Last night was our Masterclass, led by Metropolitan Opera soprano Martina Arroyo, held at the Wilde Auditorium at the University of Hartford. The purpose of a Masterclass is to give singers a chance to give a working performance of an aria and receive feedback from the leader of the class, who will give them suggestions for ways to enhance their performance. Last night’s Masterclass was also an opportunity for the audience to learn more about what goes into preparing a role or aria for performance.
There are various approaches taken by those who lead Masterclasses. Some work with the singers on their technique, other focus more on the acting/portrayal of the character, and some do a combination of the two. Ms. Arroyo’s approach last night focused solely on character development and acing. Although she is a voice teacher, she feels that a Masterclass is not an appropriate setting for her to work on vocal technique with singers. She explained that vocal technique is something that has to be worked on and coached over a long period of time, preferably with the same teacher.
Our four Resident Artists, Jeffrey McAvoy, La’Tarsha Long, Toby Newman, and Allen Pinkney each sang for Ms. Arroyo last night. They were each at different points in the preparation process for the arias they sang – some were just beginning to explore the characters, while others had performed the aria and/or character many times before. This worked out well because the audience could see the kinds of things that are worked on at each stage of the process. Even if you have performed an aria a hundred times, there is always something that you can change or add, or another interpretation or way of looking at the character. The singers all did a great job – it’s not easy to be coached in front of an audience, and you never know what the person coaching you is going to ask you to do! For example, while Allen was singing Rodolfo (from La Bohéme), Ms. Arroyo asked Toby to come onstage and “be his Mimi”. I’m sure that as a mezzo, Toby never thought she would be asked to be Mimi!
Throughout the evening, Ms. Arroyo invited audience members to make comments or ask questions. Ms. Arroyo addressed a question about how a singer keeps so much in mind while performing – technique, the characters personality and feelings, how the character moves, etc. She explained that it takes lots of practice and preparation, and having a clear sense of EVERYTHING about the character, including how many time a day they burp!
There were several college voice students who attended the Masterclass, which is great. You can learn just as much (if not more) from watching other singers being coached as when you yourself are being coached. One of the students asked Ms. Arroyo about the amount of time a voice student should be spending working on their music, citing concerns about having only one hour-long lesson a week, and at the most one coaching a week. Ms. Arroyo responded that indeed, that is not enough time to be spending, and that singers need to spend just about as much time as they can afford to working on their voice and performance techniques. She firmly stated that singers who do this are not being selfish – they are just doing what needs to be done.
It was a wonderful evening for all involved. The Resident Artists were given some great ideas to think about as they continue preparing the roles they sang in the Masterclass, and the audience was able to learn right along with them. It was a delight to have Martina Arroyo here!
There are various approaches taken by those who lead Masterclasses. Some work with the singers on their technique, other focus more on the acting/portrayal of the character, and some do a combination of the two. Ms. Arroyo’s approach last night focused solely on character development and acing. Although she is a voice teacher, she feels that a Masterclass is not an appropriate setting for her to work on vocal technique with singers. She explained that vocal technique is something that has to be worked on and coached over a long period of time, preferably with the same teacher.
Our four Resident Artists, Jeffrey McAvoy, La’Tarsha Long, Toby Newman, and Allen Pinkney each sang for Ms. Arroyo last night. They were each at different points in the preparation process for the arias they sang – some were just beginning to explore the characters, while others had performed the aria and/or character many times before. This worked out well because the audience could see the kinds of things that are worked on at each stage of the process. Even if you have performed an aria a hundred times, there is always something that you can change or add, or another interpretation or way of looking at the character. The singers all did a great job – it’s not easy to be coached in front of an audience, and you never know what the person coaching you is going to ask you to do! For example, while Allen was singing Rodolfo (from La Bohéme), Ms. Arroyo asked Toby to come onstage and “be his Mimi”. I’m sure that as a mezzo, Toby never thought she would be asked to be Mimi!
Throughout the evening, Ms. Arroyo invited audience members to make comments or ask questions. Ms. Arroyo addressed a question about how a singer keeps so much in mind while performing – technique, the characters personality and feelings, how the character moves, etc. She explained that it takes lots of practice and preparation, and having a clear sense of EVERYTHING about the character, including how many time a day they burp!
There were several college voice students who attended the Masterclass, which is great. You can learn just as much (if not more) from watching other singers being coached as when you yourself are being coached. One of the students asked Ms. Arroyo about the amount of time a voice student should be spending working on their music, citing concerns about having only one hour-long lesson a week, and at the most one coaching a week. Ms. Arroyo responded that indeed, that is not enough time to be spending, and that singers need to spend just about as much time as they can afford to working on their voice and performance techniques. She firmly stated that singers who do this are not being selfish – they are just doing what needs to be done.
It was a wonderful evening for all involved. The Resident Artists were given some great ideas to think about as they continue preparing the roles they sang in the Masterclass, and the audience was able to learn right along with them. It was a delight to have Martina Arroyo here!
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