Open Intervals

Argentina Concert Video Compilation - Bel Canto Chorus Tour

FOUND!

A beautiful video compilation of two concerts from the Bel Canto Chorus South America tour last summer! The sold-out, standing-room-only concert in the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mercedes and the concert in the Facultad de Derecho in Buenos Aires.

Here you can see how utterly packed both venues were and how receptive the audiences were. What a gift it was to be there and to sing for everyone--and what a big, beautiful surprise to find this video.

Enjoy!

[embed=videolink]{"video":"http://you…

Read more…

Video Report - Bel Canto Concert from Colonia, Uruguay

While on tour with the Bel Canto Chorus last summer, we stopped twice in Colonia, Uruguay, and most of us fell in love with it. Old cars had been made into art on the streets, small artisans showed us their art and their wares, and we were welcomed with open arms. They even danced us through the streets to the restaurant after our concert there!

Ana Belen Tourin was at the concert in the Teatro Bastion del Carmen and recently shared this video posted to YouTube - the report itself is in Spanish,…

Read more…

St. John Passion--Radio Broadcast on MPR!

 

 

Friday, April 6, 2012 at 10:00 am - on Minnesota Public Radio!

A radio broadcast from our sold-out performance on March 24th!

 

William Hite, Evangelist

Bradley Greenwald, Jesus

Carrie Henneman Shaw, soprano

Nicole Warner, alto

Roy Heilman, tenor

Aaron Larson, bass

Conducted by Paul Boehnke

Bach Society of Minnesota

 

 

Recorded LIVE March 24, 2012 in St. Mary's Chapel, St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, MN

 

 

 

Read more…

St. John Passion with the Bach Society of Minnesota

 

 

Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm

 

William Hite, Evangelist

Bradley Greenwald, Jesus

Carrie Henneman Shaw, soprano

Nicole Warner, alto

Roy Heilman, tenor

Aaron Larson, bass

Conducted by Paul Boehnke

O

 

Bach Society of Minnesota

St. Mary's Chapel

St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, MN

University of St. Thomas campus

2600 Summit Ave.St. Paul, MN 55105

 

 

Read more…

We Need a Revolution

Are you ever disappointed to hear a band live in concert, only to realize they are really a “studio band” because they don’t sound very good live?

When was the last time you spent an entire afternoon listening to new music on the radio?

How many times have you heard someone speak about classical music and were totally turned off?

ENOUGH!

 There are too many singers who are making a career out of auto-tune. If you can't sing that well, either get voice lessons, find a coach, or play a different i…

Read more…

"My high school choir director told me I couldn\u2019t sing, but my kids love it when I sing to them. Should I take voice lessons?"

YES!

I can barely express HOW OFTEN I have heard this from adult voice students. People have come to lessons fearful and practically trembling because they so badly want to sing and someone once told them they couldn’t or they shouldn’t. For these students, it’s a particularly meaningful journey as we explore their voice and their musical creativity together.

As a music teacher, as a voice teacher, as an advocate for the arts, it’s baffling to me that so many people have this experience in th…

Read more…

Sing for Free—A How-to Guide for Creating a Singing Donation Budget

In 5 Tips for Taking a Gig (or Not!) I brought up this rule of thumb (from Ratgeber Freie) on taking or turning down a gig:

Does it make me happy? Does it make me rich? Or does it make me proud?

There are gigs that definitely won’t make you rich AND they are incredibly valuable. Because it’s inevitable that people will call you up during the year and say, “We don’t have a lot of money, but…” or even “We don’t have any money, would you sing this as a favor?” Sing for free? I think not!

 

B…

Read more…

How Much Do Singers Need to Practice?

How much a singer needs to practice truly depends on the person, the project, and the purpose.

 

The Person: Some singers want and need to practice every day, as it's such a strong part of their daily routine, their day would be incomplete without it. There are plenty of musicians who even take their instruments on vacation with them, as they want to keep their muscles in excellent shape. Other singers practice several times a week, and yet other singers practice only when they have a project or…

Read more…

How Long Does it Take to Prepare for a Gig or a Concert?

It truly depends on the piece and/or the program. A piece like Mahler's 2nd Symphony is larger and takes more time to 'sink in,' so even though that concert is in May, I've already begun working on it. When learning a new piece of music, whether it's as long as a symphony or as short as Barber's "Sure on this Shining Night," there are several, over-arching steps to piece preparation:

  1. Wood-Shedding. This is the initial get-to-know-you stage, where you play & sing through a piece, look up and wr…

Read more…