Nicole Warner, mezzo-soprano
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For Voice Teachers: The Private Voice Studio Handbook

 

Joan Frey Boytim's Private Voice Studio Handbook is a Must-Have for all Voice Teachers

 
September is just around the corner and now is the time to get your voice studio organized for the next school year. A great tool for getting your studio set up is The Private Voice Studio Handbook: A Practical Guide to All Aspects of Teaching by Joan Frey Boytim.
 
Long known and respected as a voice teacher and presenter for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Ms. Boytim taught voice privately for over 45 years. Her experiences as a school music teacher, a private voice instructor, and a compiler of dozens of vocal repertoire books for Hal Leonard publishing have provided her with more than enough expertise for producing this excellent handbook.
 
I've been using this book as a guide and resource for my voice studio since I began teaching in 2004. Knowing the ins and outs and having heard it all, I can confidently recommend this book for any and for all private voice studio instructors.
 
Here's what I think:
 

Pros:

+ Friendly Format: each chapter begins with a 'letter' from 'Nancy' and serves as an introduction to each chapter. Even these short letters provide insight and assistance.
 
+ She is clear that a voice studio is a business. Chapter 21 is appropriately entitled "Business 101" and that's exactly what Ms Boytim provides. She covers the delicate task of raising lesson fees with clarity and appropriateness: "Since studio teaching is a business and not a hobby, your fee schedule adjustments must be made as economic factors dictate."
 
+ Ms Boytim has covered all the major topics in a great level of detail. She covers equipment, the studio policy, music purchases, record-keeping and organization.
 
+ The structure of the lesson is important, as consistency and repetition lend much to the students' learning process. She covers the initial lesson in-depth (Chapter 7).
 
+ Solfeggio Syllable Sheets:  So many singers don't necessarily learn the basics of how to create music, they learn music and then can repeat it. Learning to identify the structure of music is a key component of creating music, and Ms Boytim has included her own Solfeggio Syllable Sheets for your studio use--with duplication authorization. She's even included simple harmonizations so you can accompany the student for these. These are an invaluable tool to helping students learn how to sight-sing and they are basically free.
 
+ Multiple Income Streams:  there's a list on page 105 of other income producers. She gives great ideas!
 
 

Cons:

- Since this book was published in 2003, it doesn't offer advice on running your website or using online scheduling.
 
- Some of the topics, like what to wear (she recommends skirts for females...) are not necessarily going to resonate with Gen X, Gen Y, and the Millennials. When in doubt, go for Business Casual or for Business Dress. It's always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.
 
- Sometimes it's better to politely reject a student that you can not serve well, whether it be through personality conflict or mismatched goals. Ms Boytim doesn't answer this question, which can be a sticky situation for an instructor.
 

In Summary:

The Private Voice Studio Handbook is a must-have for any voice instructor, whether you are teaching part-time or full-time. It's important to have a clear structure and to present yourself professionally as an independent business owner and as an instructor. Especially if you are in the vital foundational stages of your business (the first 1-3 years), this book will provide you with essential information and guidance for a successful voice studio.

 

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 25 July 2014

Central Lutheran Church - June 22, 2014

Sunday, June 22, 2014

10:00 a.m.

 

"Praises and Prayers" by Virgil ThomsonVirgil Thomson, composer

1. From The Canticle of the Sun (St. Francis of Assissi)

2. My Master Hath a Garden (Anonymous)

3. Jerusalem, My Happy Home (Anonymous stanzas on "Mater Hierusalem Civitas Sancta Dei" from The Meditations of Saint Augustine, Ch. XXV)

 

with Mark Sedio, piano

 

Central Lutheran Church

333 S 12th St.

Minneapolis, MN  55404

 

The song cycle "Praises and Prayers" is only rarely performed and many have never heard of it. These are beautiful, challenging pieces. Learn more about these songs and Virgil Thomson on my blog and then come hear them sung!

