Der richtige Gesangslehrer für dich

Oft kommen nach jahrelangem Studium junge Sänger in mein Institut. Diese Erfahrungen und mein Wissen über den Beruf (ich habe über 30 dramatische Rollen in verschiedenen Opernhäusern, Festivals und Konzertsälen gesungen) inspirieren mich, heute meine Tipps zu schreiben:

Junge Sänger oder Gesangsstudenten müssen „ihren“ Gesangslehrer finden! Was bedeutet das in Wirklichkeit: Dieser Lehrer muss die Fähigkeit haben, dir eine gesunde Gesangstechnik so zu vermitteln, dass du sie verstehst und dass du fühlst, dass du stimmliche Fortschritte machst, was auch bedeutet, dass du dich nach dem Unterricht nicht heiser fühlen solltest…. Dein Gesangslehrer sollte echtes Interesse an deiner Entwicklung haben und vor allem sollte er oder sie genügend Zeit haben, dich zu unterrichten. Meiner Meinung nach macht es keinen Sinn, bei einem berühmten Sänger zu studieren, der noch in einer Karriere ist, weil er oder sie nicht genügend Zeit für das Unterrichten und Pflegen deiner Erstsemesterkarriere haben wird. Ich glaube fest daran, dass man am Tag x – JA – mit der Stimme singen können und wissen muss, wie man Musik macht und auf eigenen Füssen steht.

Mein Rat Nummer eins ist es, einen Lehrer zu finden, mit dem du zumindest regelmässigen Gesangsunterricht bekommst und der die Zeit und den Geist hat, dich individuell zu bilden und der eine gesunde Gesangstechnik anbietet. Es gibt einen grossen Ratschlag, den ich dir mitteilen möchte, bevor du dieses wertvolle wöchentliche Nugget schliesst:

Übernimm deine Verantwortung für dich, junger Sänger. Das fängt damit an, den richtigen Gesangslehrer für dich zu finden. Ihr alle habt eine einzigartige Stimme und einen einzigartigen Weg in Leben und Beruf und das bedeutet, dass nur du fühlen und entscheiden kannst, wer ein guter Gesangslehrer für dich ist und wo du in den besten Händen bist.

Herzlich, Vera Wenkert

My singing and my teaching work is my place of worship!

I feel deeply grateful that I can show through my work as an opera singer and through my individual teaching that every rehearsal and every performance, even every lesson is sharing: giving and taking! The meaningful aspect in singing for me is to connect and move the audience. How can we engage the audience on a deep level? Most important is a solid vocal technique and a refined musicality. And of course to work and sculpture your character you portray before giving it birth on an opera stage. This needs a lot of professional discipline and dedication, but it is a great joy to sculpture an operacharacter.
Yes, I know, how difficult it is in our times of social media and the feeling, one has to be available for the outer world any time, to find the silence and the „room“ during each day to dive into the – let it call – solitude hours to be just with oneself and the character or the aria or the art song…
But I promise, if you make the decision to do so on a regular basis, you are nurturing your inner artist! Then you can describe the feelings in the opera characters you interpret.
Yesterday, when I was rehearsing the Immolationscene from Brünnhilde Götterdämmerung I was feeling this deep THANK YOU to my artistic way in my life.
Thank You to all my teachers and to my Mentor. I strongly believe that every young singer and singers in a career need an expert vocal teacher musician and a coach and need one or two persons to trust on the career path.
Warmest
Vera

Good Morning Singers

Today part 3 about auditioning
In the former weekly nuggets I concentrated on how to prepare for an audition and what you need in your presentation folder. Yeah, you’ve got an invitation for an audition or a request to send an audio or video beforehand! Most important is: Send an audio or video only, if it is without any musical faults (what means no rhythm mistakes, all dynamics the composer wanted, no question in vocal technique, etc.). Choose only an aria or artsong that you can manage to sing with ease and effortless. A theatre or an agent is interested to listen to a recording which shows what you can do now. Pieces you are working at and „Fach Changes“ you are working at do not belong in the audible equipment of an application. On top of all this you have to take into consideration that people who get your audio or video recording can listen to it often and it will never give the same impression as you would give in a live audition. I remember when I sang for an adviser for singing career years ago in New York, how penetrating he insisted that one should only send super polished audible materials. So, it is worthwhile to work on your presentation until every puzzle is so convincing that all your competitors are left behind and the theatre has no other choice than to take you!
With my appreciation
Vera

Stagecraft Masterclass

Good morning singers!

I am giving a Stagecraft Masterclass this weekend, and I would love to give some input into how to make a role yours. Of course, you have to know the music and you have to be able to sing it beautifully with your unique voice,
but this is not enough for giving the role birth on stage in rehearsals, and later in performances. So let us dive deeper in the process…

Great Auditions

This time of the year is audition time. Yeah, superb! You made it until here. So let’s see, if everything you need is on the peak:

Number one: Your beautiful voice is a free voice with the help of a good vocal technique. The effortless flow of sound, vocal freedom is a satisfying experience for any audition panel.

Number two: Perform with unfettered musicality.

Number three: Is your confidence and self esteem so solid, that you feel secure in yourself in any aspect and that you communicate the joy of being a singer and performer to the panel?

Number four: Your Italian diction sounds Italian and your German diction sounds German… You have translated the text by yourself and not only with a given translater….
Feel inspired by this 1st part of the checking list of “ Sing and Shine“.
You are in a working progress and go for it. Next week here on my Stimmkunst page you will find part two on GREAT AUDITIONS. For masterclasses, voice lessons, career coaching and auditions workshops have a glimpse on my website stimmkunst.ch.

Singing Treasures

Nowadays, more then ever, the singer has to have a refined concept for a success singing path: Of course a solid healthy vocal technique but to catch the interest of managers or casting directors in operahouses the singer has to blossom into a fine unique artist; that means to portray in any singing piece taste and musicianship. A performer serving the composers art and shaping and sculptering his or her aria or artsong out of this desire is one of the privilege and duty. Then miracles can happen, the singers individual artistry melts with the composition. I remember when I studied Isolde, every day I could not wait to dig into the harmonies to understand R. Wagners intention between the colours of the orchestra and the Isolde melody lines. I studied on top of my role also the Orchestra partitura. I suggest this for every main role. Have a glimpse into the full orchestration, find your leading instruments, listen to the colours. As singers, we are part of the orchestra.
More next Friday.
Wishing you an exciting journey into your special music land.
Vera