Observing the rules of the game

November 6, 2009 Welcome to my first blog posting. I thought I would use this format to discuss what interests me. Hopefully, it will be of some interest to you too. Because I am a singer and voice teacher, my posts will be mostly about singing and good performance practice. If you have an comments on my postings, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e mail. I recently attended the Vocal Showcase of the voice department at a prominent local conservatory. It is instructive to see what works and what doesn't work in performance. Presenting opera in a concert situation requires a balance between the staging we rightfully expect in a full production, and a sense of the conventions of the recital format. Dressed in a beautiful white strapless gown, one performer sank to the floor to mourn her dead father. In a concert situation with piano, don't end up on the floor. No matter how heartfelt your performance, breaking the rules of the game can make the noblest tragic intention inadvertently funny. With this kind of effect, you may be doing violence to the unwritten rules of context. Figure out the rules of the game, and observe them; if you choose to push pass the accepted boundaries of the medium, do so deliberately, and with consciousness of your audience's expectation.