[cpdavis]

(Original post by Abiraleft)
Welcome! Another tenor!

Have you sung anything interesting lately?

(Perhaps I'm a bit overly enthusiastic because this place hasn't been overly active lately. Must make more of an effort.)

Songs that I've done at home recently are House of the Rising Sun and Don't Stop Believing - simple stuff that my brother can play on his guitar. I haven't been to singing lessons in a while now because the teacher I was learning with left and I'm not too sure about the new one; I've been considering lately whether to resume if just to keep my voice in shape, though. Or maybe just join a choir again.

I've officially become useless in replying to messages

Thanks for the welcome In terms of stuff that I've sung recently, I was able to take part in a melody of "The book of Mormon" which was fun to do I was also part of "The Magic Flute" which was done by King's Opera. We sort of know what we are doing, but we are just waiting for everything to be finalised

Since Glee, I actually dislike "Don't stop believing" I'm not sure why, but it drives me up the wall so much!

I also have an audition for a freshers musical on Thursday which I really want to grab a main part this time (tbh if I am in the chorus again, I'll probably say no ) But choir is looking possible next year

How are you though?

[Abiraleft]

(Original post by cpdavis)
I've officially become useless in replying to messages

Thanks for the welcome In terms of stuff that I've sung recently, I was able to take part in a melody of "The book of Mormon" which was fun to do I was also part of "The Magic Flute" which was done by King's Opera. We sort of know what we are doing, but we are just waiting for everything to be finalised

No problem. Thanks for those titles, I'll have to look them up. How was your 24-hour musical?

Since Glee, I actually dislike "Don't stop believing" I'm not sure why, but it drives me up the wall so much!

I don't watch or follow Glee, so I don't know what their version is like.

I also have an audition for a freshers musical on Thursday which I really want to grab a main part this time (tbh if I am in the chorus again, I'll probably say no ) But choir is looking possible next year

Good luck!

How are you though?

I haven't been doing much singing at all lately. It's a sad state of affairs, just struggling to establish some sort of routine rather than anything else.

I have been listening to some good stuff lately, though. Namely, the Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong collaboration albums. Such good stuff from two individuals who have such a clearly deep understanding of music.

Also stumbled upon this today - a capella version of 'Stairway to Heaven'.

[Veni Vidi Fugi]

Hello all! Bass-baritone here. Anyone else like the Finzi folk-songs, namely "Let us garlands bring"?

[cpdavis]

(Original post by Veni Vidi Fugi)
Hello all! Bass-baritone here. Anyone else like the Finzi folk-songs, namely "Let us garlands bring"?

Hello! I know what you are talking about was going to use it for my choral scholarship, but didn't audition in the end. Very nice song


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone App

[Abiraleft]

Just some new findings :





How is everyone?

[cpdavis]

(Original post by Abiraleft)
Just some new findings :





How is everyone?

Quite like both videos I am alright you?

I am going to try and see if I can get some more singing lessons from my old singing teacher (even if it means paying this time ) as I want to audition for an Opera. Here is the first scene done by the LA Opera company:

[Fingersmith]

(Original post by Veni Vidi Fugi)
Hello all! Bass-baritone here. Anyone else like the Finzi folk-songs, namely "Let us garlands bring"?

One of my favourite Finzi solos is "Come Away Death" and we often do "My Spirit Sang All Day" in Chamber Choir. Lovely stuff.

Spent four evenings in Gloucester Cathedral a couple of weeks ago recording a CD for Priory records with our college Scholars' Choir. What an acoustic. The guy recording it was proper old school and just used one perfectly placed 4 capsule stereo mic - no compression, gating, limiting, EQ - the sound was fantastic. So much for my Music Technology .

Also went on tour to Belgium. Some nice singing but I'm afraid all the stereotypical views about Belgium seemed to be true!

Anyone else do any cool summer stuff?

Now here's a bass...

[christielovesyou]

(Original post by Fingersmith)
Anyone else do any cool summer stuff?