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 22 June 2014
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Yoga for Singers 3: 4 Yogic Wisdoms for Singers

What My Yoga Practice Has Taught Me (Besides to Stand on my Head)

We all have a common desire:  to feel good about ourselves and what we are up to in the world.  Many musicians choose to go into this field because they couldn’t imagine themselves doing anything else.  Anyone brave enough to say a wholehearted “yes” to make their true passion their living knows there are ups and downs along the way.   I know that I am living my yoga when I’m able to gracefully receive a rejection email and say to myself “I’ll try this again next year,” or being able to honestly cheer on a colleague that was accepted for a gig that I wasn’t.  Yoga is so much more than standing on your head or doing the splits, it’s a way of life.

Here are a few gems that I’ve learned along the way:

1.    “Practice and all is coming.”  -Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (founder of Ashtanga Yoga)

11970905601565623445Gerald G Yoga Poses stylized.svg.hiIn yoga and in singing, you must show up.  Getting to your mat or the practice room is really half the battle.  The other half is what you do with the time you have.  Are you focusing on a certain piece of music or yoga pose?  Break it apart into small pieces, so that each vocal passage or warm-up yoga pose is preparing you for where you’re aiming.  Know where you’re going, and keep practicing.

2.    Check your ego.

One of my favorite accompanists always reassured me when I was nervous to “perform to express, not to impress.”  With that as my mantra, I sing because I love it, am prepared, and can’t imagine myself doing anything else versus singing with the fear of judgment from others.

In a yoga class, taking childs pose in a room full of people doing a headstand is sometimes the harder (but stronger) choice because you’re doing what feels good for YOU right now instead of the person next to you.  Music can be insanely competitive.  By dropping my ego on the mat, I’ve noticed it softens in the performance hall, too.

3.     Be Kind.

Be kind to yourself first.  This is not always easy when your expectations for yourself do not meet the reality of the situation at hand, but relax.  The fact that you are putting yourself out there to be seen and heard by so many people is an act of bravery and courage.  When you speak nicely to yourself, it shows.  Affirm your talents and unique qualities every day.  The kindness that you cultivate for yourself by showing up on your mat and practicing yoga can inspire your kind words to colleagues in your midst as well.  You want to be the person that gets the call for the last minute gig not only because of your talent, but because you were a kind and generous person to work with on and off the stage.

4.    You are enough.

When working on a challenging pose, I encourage my students to just “be” in the yoga pose instead of forcing their way into it.  This allows them to experience exactly where they are in this moment.  Physically and emotionally, we are all built differently, and come with different sets of experiences and stories that shape us into the artists we are.  Validate the good and the bad experiences in your life, be grateful for both, and use them as fuel to create a little more each and every day.

Embodying these things isn’t easy, but that’s why we practice:  we return again and again to that inner pull of creating, performing, moving, breathing, expressing, and doing the very best we can.

Breathe well, my friends.

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 13 June 2014

Yoga for Singers 2: Beginning Yoga for Singers

Beginner's Yoga Sequence for Singers

Let’s be real.  Starting to practice yoga can be intimidating.  Perhaps this is because of its inherent connection with having to be flexible (which you don’t) or needing to twist yourself into a pretzel (which you don’t).   A very wise yoga teacher once told me that yoga is a breathing practice, and the physical postures are there to facilitate a deeper connection to your breath.  One of my favorite singing teachers told me instead of thinking of singing well, think of breathing well.  It all comes back to the breathing!

Here’s a beginners yoga sequence that I created just for singers.   Try it out before your next voice lesson or audition.

1.     Mountain Pose (Tadasana) > Chest Expansion Forward Fold

Stand with your feet together and arms at your sides.  Really root down through the feet and engage through the legs.  On an inhale, sweep your arms above your head, look up, and lean back – opening through the chest.  As you exhale, interlace all ten fingers behind your low back.  Inhaling, draw your knuckles down towards the floor, and shoulders away from the ears.  As you exhale,  bend your knees very deeply, fold forward from the hips, and lift your knuckles up towards the ceiling to expand your chest.

