As we all continue to shelter in place, or slowly move out of our confines, placing one toe in the water. As we witness hurricanes and wild fires and god knows what outcome with the leadership of our country. Like most artists, I have been stopped from performing, except for a lovely concert with my husband in our barn with all of the doors wide open, last Saturday, performed to 25 socially distanced loyal fans of our company, Madison Lyric Stage. We had so much fun singing and telling stories, and yes, we even sang Islands in the Stream with hairbrushes! And the evening began with my singing Come in from the Rain, by Melissa Manchester, and right as I sang the words Come in from the rain, the skies opened up and down came torrential rains, then by the third song it was gone. Now that is having nature and art in the same room!
[Read more…] about Being Creative in the Pandemic! Write a Play!
What is a Mature Singer!
This is always a question asked gingerly if at all. The entertainment industry has many, many points of view regarding age, depending on the genre one examines. In the pop world, the quality of a voice doesn’t always have a great deal to do with how long a singer maintains success, or acquires it. The celebrity aspect of a career in the popular music field often supersedes the actual standard of talent as the person ages. The physical image of a celebrity is typically the most important aspect. Youth is cherished, in fact worshipped. There are some amazingly talented veteran performers in popular music, who, while they might maintain a career as a recording and concert vocalist, don’t get the performance opportunities that younger performers do; they just sort of disappear. Is it because of their voice? Has it changed? Aged? Or is it that their style is out of fashion? Perhaps all of those things.
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The Joy of Making Art in A Pandemic!
So, I recently wrote a play while we were in complete lockdown. It is a story based on my life and journey as a human. It is an homage to the three women who essentially raised me. It was a joy to write this, while also painful in many ways.
I had the great joy of hearing and seeing my work as a reading, on Sunday, September 20th. After a week of socially distanced rehearsals, a workshop with three tremendous singing actors, Patty Carver, Rebecca Ellis and Val Moranto. For this play with music I had the joy of Nathaniel Baker, who wrote a beautiful score merging bluegrass style hymns and parts of the Requiem Mass. I also had the pleasure of performing in my play, A Memory of Truth? I have the great luck to have an enormous barn, which is well-fitted to performing and with large French doors that open all around, to provide an outside environment, providing safety for the audience and performers.
[Read more…] about The Joy of Making Art in A Pandemic!What Does an Artist Do, When They Aren’t Allowed to Make Art?
An artist creates, communicates and collaborates! Is an artist an artist without art? This is a question that I have been contemplating since March. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised many questions about the importance of art and culture in our world.
In my opinion, an artist IS, regardless of what they produce, if anything. It is a way of being, a way of looking at the world, and the ability to focus an expression through a medium to show that expression.
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How Young Singers Breathe!
As a singer for 35 years and a teacher for nearly 20 years, the experiences that I have daily are truly rewarding. Yes, it is true that some clients can be difficult, frustrating and just plain hard to reach. But when I see a light go off in their head and they get it and more importantly, they love it. The question comes forward, how do young singers breathe?