No courses or anything but I've been to see some singing teachers in Edinburgh for consultation lessons. Both really top teachers - one director of the uni chamber choir (which I'll be auditioning for), along with various other prestigious choirs, and the other a teacher from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

I got on well with both, and liked both their teaching techniques (although they were completely different!), so it's going to be a really really tough decision. I've written out a list of pros and cons for each and so far it seems RCS teacher is winning but I'm worried I might be being biased because I saw her more recently (i.e. two days ago rather than a week and a half ago)...

This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life!

[Fingersmith]

Tough one. How were their personalities, sense of humour etc? You're going to be working with them on a very personal level.

[christielovesyou]

(Original post by Fingersmith)
Tough one. How were their personalities, sense of humour etc? You're going to be working with them on a very personal level.

Chamber choir one - just...really sweet. He's just a nice guy. That's honestly the only way I can describe his personality. He's friends with my old singing teacher so there was lots of "oh, how is she?!" and bonding over that. Teaching-wise, he was very much focussed on the idea of not overthinking technique, which felt really refreshing. I told him I'm a Soprano 1 (choir-wise) and he kept saying things like, "have you really always been a Soprano 1? You have lots of interesting colours in your voice", which may have just been passing comments, but on the other hand could be doubt about my range/fach.

RCS one - seemed a lot more keen on getting to know me as a person, asked lots of questions (from "who's you favourite classical singer?" to "what musicals have you been in?" to "are you learning to drive?" ). She seems like a really fiesty, headstrong person with a real sense of humour - there was lots of laughing in my lesson, but we still got lots of work done. Teaching-wise, she was keen to focus on little details e.g. posture (it was almost Alexander technique-like...having said this I've never done any Alexander so I'm just guessing!) and exact positions of tongue/teeth/jaw etc. when singing vowel sounds. She also was adament that I was a light lyric soprano and she firmly believed that I had a strong upper range, which to me sounds like she agrees that I have a high, soprano 1 voice.

So wildly different in their teaching! I kind of want to go to the RCS one because I thought she had more "spark" and she's cheaper and closer to my halls but I feel bad because I saw the chamber choir one first and didn't mention I was having a consultation lesson with the other, so I'm worried I've led him to believe I definitely want him as my teacher. I don't want to disappoint him because he was just so nice! On the other hand, if I went to the RCS teacher and was in chamber choir too, then I could still (kind of) be taught by both. But that depends on me getting into chamber choir, and there's only 10 spaces for sopranos, and I've got quite a young sounding voice so I might not get in (working on the logic that it was too young for NYCoS so will be for CC).

That was a bit of a spiel, sorry. I needed to vent.

[Fingersmith]

I wouldn't worry about hurting anyone's feelings - they are professionals and the choice is up to you. I understand his comments about defining your voice. This is not as cut and dried as people think. As he suggested, you are capable of singing other voices as well as soprano; it's not questioning your range which will develop and expand. The voice you develop is very much a matter of personal choice - if you want to be a high sop, you can. My most comfortable, 'natural' voice is baritone but I often sing low bass, tenor and countertenor as needed.

[christielovesyou]

(Original post by Fingersmith)
I wouldn't worry about hurting anyone's feelings - they are professionals and the choice is up to you. I understand his comments about defining your voice. This is not as cut and dried as people think. As he suggested, you are capable of singing other voices as well as soprano; it's not questioning your range which will develop and expand. The voice you develop is very much a matter of personal choice - if you want to be a high sop, you can. My most comfortable, 'natural' voice is baritone but I often sing low bass, tenor and countertenor as needed.

I know you posted this over a month ago but I wanted to revive this thread and here seemed a good place to start! I did end up going for him in the end. Admittedly mainly by default because the RCS teacher had given my space away in the time it took me to decide - which is fair enough as she's got a very busy schedule and it did take me almost a month to get back to her - but now I've had another lesson I feel it is actually what's right for me. We're working very well together already, I feel totally at ease in my lessons and I think the technical work we're doing is really spot on for my needs at this age and stage.

