Topic PERFORMANCE
GLASNER Joshua (CO: Aaron M. Johnsson)
Baritone, Joshua Glasner, M.M., Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Music at Clarke University where he teaches voice lessons (CCM, Musical Theatre, and Western Classical styles), music history, musical theatre repertoire, and voice pedagogy. He also serves on the summer faculty at Westminster Choir College’s Summer Voice Pedagogy Workshop, and has served as guest faculty for the Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop at New England Conservatory. His multidisciplinary research involves broad-ranging topics ranging from historical voice pedagogy and digital signal processing to the perception of the singing voice and teaching efficacy. Dr. Glasner’s scholarly work has been presented at various national and international conferences, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Voice.
Dr. Glasner holds degrees in voice performance and voice pedagogy from the University of Delaware and Westminster Choir College, a certificate in vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech, and a research doctorate from New York University.
More information can be found on his website at joshuaglasner.com.
JOHNSON Aaron M, MM, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a researcher and speech–language pathologist specializing in voice habilitation and rehabilitation and an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. His research laboratory, funded by the National Institutes of Health, uses novel translational research methods to examine the effects of vocal training on laryngeal neuromuscular mechanisms in the aging larynx. As a clinician at the NYU Voice Center, he works with his physician colleagues to diagnose and treat voice disorders in performing artists. Both his research and clinical interests stem from his previous decade-long career as a professional classical singer and teacher of singing. He is actively involved in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Pan American Vocology Association.
Listening to the Past: The Effects of Historical Recording Technology on the Singing Voice
Our understanding of historical singing and the methods used by historical voice pedagogues is potentially limited by the technology used to record historical singers. Previous studies of the effects of wax cylinder phonographs have found distortions that may influence our perception of singing features or cause listeners to make judgements about performance practice and training ca. 1880-1930 (Feynberg, 2014; Zakaria, 2016; Glasner, 2019; Glasner & Johnson, in press). As such, any discussion about the origins of microphone technology and the resultant changes to vocal techniques may benefit from an understanding of the audio recording technologies that directly preceded the microphone and the limitations of the earliest form of recording technology--the wax cylinder phonograph.
This lecture will present the results of a multi-faceted study of the wax cylinder phonograph system that recorded and analyzed professional opera singers in New York (in collaboration with the Thomas Edison National Historical Park) using a flat-response microphone array and an Edison Home Phonograph. These analyses clearly demonstrate the effect of historical recording technology on aspects of the singing voice such as vibrato rate, vibrato extent, fundamental frequency, and various spectral measurements. They also describe the way in which historical recording technology systems distort and limit the frequency range of audio recordings of singers. Additionally, this presentation will discuss the historical development of microphone technology and how listeners might interpret historical acoustic and electric/digital recordings based on an understanding of frequency response curves, signal distortion (e.g. clipping), and perception of the singing voice. By doing so, this lecture aims to enhance discussions related to the development of the singing voice and modern-day singing techniques as well as promote conversations amongst voice professionals about the development of voice pedagogy throughout the last 140 years.
HOCH Matthew
Matthew Hoch is professor of voice at Auburn University. He has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Vox Consort, Harmonie Universelle, the Hartford, Rome, and Nashua Symphony Orchestras, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, the Chattanooga Bach Choir, Griffin Choral Arts, and the United States Coast Guard Chamber Players. Hoch is the author, coauthor, or principal editor of eight books and peer-reviewed articles in over a dozen different professional and academic journals. Hoch is the 2016 winner of the Van L. Lawrence Award, presented jointly by the Voice Foundation and NATS. He holds a BM from Ithaca College, an MM from the Hartt School, a DMA from the New England Conservatory, and the Certificate in Vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech. In 2018, he presented performances and master classes in the United Arab Emirates as was awarded the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award. In addition to his academic life, Hoch also serves as choirmaster and minister of music at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Auburn, Alabama.
The NATS “So You Want to Sing Series”: Reflections on Seven Years, Twenty Books, and a Glimpse of the Future –
So You Want to Sing: Guides for Performers is a series of works devoted to providing a complete survey of what it means to sing within a particular genre or explore a specific pedagogical question. Each contribution functions as a touchstone work for not only professional singers, but also students and teachers of singing. Titles in the series offer a common set of topics so readers can navigate easily the various genres and styles addressed in each volume. The So You Want to Sing series is a joint venture between NATS and Rowman & Littlefield with individual volumes written by experts that hail from within the ranks of NATS and beyond into our larger profession. As of the 2022 ICVT Conference in Vienna, twenty books have been published covering a wide array of genres including musical theatre, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, gospel, country, sacred music, barbershop, folk, light opera, a cappella, CCM, blues, early music, chamber music, world music, spirituals, and cabaret. After a formal introduction of the series, Henderson and Hoch will each describe their role in bringing the So You Want to Sing series to life, after which panelists will have the opportunity to share their personal story and journey through the book-writing process. The session will conclude with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and engage in discussion with the presenters.
