"I have a confession to make" or how do we teach opera voices today?

Thoughts of great singers and phylosophers on Modern Opera Education.
Great Singers talk openly about today's opera training programms in Universities.

Category:

Education

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• voice
• dramatic
• nature
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• mistakes
• made
• opera
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• today
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• modern
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• today's
• lessons

[TenelliVoiceGuru]

"Academics may be destroying the whole generation of young singers..."

Ruth Dobson

[gmgauthier1]

@TenelliVoiceGuru They're destroying more than just voices...

[TenelliVoiceGuru]

@gmgauthier1 agreed. Like Michael Ellner said "everything is upside down"

[aryankhah]

Dear Mr. Tenelli I have another important question and though it's not related to your current video but I want to ask because I don't know other authentic person as you to ask:

Q: Sometimes I hear somewhere that opera industry is going to die or at least its going to be restricted. please tell me about status and future of opera in the world in 21 century.

[TenelliVoiceGuru]

@aryankhah I hope not:) Of course opera as art was always supported, it's not comercial art, and lots of companies are banckrupt becuase of the current World Economy crises. I think opera goes mostly to TV "live" productions where they use mikes and all that jazz. But I have a strong believe that opera will come back with vengeance in it's true form unless public taste rejects Music Drama as it is and accoustic sound as it is.

[aryankhah]

thanks MR. Tenelli this is very insightful video and correctly indicates the superficial and unwise tendency among most of conservatories that claims that young singers should start with Mozart or other light repertory. For example I am a heavy voiced tenor and after trying some Mozart I realized that it's tessitura simply is high for me and if I sing a little heavy repertory with lower tessitura is better for my voice.

[TenelliVoiceGuru]

@aryankhah We all have to be carefull from both sides. There are some concervatories in Europe that push their singers to sing heavy repertoir when they are still kids as singers. It's equaly dangerous. Success is defined today as somewhat temporary event.

One can be succesful in few years and dammage his(her) voice. Singer should trust himself and be extremely intelligent to survive sometimes ignorance and sometimes intrests of the Concervatories, agents, Opera companies etc

[PDXVoiceTeacher]

I dropped out of University because my technique started failing me. Had to go private to learn from an actual Opera Singer and not a Professor who has never had a career in voice.

[reynaldomonterrey]

@reynaldomonterrey changing a voice type,is something that lets say is doable?it is a desire that a mature singer wont even think of,not to mention that it goes against the nature that god gave a person,the key is to learn how to master your voice at its best,regardless of its nature,that is the job of a teacher to help u improve n master what u have no to change it,accepting your nature is the best way to start,only that knowing your true nature is the hardest part of all!!!

[reynaldomonterrey]

@ddddddennis the teacher help the student  to sing at its best with the right technique and to sound beautifully (timbre,resonance,proper diction .voice control,extending its range ,breathing correctly)all of this critereas within the student voice type making it better not changing its naturality,if u r a leggiero tenor and u want your teacher to make u baritone if u sing with the mic its doable, if u want to be heard over an orquestra u need a magician instead,

[ididete]

@ididete Not to mention the fact that many teachers, sadly, are jealous of their students. There is very little true giving attitude in opera teachers today. Which wasn't the case, I guess in the times when Franco Corelli learned his singing, because he said Lauri-Volpi generously helped him find his true voice. Corelli was mostly self-taught as I hear.

[ididete]

What you say above is the sad story of my life. I have an enormous voice and teachers (all of them) either wanted me to lighten it (to sing without support, shallowly) or to tone it down size-wise, thinking that this will help me get it in the right place. But what happened is that I never built the stamina for singing with my true voice. Now I have a different profession and sing at home for myself. Will post a video of myself singing soon and ask your opinion/advice.