Mountain pose is a spine-lengthening and grounding posture that can help you stabilize your singing stance. As you find the chest expansion forward fold, try to focus on a wide, horizontal rib cage breath.

YogaSequence1  YogaSequence2  YogaSequence3 

2.     Crouch and Curl

From your forward fold, release your fingers down towards the mat, bend your knees deeply, lifting heels gently off the mat.  Round your spine, tucking chin to chest, your forehead towards your knees.  Take 5 deep breaths.

With the spine rounded in this crouching position, you can really focus on breathing into the entire space of the back.  For me, this pose has calmed a few pre-performance jitters!  

YogaSequence4

3.     Crocodile Pose (Makarasana)

From your tiny ball, lift your hips and straighten the legs just slightly.  Plant your palms on the mat and step your legs back.  Lower your knees to the mat, and come to lie on your belly on the mat.  Untuck the toes and relax the legs.  Stack your forearms on top of one other to create a pillow for your forearms.  Tuck the chin into the chest. Take 5 deep breaths.

This pose draws awareness to a diaphraghmatic and low belly breath.  With the whole front of the body is in contact with the mat, you notice the belly pressing against the mat with each inhale when belly expands.  This pose is also a calming, restorative posture, which is beautiful for calming nerves.

YogaSequence5

4.     Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) > Low Lunge > Twist

Position your palms on the mat just under your shoulders.  Curl your toes under, and lift your hips towards the ceiling to create an upside down “v” – or downward facing dog.  Lift your right leg off the mat, and sweep it through your hands for a low lunge.  Plant left hand on the mat and lift the right finger tips toward the ceiling for a twist.  Expand through the chest and find length from left hand to right fingertip.   Return right hand to mat and step back to downward facing dog and repeat on the second side.  

Downward facing dog is a powerful grounding posture, as well as spine-lengthening.  By finding the twist, you expand through the chest, creating openness across the front space of the body as you prepare to perform.  

YogaSequence6  YogaSequence7   YogaSequence8

 

Nicole adds:  Be smart about your yoga practice. Know your body--what it can do, and what it can't. Talk to your doctor or take a yoga class with Krista or another yoga teacher near you to be sure you're on the right track.

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 12 June 2014

Yoga for Singers 1: Confessions of a Singing Yogini

Confessions of a Singing Yogini

One frigid January evening when I was not even 20, I stumbled into a hot yoga studio and took my first yoga class.

I hadn’t the slightest clue about body alignment in postures, no grasp of Sanskrit and its place in in the yoga class, and definitely no concept of just how much water I would have to drink afterward to rehydrate.

11949846861384616885stylized yoga person ger 06.svg.hiHere’s what I did know for sure:  I was hooked.  Something about the dance-like nature of the yoga postures, the focus and stamina that came from slowing down the breath, how I felt so much taller, lighter, and open upon leaving the studio.   

This is exactly what my singing teachers and coaches at school encourage every single day.  

Expand your rib cage.  Breathe slower, and all the way into the back.  Stand tall, rooting down through the feet and reaching with crown of head.  Allow your body to be relaxed, but also active.  Express yourself.

The themes were so interchangeable, I had to smile at this beautiful connection.

The next day, I was rehearsing Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder with my voice coach in preparation for an upcoming recital.  We began the first movement together, she at the piano and me singing.  Half way through the first movement, she completely stopped playing.  

“This is the first time you’ve made it through that long phrase without having to take a cheat breath in the middle!”

Wow.  She was right.  

“What did you do differently that time?” she asked.  

“Hmm, not sure.  I did take my first yoga class ever last night, and I learned a breathing exercise at class.  Maybe that helped!”