HURST-WAJSZCZUK Kristine
Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk’s solo CD of music for soprano and clarinet was released in 2020 by Naxos. Featuring the world premiere recording of THE SECRET EXIT, the CD includes three song cycles by Lori Laitman and a world recording of a song by Diane Rosenblum. Her solo CD of Dowland lute songs was released by Centaur in 2008.
An avid proponent of early music as well as the work of living composers, Kristine appeared in the title role of Dido and Aeneas with Bourbon Baroque, as well as the title role in Cavalli’s Erismena with Amherst Early Music Festival. She created the role of Mary Rose in Jody Landers’s new opera, Now Let Us Praise Famous Men with Opera Birmingham. Other solo performances include the Alabama Symphony, the Tuscaloosa Symphony, and the Boulder Bach Festival.
Kristine served as the Education Chair for Southeastern Regional NATS and completed two terms as NATS Vice President for Workshops. She currently serves as the Webinar Committee Chair for the Association of Body Mapping Educators.
Twenty years of research into managing performance anxiety has expanded to wellness for musicians and students of all majors. Her seminars in Wellbeing for Musicians and The Mindful Student in the Honors College at UAB have met with resounding success. She gives workshops at colleges around the country, as well as national and international conferences such as National Collegiate Honors Council, NATS, ICVT, and College Music Society. She is currently the only certified Koru meditation teacher in Alabama, a type of mindfulness meditation developed by Duke University for emerging adults. She has volunteered with organizations serving at-risk children in urban Birmingham by teaching them meditation techniques to manage stress. In 2013-14, she was a Fulbright finalist, and has taught workshops at the Vienna Conservatory and in Szeged, Hungary.
An accomplished stage director, Dr. Hurst-Wajszczuk’s opera productions have won three national awards through the National Opera Association. She is Professor of Voice and Associate Dean for the Honors College at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Please visit www.kristinehurst.com.
Mindfulness for Singers: Benefits for Practice and Performance
Peak performance and effective practice can only be achieved with mental calm and clarity. Some musicians seem to innately possess it: others must learn it. Mindfulness meditation helps to level the playing field. It provides performing artists the tools to manage performance anxiety, access mental quietude, and improve focus and memory retention. This interactive workshop requires a moderately quiet room.
The ability to redirect thoughts helps all artists endure the marathon of developing our craft, the harrowing process of auditioning with both positive and negative results, and for working under a variety of circumstances. This workshop explores Koru mindfulness, which is based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an eight-week evidence-based program developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s. Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990) and Shapiro, Schwartz & Bonner (1998) note the many positive physical and psychological benefits of mindfulness training.
Meditation has been proven through many recent scientific studies to change the size and function of the brain and has direct application to performers. Meditation helps performers develop awareness without judgment, key to reducing performance anxiety and to focused, effective practice. The Center for Koru Mindfulness was developed by psychiatrists and social workers at Duke University ten years ago to help emerging adults (those aged 18-30) manage stress.
Before the pandemic, Koru served as the centerpiece of wellness seminars in the Honors College. During the pandemic, demand for stress management via mindfulness meditation was so great that the submitter of this proposal contributed over thirty online meditation workshops through the Mental Health Ambassadors at her institution, at national and regional workshops, and at other universities. Overwhelming positive response in both classroom and workshop settings matches with studies by Jon Kabat-Zinn and others. This presenter is the only Koru-certified teacher in her state of residence.
While time does not allow us for a full overview of Koru—certification includes a three-day workshop and teaching three 4-week classes—attendees will have a taste of Koru by learning several of the skills taught by Koru teachers. A creative visualization mediation, which is especially useful for managing performance anxiety, will be included.
PUBLIG Renate
The human voice has been my favourite instrument for as long as I can remember. Therefore, voice and/or music has been a common thread in my trainings (among other things I led the choir of „pro mente“ = Society for psychological and social health, Vienna, as part of the psychotherapeutic preparatory course).
Not being pigeonholed could be my motto. My versatility is reflected in my trainings: Besides above mentioned qualifications, I am a trained teacher for tourism school and I hold a diploma in literary writing and in integrative riding and vaulting pedagogy. What seems incoherent at first glance quickly makes a deeper sense because if I had to summarise my interests in three words, they would be „people, music and language“. This explains my passion for looking at the human psyche and playing with words until the right tone is struck.
Stage Fright and Breathing . Interrelation effects Power. With Mental Training to a more expressive and sound voice
The aim of this workshop is to show how stage fright effects performing with the voice; Why breathing is the key problem of all effects of stage fright – and therefore the key solution for all those problems and effects.The workshop includes:
Short theoretical summary and practical exercises.
