Things I learn

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Orpheus Britannicus Cover

Explore the tuneful arias of George Frederick Handel and Henry Purcell in this online class, which focuses on works in English. 

This is a class for adults, through the School for Continuing Education.

Students will receive coaching during class on musical style and will have opportunities to rehearse during the week with the class accompanist/coach as well.  Besides song preparation, students will explore full-scale works through listening, reading, and other study. There will be a Zoom concert at the end of the semester. 

Instrumentalists are welcome in this class, which offers extensive opportunities for chamber possibilities. 

Meets Wednesday evening 7-8pm, beginning February 3, 2021. https://necmusic.edu/courses/handel-and-purcell-singers-and-instrumentalists

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New class, online of course, being offered on Tuesday evenings beginning October 6 (we will skip Election Day). Read all about it, and sign up before the last 3 spaces are taken…

Make the Song your Own

A voice class on Zoom.

8 weeks, Tuesday evenings 7-8:30pm (Eastern) starting October 6 (no class November 3).

$300.  8 folks maximum—only 3 spaces left!

Make your version of a song sound believable, as if you wrote it yourself.  You will learn to make the phrasing, dynamics, timing and other important factors in a magical, musical performance.  And of course, you will learn to expand your range, sing more clearly and beautifully and feel confident you are keeping your voice healthy.

Taught by Elizabeth Anker, who sings, plays piano, and writes arrangements for her choir.  Liz believes folks thrive when given permission to be their best musical selves.

Each class will include group warm ups during which the class will be muted.  Students will receive coaching on their songs (a cappella) many of the 8 weeks, and benefit from observing their classmates improve as well as experiencing their own solo time.  There will be exercises to do in and out of class.

In past classes, one person worked on one song the entire time (finding and choosing verses of John Henry); another wrote some of her own verses to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”.  You may choose a few songs to work on, but the purpose of this class is to go deep with one or two songs.   All styles and songwriters are welcome!  

More information/contact the teacher at http://www.ElizabethAnker.com

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Free workshop at NEC this Friday, January 31 at 7:00-8:15pm

Pierce Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, 241 St Botolph Street, Boston.

“Vocal health through the ages: strategies for choristers, soloists, and singers of all stripes”

Take care of your (built-in) Stradivarius!

Learn strategies for taking care of your voice through concert weeks, avoiding/dealing with colds and allergies, and maintaining vocal health as you age.

An informative and interactive workshop. 

Free to all, no NEC affiliation necessary. 

Enter through 241 St. Botolph Street, sign in at desk and you will be directed to Pierce Hall.

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george-frideric-handel-3“Hey, nice trill!”

It’s Handel and his world this semester, Wednesday evenings at New England Conservatory in their School of Continuing Education.  We begin January 23 at 7:00.

Come and learn to:

  • Sing stylishly
  • Make your recitatives into a great story
  • Create your own ornaments

https://necmusic.edu/courses/handel-singers-instrumentalists

 

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JP Jubilee, a great community singing group, begins Friday, September 14. No auditions required!  Details below.

2018f flyer jPJubilee sm

I have a few openings in my studio for new students, all ages welcome. contact

Finally, if you’re looking for a place to celebrate the High Holidays, I’m the cantor at a Havurah on Cape Cod, meets in Orleans.  No tickets necessary!  Am HaYam High Holiday services

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4 color Bach

Sing/play Bach arias this semester at NEC–class begins Wednesday February 7, 7:30-8:30pm.  Learn how to choose great arias, rehearse them as chamber music, and make a recitative sound like a great story…details: NEC voice classes

Appropriate for singers who can learn this wonderful music on their own and are comfortable singing in German; also welcome: flutes, oboes, strings, keyboard players…please pass this on and questions welcome…

 

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practicing-instruments

I recently attended a workshop on improvisation*, and one of the interesting topics was practicing.  Not just figuring out how to improvise over a jazz standard, although we did some of that as well.  Finding new ways into the music, ways to make it more creative and a lot more productive.  I was fascinated, because I had already been invited to offer an evening workshop at the New England Conservatory about the very subject.  I had a lot of ideas before and now I have even more. The free event, for adults of all persuasions (beginners are encouraged), is coming up soon.  Here’s the scoop:

Wednesday January 31, 8-9:30pm, Pierce Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, 241 St Botolph Street, Boston.  Free to all, no NEC affiliation necessary.  Appropriate for all styles.  Bring your questions or even a bit of a song you’d like to ask about…there will be handouts, so if you’re coming, shoot me an email so I know how many to prepare.  No one is required to sing, but there will be opportunities for the group to try exercises together.

*it was a weeklong workshop with two master performers/teachers, Rhiannon and Laurence Hobgood.  In Hawaii.  Poor me.  I did, however, suffer through Boston’s Big Chill before earning the right to get warm.   There was also an exciting false alert sent to my phone about incoming missiles.  Some people have all the fun.

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2017 f flyer jP Jubilee6 sm

It’s time to start again–classes, lessons, and the “Birthday of the World”.  Come sing, learn, and have fun in Boston and Cambridge.  Or travel to Cape Cod for the High Holidays where no one needs a ticket to take a seat…Am HaYam meets in Orleans and I’m cantor, conductor and pianist…

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you can pick up a dime”, went the old TV ad for rubber gloves.  Well, this project in North Carolina, An Extra Penny, is showing me that I can be every more flexible every day.  Turns out, it’s not simply a show, it’s a workshop, and one with LOTS of changes every day.  And they are all good!  Not always easy, but the show keeps getting better.

 

The Hansen Family
“The Hansen Family”  with Emma Suzik and Eli Cole in  An Extra Penny

I was invited here to sing an opera.  Then someone said, “no, it’s a musical”.  Fine, I can speak in English.  And then the changes started coming fast and furious.  My favorite line from a colleague: “I thought I had the most recent obsolete script!” Each change brings a better and tighter show.  The producers from NY (Broadway folks) who came to the opening are interested in the project and have given it a green light to go to the next level.  Which means more workshops in the future. But first, our creative dynamo Cindy Lu Mancini will have another week to work it and we will have 4 more performances next weekend.

I’ve never been in a show like this–neither have anyone else in the cast or crew, but we are all into it completely.  The music is gorgeous and the locals could not be more welcoming.

Delete, re-stage, take out dialogue and replace with body language.  I’m having a ball and I’ve found out I’m a quicker study than I thought.  So flexible…