The Musical Magic of Theater and Cinema 2/27/15

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that “music is math.” Whether in relation to something simple (counting), or something more esoteric (highly-developed, academic analyses of harmony and structure), or whether it is a misg...

One of my favorite choir tricks was to telling my singers to ‘aim for the top side of the pitch.’  This was, of course, because they were singing flat, and I thought the imagery would give my singers a way of thinking about an abstract co...

Choirs often concentrate on pitch and blend, but it is rhythm that truly binds the music together. This workshop shifts the focus to cultivating a shared sense of pulse and equips singers with practical techniques to overcome rhythmic challenges in choral...

When most people think of choir warmups, they picture scales, tongue twisters, or breathing exercises - all designed to help singers find their pitch, focus their sound, and prepare for rehearsal. And of course, that’s exactly what warmups do, and w...

With age, vocal cords become less flexible and most singers find that it becomes harder to hit the high notes as the years go by. This can become a challenge, especially for older choir members. It’s important to take care of your voi...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   In open-access choirs (which don’t audition), you often find one or two singers who struggle to pitch notes accurately.   photo by Jes...

This beautiful space is Peak Cavern in Castleton, High Peak, where we will be going Underground in 2 weeks. Caroline and Fraser have choreographed an installation that will bring Magic to the deep. There are only a very few tickets left. See www.albionc...

Today is a very special day for me because one of the most emotional and significant works in my repertoire, "I Will Dream With You," is premiering. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to T.J. Harper and the Loyola Marymount University Concert Choi...