ROLL Christianne
Dr. Christianne ROLL received her BFA in Musical Theatre from New York University, where she was a Tisch Scholar. Her doctorate is from Columbia University, where she focused her research on musical theatre vocal pedagogy. As a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, Christianne has performed at the Goodspeed Opera House, the Lucille Lortel Theatre, the York Theatre, and internationally as the principal singer for Norwegian Cruise Lines. She has soloed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and has sung the American national anthem for the Philadelphia Eagles. Christianne was a finalist in the BBC’s international vocal competition, “Voice of Musical Theatre,” in Cardiff, Wales. Dr. Roll is the head of the Musical Theatre BFA Program at Florida Southern College. In 2017, she won the Distinguished Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. A recognized expert on the musical theatre voice, Dr. Roll is a frequent presenter at The Voice Foundation Symposium, the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Her research has been published in the Journal of Voice and the Journal of Singing, and she served as the music director for Norwegian Cruise Lines, teaching hundreds of performers from around the world.
Acting the Song: Tactics for Lyric Theater Artists
Although differing in many stylistic aspects of performance, the singers of opera and musical theatre share the inherent need to honestly portray the emotions and given circumstances of their characters. With the recent and potentially permanent shift to filming and live-streaming theatrical performances, possessing proficient acting skills is increasingly imperative for a professional singing career in all media. The essence of any acting through singing involves what one is doing from moment to moment, both physically and emotionally. By analyzing the given circumstances and objectives of the character, participants can create the basis of a unique and confident physical and vocal performance. Additional acting clues are found externally in the orchestration, musical structure, and punctuation. Taking note of this guidance from the composer and lyricist guides theatre artists to make informed and authentic acting choices. Through acting exercises and the use of familiar repertoire, attendees will learn to recognize and analyze these clues from the source material and apply them to their own interpretation and performance. Attendees will gain a shared understanding of practical acting strategies and techniques to use in the voice studio to enhance the professional acting abilities of their voice students.
WAGNER-TRENKWITZ Christoph
Born in Vienna, graduated mag.phil. in 1989 (musicology, romance studies, political science). In addition to his studies, he worked for the ORF (radio) and worked as an actor, author, cabaret artist and employee of the artists' agency Raab & Böhm. 1988-92 General Secretary of the Friends of the Vienna State Opera, from 1993 Chief Press Officer of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper, 1996-2001 Chief Dramaturg of the State Opera, until 2008 Guest Dramaturg. Since 2003 member of the Direction, since 2009 Chief Dramaturge of the Volksoper Vienna, Guest Dramaturge of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz Munich). 2013-2016 Director of the Theatersommers Haag, since 2019 Director of the Operette Langenlois.
As a presenter and conferencier, he is at home on many stages (including the Salzburg Easter Festival, Grafenegg Festival, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz). He regularly moderates the television broadcast of the Vienna Opera Ball and the radio broadcast of the New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic as well as regular broadcasts on Austrian Radio Ö1.
Numerous performances as an actor, including at the Lehárfestival Bad Ischl, the Graz Opera, the Schlossfestspielen Langenlois, the Klagenfurt State Theatre, the Bühne Baden, the Bonn Opera and the Theater an der Wien.
Numerous publications and books, most recently “Das Orchester das niemals chläft. Die Wiener Philharmoniker“ (2017) und „Alles Walzer. Der Opernball von A bis Z“ (2020). In preparation: "Welcome, Bienvenue, Welcome, Musical an der Volksoper Wien" (2022).
„Singers . what theatres really need?“
A cynical, but unfortunately not completely wrong approach to our question: theaters want to sell tickets, so they need singers who do this for them, to be “marketed” well. The fact that attractive portrait photos often have more effect than a solid artistic basis and that the eyes sometimes gain the upper hand over the ears in auditions is unfortunately also to be observed. Closer (and less cynically) viewed, the demands on singers today are greater than ever: They must be flexible musicians who not only learn their parts by ear, but who are able to understand the musical text and from it form their own interpretations (not clones of YouTube and CD recordings); they should be versed in a wide range of musical styles; they must be agile performers in order to be able to respond to the requirements of each stage direction or possibly even choreography. We expect storytellers who can handle their voice, language and body equally well.
This leads to questions concerning training: Is it sufficient for singers to sing, actors to act and dancers to be able to dance? Or should it be necessary, at least at the beginning of their studies, that an "integrated" training be prioritized to become a performer and later each specialization take place? Does it make sense to let teachers loose on students who they themselves have little or no stage experience?
And what part do role models play? Is it opportune to imitate the most famous contemporary stars (paid the highest fee) to reach their goals? The great Danish tenor and pedagogue Aksel Schiotz prefaced his standard work "The Singer and his Art" with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: „Insist on yourself; never imitate.
Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession”.