I could see the little bubble over each head with their thoughts.
Our month-long cross-country search for next season's singers has drawn to a close. There were plenty of nervous auditionees, ten thousand miles on planes and trains, a dodged hurricane, many memorable people and much great music.
Hailed as a "master of the disarming" with "deceptive simplicity" by the New York Times, mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink honored Florida Grand Opera (FGO) by conducting a master class for its Young Artist Studio.
As the audience slowly began to come to and start a rather stunned round of applause, my eye caught the "Bratwurst Gentleman," and there he was, bent in two, as if in agony. As he slowly lifted himself back up, he revealed a beet red face with tears pouring down his cheeks.
Maybe the reason few know what true opera is and opera singers are is that it is not a part of popular culture. Gee... ya think?
Today's opera stars, men and women alike, must have the whole package. They need to be as convincing in their appearance as they are in their singing.
Opera fans know of the early deaths of established singers like Kathleen Ferrier, Loraine Hunt Lieberson -- the James Deans -- -but they may never know of these promising artists.
As a singer, vocal competitions are a necessary way of gaining notoriety and funding. I was never really a competition winner. Even still, I had a twenty-year career at the Met.
Majoring in music entails major multitasking and focus and a particular skill set. Those who think it is easy are misguided as those who think we never landed on the moon.
Stephen Costello, the increasingly respected young tenor who recently helped open the Metropolitan Opera's new season, has a gift for candor that matches the sincerity of his voice.
A Duluth, Minnesota production of "Pocahontas: A Woman of Two Worlds," an opera, is facing criticism this week for failing to cast a single Native Ame...
To America's Got Talent, I hope the producers will trust that it is enough to hear a person sing beautifully, to express a primal emotion with just the sound of their voice. Lose the silly packaging. Drop the stereotypes.
Now, at 80, Mr. Anthony has become a Methuselah of the Met. It is tempting to say that he has appeared too many times to count, but the Met counts thi...