That first class swept me into my second, third, and so many more after that.  Yoga has been my constant companion and complement to music making.  Right away, here are the best things I learned and was able to apply immediately to my vocal technique:

1.     Release of tension

The emphasis on noticing where you are holding tension in your body and actively working to release it catapulted my vocal technique from moderate at best to rock solid.  Jaw tension?  Take your tongue away from the roof of your mouth, gently part your lips, and begin to breathe softly through the nose.  Neck and shoulder tension?  Tuck your chin in just slightly to your chest and let your shoulders drop away from your ears.  Awareness is the key:  check in with yourself every few breaths to ensure you are relaxed, but still active in the body.  

2.    Strength

As I got into grad school and was either in practice or performance mode, developing endurance and physical strength for performing was a priority.  The stronger I became physically, the more magnetic I felt as a performer.  I continue to cultivate the strength

3.    Breath

As I illustrated above, the breath is the best gift that yoga gave to my singing.  Training the body to breathe  deeper and wider gave me the confidence to allow my phrases to really soar.  Long phrases begin to come naturally instead of having to be thought out and calculated so much in advance.  So much freedom and flexibility is yours with a full breath.

Come along with me and release tension, strengthen, and breathe deeply in the next segment:  a beginners yoga sequence for singers I created just for you!

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 11 June 2014

Yoga for Singers Starts Tomorrow!

Yoga is becoming more and more popular and singers are no exception. 1194984685992851260stylized yoga person ger 05.svg.hiWe must be aligned in our bodies and in tune with what our bodies are telling us to really create incredible music and yoga is a fantastic tool to help us do just that.

Mezzo and Yogini Krista Costin has written several articles about her journey as a singer who discovered yoga and received some incredible gifts along the way.

So join us tomorrow through Saturday for Yoga for Singers, right here on Open Intervals!

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 10 June 2014

3 Tidbits about Virgil Thomson and his song cycle "Praises and Prayers" - Hear it June 22nd in Minneapolis!

Virgil Thomson, composer

Virgil Thomson was a pillar of 20th Century American music and a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer. Although he looks a bit grumpy in this photo, rest assured he was a productive, creative individual, producing 8 books in addition to his numerous compositions. He also earned 20 honorary doctorates. 20!

All that before the computer and "the internets."

1. Thomson was a paid organist at the age of 12 and attended Harvard on scholarship. (Link)

Having a regular gig from the age of 12 is pretty spectacular by any standard. A scholarship to Harvard? An amazing opportunity, one he used well.

2. He spent 1925-1940 in Paris and met/became friends with an impressive list of people:

Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, e e cummings, Aaron Copland, Jean Cocteau, Scott Fitzgerald, Christian Dior, and Orson Welles. Just to name a few.

Thomson also studied with Nadia Boulenger, one of the 20th Century's most accomplished and famous composition teachers. (If you are in my voice studio, you will be learning about her over the next couple of months!)

3. Thomson insisted on accompanying the world premiere of "Praises and Prayers" in 1963 and was reportedly sloppy in his rhythm and even skipped ahead a whole measure at one point.

That's like forgetting to put the milk in the fridge...dangerous. These songs are dependent upon their own rhythm and text accentuation. (Read:  these songs are hard and incredibly rewarding.)

Luckily Mark Sedio and I know what we're doing and we won't be skipping a measure when we perform 3 songs from this song cycle on June 22nd at Central Lutheran in Minneapolis. Here are all the important points in one:

 

Sunday, June 22, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.

"Praises and Prayers" by Virgil Thomson

1. From The Canticle of the Sun (St. Francis of Assissi)

2. My Master Hath a Garden (Anonymous)

3. Jerusalem, My Happy Home (Anonymous stanzas on "Mater Hierusalem Civitas Sancta Dei" from The Meditations of Saint Augustine, Ch. XXV)

 

with Mark Sedio, piano

Central Lutheran Church

333 S 12th St.

Minneapolis, MN  55404

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 07 June 2014

3 Questions for Composer Olli Kortekangas

On August 3, 2014 I'll be singing at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and it will be the World Premiere of "Kaksi vanhaa suomalaista virttä - Two Old Finnish Hymns" by Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas.