So anyway...What I REALLY wanted to post is...what's everyone up to vocally at the moment? Anything exciting going on? Any offerings of fun pieces to listen to?

I started my music degree a couple of weeks ago and I'm already having a blast. So far I've done things as diverse as: composing a piece about a crocodile going on holiday, learning and singing Mozart choral works with orchestral accompaniment within an hour (orchestra hadn't seen the music either - it was completely learnt by everyone in that time), examining a motorbike carburator and comparing its properties to music elements and debating how to define what "melody" is.

I'm also doing the University Chorus which is fantastic, I've never been in such a good choir before. This semester we're doing the Poulenc Gloria (which I'm LOVING!), John Gardner's 'Burns Sequence' and we're doing a big charity concert of Handel's Messiah at the start of November - I'm auditioning to be one of the soprano soloists, and I reeeeally want to get it so fingers crossed!

I leave you with the 'Laudamus Te' from the Poulenc, because it's what we've been working on the past few weeks and it's blatantly the most fun movement!

[Abiraleft]

(Original post by christielovesyou)
I know you posted this over a month ago but I wanted to revive this thread and here seemed a good place to start! I did end up going for him in the end. Admittedly mainly by default because the RCS teacher had given my space away in the time it took me to decide - which is fair enough as she's got a very busy schedule and it did take me almost a month to get back to her - but now I've had another lesson I feel it is actually what's right for me. We're working very well together already, I feel totally at ease in my lessons and I think the technical work we're doing is really spot on for my needs at this age and stage.

So anyway...What I REALLY wanted to post is...what's everyone up to vocally at the moment? Anything exciting going on? Any offerings of fun pieces to listen to?

I started my music degree a couple of weeks ago and I'm already having a blast. So far I've done things as diverse as: composing a piece about a crocodile going on holiday, learning and singing Mozart choral works with orchestral accompaniment within an hour (orchestra hadn't seen the music either - it was completely learnt by everyone in that time), examining a motorbike carburator and comparing its properties to music elements and debating how to define what "melody" is.

I'm also doing the University Chorus which is fantastic, I've never been in such a good choir before. This semester we're doing the Poulenc Gloria (which I'm LOVING!), John Gardner's 'Burns Sequence' and we're doing a big charity concert of Handel's Messiah at the start of November - I'm auditioning to be one of the soprano soloists, and I reeeeally want to get it so fingers crossed!

I leave you with the 'Laudamus Te' from the Poulenc, because it's what we've been working on the past few weeks and it's blatantly the most fun movement!

You've started your music degree! Sounds fabulous!

[christielovesyou]

(Original post by Abiraleft)
You've started your music degree! Sounds fabulous!

It is fabulous! I'm absolutely loving every second of it!

[placenta medicae talpae]

We at Warwick uni chorus recently performed Elgar's Dream of Gerontius.

It has some absolutely stunning moments.

Here are two excerpts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FcpAOWN6d8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAbOgpcSEYg

[cpdavis]

So excited for next semester, I'm in the male choir/chorus for "The Rise and Fall of the city of Mahagonny" written by Kurt Weill

[Fingersmith]

(Original post by cpdavis)
So excited for next semester, I'm in the male choir/chorus for "The Rise and Fall of the city of Mahagonny" written by Kurt Weill

Superb piece. I love Kurt Weill and that one is not often done. Check out this version of Heavenly Salvation which (I think) is from Mahogony.


Now that's a bass!

[Fingersmith]

Sorry, I just noticed I posted that tube before - but I love it.

[cpdavis]

(Original post by Fingersmith)
Superb piece. I love Kurt Weill and that one is not often done. Check out this version of Heavenly Salvation which (I think) is from Mahogony.


Now that's a bass!

Not from Mahagonny, but I really can appreciate that bass very well

This video always makes me go

[Fingersmith]

(Original post by cpdavis)
Not from Mahagonny, but I really can appreciate that bass very well

This video always makes me go

I assumed that from "Our precious city has been saved." I wonder which one it's from