Don’t Just Stand There!

My wife is a regular at a European opera program and recently observed that singers trained here combine stagecraft and drama with their singing, while American trained singers concentrate on singing alone. They generally do it very well but it isn’t enough. The goal is goosebumps but the tools are stagecraft, understanding and embodying what the character is saying and doing and what the moment is about. It looks to her like some European trained singers learn a lot of these things in conservatory while stagecraft and drama in the US are rudimentary. It can all be learned, however, and adapted to each singer’s strengths and weaknesses, so start paying attention! You’ll find that it enhances your singing and brings fresh insights as well as giving solutions to humdrm things like what to do with your hands or how to find the conductor when you need to without staring!

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