This is pretty exciting...well, actually it's thrilling!Composer Olli Kortekangas

I'm happy to introduce you to him! Here are 3 questions for Olli Kortekangas.

 

1. Who are you, Olli Kortekangas?

I'm 59 years old, and I've been writing music seriously since I was a teenager. I studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under the guidance of Einojuhani Rautavaare, and later in (West) Berlin where my teacher was Dieter Schnebel. I taught at the Sibelius Academy and elsewhere for about 20 years myself, but since 2002 I've been a freelance composer, giving a master class or a workshop now and then. I'm particularly interested in the "common territory" of composing and music education, and have participated in or led numerous creative music projects with children, youth and amateur musicians in Finland and abroad.

A couple of years ago, my colleagues and I launched the "Finnish variation" of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's "Very Young Composers" program.

 

2. What music have you written?

I've written about 130 works so far for a wide variety of line-ups from solo pieces and chamber music to orchestral works and operas. I'm fascinated by (or maybe obsessed with...) the interaction between words and music - writing for the voice (songs, choral music, operas) is said to be my forte which is probably true. I've written seven operas, and choral works form a major part of my output.

My latest works include Seven Songs for Planet Earth, commissioned by the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland), and Migrations, a cantata to poems by the brilliant Duluth-based poet Sheila Packa, commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Finnish immigration to North America. Migrations is scheduled for performance during the 2015-16 season.

 

3. What can you tell us about "Kaksi vanhaa suomalaista virttä - Two Old Finnish Hymns"?

The Two Old Finnish Hymns are based on our so-called "Old Hymn Book" of 1701 which was used in Finland for nearly two centuries. I love this book and its hymns which are really powerful - archaic for sure, and sometimes not so easily perceived, also because of the language and its often outdated and shortened words. I've used these melodies and texts in several of my works.

The melody of the second hymn, Herra siunaa meit' ja auta (which is a variation of the classical Benediction - "Lord, bless us and help us") is very special: it is a traditional variant of the original melody, sung to me in 2000 by Mr. Arvi Ruuttunen (who was a farmer and a folk singer, and as it happens, the father of Mr. Esa Ruuttunen, a good friend of mine, who is both a Lutheran pastor and one of the most distinguished Finnish bass-baritones). I knew the text but I had never heard this melody. I think this is an interesting story!

~

Learn more at Olli's website at ollikortekangas.com and we'll see you in Minneapolis on August 3!

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 29 May 2014

Call me back. I want to give you money!

We need to talk.

You and your phone...you're together 24 hours a day. You've got Facebook and Twitter and Google+ and Instagram and apparently you have email and hey, look--that thing even makes phone calls!12387035811999740766adam lowe Smartphone.svg.hi

Yes, that computer in your pocket--you can use it to actually talk with another person!

What I mean when I leave you a voicemail that sounds like, "I need a pianist/conductor/recording engineer/graphic designer/web developer/photographer for this project I'm working on, so please call me as soon as you can" that means I really want you to call me as soon as you can. I want you to call me. Even more:  when you call me back and say yes, I will actually pay you money.

I know, crazy, right?!

It seems so simple...yet it is so complex for some people. It's like the world of freelance has become the world of dating, where if you don't like someone enough for a second date, you just don't call them back. It's pretty immature. The world of freelance is becoming the world of "I don't care/the answer is no/I don't have time, so I'm not calling back."

And it's crap.

When you don't call people back or don't answer an email or don't respond to an inquiry, it sends the message that you are irresponsible, disrespectful, and makes you look like you don't care. It doesn't matter if "that's how people deal with things" these days. It's a load of hooey and you know it.

Worse:  it costs you money. Because you don't get the gig. AND you don't get the gig(s) that could have followed. I promise when you are a pianist who doesn't respond to an inquiry and you don't answer my email or voicemail, you get automatically demoted. You get put on the 'B List.' People I only call if I have to...because you're now my second (or even third) choice. I will call every single person on my A List before I will ever call you. And often, I will call people I don't know before I call you--because they will often call back when you didn't.

