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Acting in Plays, Singing/Tenor High F?
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Question
In the Opera I Puritani there is the famous high f in Credeasi Misera. I would love to be an opera singer one day and specialize in the Bel Canto repertoire like my idols Alfredo Kraus and Bruce Ford. However, I don't think I'll ever hit a high f in my life and I would love more more than anything to sing Arturo. Do you think I should just forget about this role or are there healthy vocalizes you could share to optimize one's vocal range. Your response will be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Hi, Johnny –
Thank you for the question.
You cannot give up on something that you haven't begun to explore. What makes you so sure yours is the right kind of tenor voice to sing the role?
Dreams of being an opera singer and appearing in a certain – and not often performed work such as I PURITANI – is one thing. Spending your money to earn a degree from a world-class Conservatory such as the one we have here in San Francisco and then competing with others from around the world for available positions in advanced training programs associated with major companies, etc., is quite another. And then it's about learning a ton of other more marketable roles and concert repertoire – including minor supporting roles (which you may have no interest in) – before an agent will even look at you.
Careers are built on the opportunities available. Striving towards a career in opera is no different from pursuing an Olympic medal. You must devote your life to it. Along with the best training from the best Conservatory, that includes being in top physical condition and having the spine to endure competition and rejection. That can really cut into a guy's social life and psyche. If you have the Leading Man stuff required of Leading Man roles, your teachers and conductors will be the first to recognize it.
It helps to have a Dream Role in mind to keep fueling the work along the way. But what if your vocal category (or "fach") proves to be something other than what is required for that role or others similar to it? Would you still be as impassioned about pursuing a career that offers no guarantees or security?
Work smart. Stay in touch.
I'm a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com. All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
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Answers by Expert:
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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