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Cantabile

The experience of the Masterclass last week which I have given in Dublin has shown me that today’s young singers are eager to find on one hand the efficiency in their singing on the other hand they are looking for ways to build up a daily routine requiring discipline,training and building up stanima. On top of all this I recommend seriously that a young singer should search for a teacher and coach who has a deep contribution to the music and operatic scene, with knowledge, patience and understanding for the growing process of a young singer and can nurture them.
One of the main concerns of young singers is not only to train the voice but also the musicianship.For example , find the right style for every composer you sing, this means work with the music and explore it, if you do what the composer has written, the style comes through. It is easy and hard at the same time just to do this. But coraggio !!!!
Wishing you a wonderful working day.

Vera Wenkert

Working with Jaw Tension

I remember I worked with a professional Mezzosopran on the “Hexe” in Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel” who was having her opening night in less then 5 days. Whilst working on the whole role with her, I realised that her jaw was becoming tighter and tighter as a result of all the quick diction and musical leaps in the part. I know stage directors and conductors often ask for a lot of diction and expression, but you have to know how to do it without straining the vocal chords and without building up too much tension in the whole vocal production and support system.

What to do?

For example, I worked with her the “Hexenbann” without words and let her do the whole magic spell on “ja ja ja”. This exercise frees the jaw. We also did light and easy staccato exercises (tonica, third, quinte, third, tonica) and then legato the same.

We singers always have to remember that the jaw should be just relaxed in an open position, slightly back and in most cases not forward. (Maybe there are anatomical exceptions.) Then the breathing gets deeper into the body naturally and the support system starts to work. When a tight jaw is doing the job it is very difficult to connect the voice to the healthy body support.

With the Mezzosopran the next step was to solve the diction. It is vital that the vowel and the consonants have to be on the airflow. We worked it very slowly with patience and joy and finally the “Hexe” was really magic ✨

?TIP: From my own experience it is helpful to gently move the jaw up and down to the right and left. If the jaw is too tight, you might have difficulties to do these gentle movements. If so, you can gently and tenderly massage the muscles around your jaw, the muscles under your chin with your thumb and your index finger. ATTENTION: never massage the area directly around the larynx.

AFFIRMATION: I find a solution for all the technical issues I am solving.

With appreciation
Vera Wenkert

Cantabile

The experience of the Masterclass last week which I have given in Dublin has shown me that today’s young singers are eager to find on one hand the efficiency in their singing on the other hand they are looking for ways to build up a daily routine requiring discipline,training and building up stanima. On top of all this I recommend seriously that a young singer should search for a teacher and coach who has a deep contribution to the music and operatic scene, with knowledge, patience and understanding for the growing process of a young singer and can nurture them.
One of the main concerns of young singers is not only to train the voice but also the musicianship.For example , find the right style for every composer you sing, this means work with the music and explore it, if you do what the composer has written, the style comes through. It is easy and hard at the same time just to do this. But Coraggio !!!!
Wishing you a wonderful working day Vera

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