Answering inquiries and requests is a form of marketing. It's also good customer service, but think of this:  in marketing, it used to be that people needed to hear your message 7-10 times before they would respond. That was before Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and every other social media site out there. Now it's likely multiple times that.

If someone recommends you to me:  your name is in front of me once. If you respond, no matter if you say yes or no, your name just got in front of me twice. See how it works?

When you don't respond at all, you cost people like me time and money. You didn't call me back. And because you were unresponsive/lazy/too "busy" to even send a 1-line email/too lost in your Facebook feed to come back to earth and get something done, I had to call multiple other people, ask for more recommendations, call and research other people. You who didn't call me back have wasted my time.

Do you want to know the easiest way to get more work? Call people back. Return their email. Respond to their Facebook comment. Even "Unfortunately I'm not available, however I'd be happy to work with you in the future," is so much better than silence.

Listen, you pianists, you singers, you composers, you conductors, you teachers, you working professionals whom other people pay to provide a service. Make it as easy as possible for people to leave their money with you.

Yes, you.

So check your spam folder as often as you check your email. (Yeah, and by the way, when you change your email, you should email everyone you've ever met and tell them. Except that person you went on 1 date with and don't like. You can skip that person.) Answer all your voicemail within 24 hours. Do NOT ever say, "Can you call me back in 2 hours?" Write it in ink on the back of your hand and call me back.

Here are a few great options for responses:

  1. Yes
  2. No

Any questions?

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 22 May 2014

The Best Pencil for Musicians: Paper Mate Clear Point Elite

Confession:  I'm an office supply geek.yellow-pencil.hi

Having the right writing utensil is a goal for me (and I know a lot of other people who are like this, too). Having just the right pen or pencil is part of every-day writing, not just for letters or for signing contracts, but for making notes, writing down blogging ideas, marking scores, everything. And now I've found the perfect pencil for writing, score markings, and note-taking. I'm a goner.

To give you the whole picture, we have to back up 1 step. A while back I picked up Paper Mate Clear Point 0.5mm Mechanical Pencils (not the Elite version, they weren't available then) because:

  1. I need a lot of writing utensils for teaching, writing, note-taking, marking scores, etc.
  2. I have large hands (I can easily span a major 9th on a piano keyboard) and those thin, yellow pencils are hard for me to use.
  3. Running out of lead or eraser just isn't an option. Especially not in the middle of a rehearsal!

These pencils were great--with a larger barrel, plenty of space in the barrel for extra lead (0.5mm only--ever!) and a long, replaceable eraser. Yes, you read that right:  Replaceable! Refillable! Rechargeable!

4 brand spaking new pencils, all perfect, and there was always one at hand.

Then the clips broke off. First the blue one, then the green one, and then the other blue one, and then the other green one. Soon there were no clips left.

PapermateEliteSmallOffice supply snobbery hit, and so did a rehearsal in which I was tied up looking for a place to put the pencil, since I couldn't clip it to anything--not the folder, not the music, nothing. No clip = no storage. It was a rough day.

Then Paper Mate came out with the Elite version, with a metal clip. I'm a believer.

Elite is right--a larger, smooth barrel with slight ridges where your fingers grasp the pencil. A metal clip that is practically indestructible. The same spacious interior for copious amounts of 0.5mm lead and the same, large, replaceable eraser.

I bought two and haven't looked back. These are seriously the best pencils I've ever used for writing, marking scores, erasing markings, note-taking, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

If you are looking for just the right pencils for your markings, try a couple of these and please let me know what you think in the comments below!

Fellow office supply geeks unite!

 

Update 5/15/14:  Left in the photo you see the pencils I bought, the extra erasers and the lead. Pure score-marking awesomeness. ~NW

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 08 May 2014

Yep, insane is right! InsaneViolin

Words fail to describe this, really, you just need to watch. Sit back, turn up the speakers, and watch the whole thing.

