Acting in Plays, Singing/Contrasting voice types

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Expert: - 12/30/2008


Question
Sean,

I was reading through your archive and you were saying in one of your answers that "in the professional world of Broadway voices, you only slot yourself as either a soprano or alto."


That worries me.


I'm a belter... with a definitely dark, heavy chest voice... I played Rose in Gypsy at my high school last year.


I am extremely versatile as a singer and actress. I'm also a soprano and I've played Anne in A Little Night Music.

I am an aspiring actress and I want to be on Broadway someday. But if it's true that you can only slot your voice as one or the other, I'm afraid that I'll only be playing either soprano roles or alto/belting roles... because I really can sing both.

Would that work for me in the sense that I can play many different types of roles, or work against me because I could only audition for roles of one particular voice type? If I slot myself as a soprano, I'd never get to play Mama Rose professionally (even though I definitely can sing the role) but if I slot myself as an alto, I'd never play soprano roles...  

Answer
Hello, Joni –

Thank you for the question.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to identify your true vocal category.  I have hundreds of responses on this web site about how crucial this fundamental information is to the aspiring singer who hopes to sustain a professional career.  The questions are submitted by a large age-range of singers of all persuasions.

The two roles you mention, "Mama Rose" (GYPSY) and "Anne" (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC) are on completely opposite sides of the vocal spectrum – specifically, as they apply to a professional production.  The woman who is now old enough and seasoned enough to sing "Mama Rose", i.e., Patti LuPone, cannot then audition for the ingénue role of "Anne" and vice-versa.

No matter how versatile you may be – you must consider that you will be competing against women who have years of professional training in their specific vocal category and long resumés with performance credits to prove their vocal chops in those specific roles.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  To book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/973848227.html
I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:

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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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