The one thing you need to know:  this piece is a theme and variations, so it's a musical theme (a melody) that's presented and then Herr Roman Kim plays multiple variations on that theme. You'll still recognize parts of the original theme, but it might be played higher, lower, or with 'extra' notes within the same melody.

Think of it as one car (the theme) with lots of options and it comes in many different colors (the variations)--and they're all on the showroom floor.

P.S. Don't try this at home.

[embed=videolink]{"video":"http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=t5kzdf8kUeM","width":"800","height":"450"}[/embed]

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 02 May 2014

A Love Letter to the Teatro del Lago, Frutillar, Chile

Querido Teatro del Lago,

I had no idea how hard it would be to get to you, and it was worth every painful moment. First the 2 1/2 hour flight to Dallas, then 9 more hours to Santiago, where I had to wait all day (allbeit distracted by downtown Santiago and a delicious Peruvian steak lunch), so we could soldier on another 2 hours on a flight en route to Puerto Montt, where all of us, close to tears for lack of sleep, boarded a bus to ride another half hour to the hotel. Only to be given the news that we would need to travel yet another half an hour the next morning to get to you.

But you were calling to us, beckoning. And we obeyed.

TeatrodelLagoW

You, on this happy spot, standing tall and welcoming us all in to your warm embrace. There has never been anything like you before! Your colorful exterior, your corridors reflecting the natural light and beauty of Frutillar and Lago Llanquihue.

Even in the first rehearsals it was clear that we would never again have an experience like this. To sit in such an acoustically live room and sing Bach all day...

 

The Ampitheater at Teatro del Lago; Photo by Juan Millán T.

 

...and to look past the piano, out the window at this...

Panorama LlanquihueW

 

You are almost more than I can bear.

And to think, you invited us all here, to Frutillar, from 12 different countries and speaking more than 6 different languages. You knew we would connect, we would make music, we would make friendships to last for years (and projects!) to come.

You knew we would love you!

We shiny, happy people:

Photo by Juan Millán T.

 

To sing the St. John Passion with Kathy Salzman-Romey and Helmuth Rilling during Holy Week--well, you have really out-done yourself! Maestro Rilling's intimate understanding of the Passion, how Bach wrote each piece, how he selected his motives, and created such drama reaches out from centuries ago and pulls our heart strings today. Only you can move us to such tears.

 

Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein

am letzten End die Seele mein

in Abrahams Schoss tragen

den Leib in seim Schlafkämmerlein

gar sanft ohn einge Qual und Pein

ruhn bis am jüngsten Tage!

Alsdenn vom Tod erwekke mich,

dass meine Augen sehen dich

in aller Freud, o Gottes Sohn

mein Heiland und Genadenthron!

Herr Jesu Christ, erhöre mich, erhöre mich,

ich will dich preisen ewiglich!

 

Click here and scroll to #40 for a translation of this text.

Photo by Juan Millán T.

 

You are forever in my heart. And I can't wait to see you again!

Nicole

 

P.S. This was only the first Academia Internacional Teatro del Lago, with new people and new projects in the future! Please see www.teatrodellago.cl for more information on the world's southern-most opera house and to get more information on the 2nd year of this amazing Academia. You will not regret it!!

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Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 01 May 2014

Highlights of Chile and the Academia International Teatro del Lago

Arriving in Chile last week was a pleasure and exciting because no man has schlepped me further around the world and to more places than Helmuth Rilling. He probably doesn't know that, he sees probably thousands of choral singers every year, but really, it's all his "fault." ;)

Or maybe I can give Kathy Salzman-Romey some of the responsibility for this, because she's a mastermind of choral creation.

When I lived in Germany and sang with the Gächinger Kantorei we went to Italy twice (once St. Matthew Passion, the other the Levin edition of the Mozart C Minor Mass or the Requiem, can't remember which), Poland for a night, Vienna for a night, and Israel--3 weeks. Because Maestro Rilling is an epic, one-man diplomatic mission between Israel and Germany. Eugene, Oregon, and now Santiago, Temuco, and Puerto Varras/Frutillar, Chile.

What happens when you travel, sing, and make music (in between meals, of course), is this:

MostEpicSelfiedeSantiago

You meet some of the world's most wonderful people (again).

Left:  Kendra Hawley, an oboist with the Santiago Symphony, and behind her one of my best friends, baritone Jacob William Herbert. Below him is Michael Carty, a wonderful singer who was also at the Festival Ensemble in Stuttgart for the Sandström Messiah. In the middle (top) is Bronwyn Thies-Thompson, a soprano from Canada (and my roommate). Below is Elisabeth Marshall, a soprano with whom I should have crossed paths years ago (or last summer at OBF when we were staying in the same dorm, but it never happened). Bottom right is Erica, a woman on a trip around the world after having faced life's greatest challenge--and she is a beacon of light. Thank goodness Jacob met her on the plane, and she invited us to leave our belongings at her apartment for the day--last Friday we all arrived between 6 and 8 am, however our next flight didn't leave until about 6 pm. So we went into the city of Santiago, dropped our things at her place, and toured downtown.

We were up on top of Santa Lucia when the cannons went off becuase, you, know, they fire the cannons every day at 12. There is no warning.

BOOM!

Except you feel the air moving across your legs before the sound comes and holy canoli is that loud!

Peruvian steak for lunch:

PeruvianLunch

And then a sad good-bye to Kendra and Erica as we headed back to the airport to catch our flight & bus to Puerto Varas. Our one day together was a lifetime.

Puerto Varas and Frutillar are both on the lake Llanquihue (picture below). It's REALLY, REALLY GERMAN here, as Germans started a settlement in this area in about 1854. Go figure! But hey, if there wasn't any land, any money to be made, or any food, people usually went elsewhere. It's still the case. So here, the windows open and tip like in Germany, the plugs are the same (as well as with many other countries), there are Kuchenladen (cake stores) that sell German-style cake, and there are German autos all over the place.

There's always a little excitement on any trip, and this time it was being awoken at 4:45 am by a fire siren and then seeing this out the window:

PuertoVarasFire  PuertoVarasFire2

 

Luckily it was not nearly the size of the wildfire that has destroyed parts of Valparaiso, and I have no more details on this fire, however any fire is destructive and traumatic. The Teatro del Lago announced this week that the proceeds from our concert in Temuco will go to the relief efforts in Valparaiso. ♥

Click here to see the banner of the Teatro del Lago, which is a picture that shows how the theatre was built into the water.

OK and last but not least, what you've probably been waiting for. The view of the volcano across the lake from the Teatro del Lago.

Note the moon in the picture.

Llanquihue

That's it for now, I gotta get ready for rehearsal. Love from Chile!

Go make music!

Happy Passover and happy Easter, everybody!

**

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Details
Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 18 April 2014

Academia Teatro del Lago - Frutillar, Temuco y Santiago, Chile

St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach

April 16-21, 2014

 

I'll be joining the chorus to sing this masterpiece under the baton of Helmuth Rilling.

Here is the schedule of events:

April 16th:  Masterclass

April 17th:  Masterclass

April 18th:  Lecture Concert, Frutillar

April 19th:  Concert, Teatro del Lago, Frutillar

April 20th:  Lecture Concert, Temuco

April 21st:  Lecture Concert, Santiago

 

A couple of numbers:

This will also be my 1st visit to Chile, 2nd visit to South America, the 1st time I've sung the Johannes-Passion with Helmuth Rilling, the 2nd Passion I will have sung with Helmuth Rilling (the first was the Matthäus-Passion with the Gächinger-Kantorei in Italy), and the 19th country on the list of places I've been.

Details
Written by: Nicole Warner
Published: 16 April 2014
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