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Acting in Plays, Singing/The human singing voice?
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Question
Hello Sean, I'm a little curious to know how much physical or anatomical stature contributes to one's singing voice? Is it true (to quote Birgit Nilsson..... I think) that you have to be "built like a football player" to sing heavy Wagner roles. Does having a big mouth and high cheekbones like Linda Eder or June Anderson amplify one's voice like a big bell as opposed to someone with smaller facial features? Ideally what really contributes to having a very light a quick voice like a Leggiero tenor to that of a strong and powerful tenor who sings Samson in the shower for fun?
-Mary
Hello, Mary –
Thank you for the question.
Anatomy plays an extra-huge role in the overall composition of one's voice. The discussion involves all kinds of factors, including certain characteristics of the celebrities you mention, and endless other examples. Consider the Classical repertoire. One avenue of exploration is to contrast and compare the singers who have sustained long careers in their field, for example, the heroic leading tenor and coloratura soprano. What roles and concert repertoire do these singers share in common with others in that field – both in performance and/or recordings, and what did they avoid or what did they hope to one day perform but never did, etc.
Bottom line – voices and careers are built and dependent upon opportunity, i.e., being available and ready at the right moment and at the right time. Obviously, inclination and training along with the spiritual and psychological fortitude to endure competitions, judgement, and published criticism factors into the development of an internationally respected singer. You can be built like Hercules, but if your musicianship sucks, if the vocal technique is unreliable, and if the personal life issues get in the way of maintaining the discipline and structure of a professional singer – then a long career wherein the voice can flower is unlikely. Careers are also about a vast network of connections.
The dramatic tenor who shines in the role of "Samson" will never perform a role such as "Almaviva" in the Barber of Seville. Both tenors must maintain flexibility in their voices and work with equal consistentcy on the skills it takes to convey those roles with major companies and in enormous houses such as the War Memorial here in San Francisco.
It's complicated.
Consider that if Linda Eder were not a Miss America-type, would she have been hired as the romantic and desirable Leading Lady in such projects as "Jekyll & Hyde" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel"? It's also about appeal. That is, lots of Box Office appeal.
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. Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:
"Would You Like A Souvenir?" – Sean Martinfield and Janet Roitz explore a song from Film Noir classic NORA PRENTISS (1947)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOiqTp0tjvg
ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER – Performs Strauss’ Four Last Songs with SF Symphony
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=94646
TIMOTHY SEELIG – Takes His Baton To SF Gay Men’s Chorus
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=94577
CYNTHIA HOPKINS – The Success of Failure (or, The Failure of Success)
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=94549
CELEBRATE DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS – Saturday, 11/6, with the San Francisco Symphony
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=94385
THE MAKROPULOS CASE – A Premiere At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=94176
RECLAIMED: Paintings From The Collection of Jacques Goudstikker
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=94007
WEST SIDE STORY – Most of it, anyway
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=93786
DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1920) – Spend Halloween Night At Davies Symphony Hall
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=93684
EDITOR'S CHOICE: REBECCA PROZAN – The Most Qualified Candidate for District 8
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=93579
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO – An Interview with the Tenor turned Baritone for “Cyrano”
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=93275
JAPANESQUE – At the Legion of Honor, Japanese Prints in the Era of Impressionism
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=92923
BEYOND GOLDEN CLOUDS – At the Asian Art Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=92699
SCHEHERAZADE – A Spectacular Opening Night for Alonzo King Lines Ballet
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=92361
FLEET WEEK – Souvenirs From the Party At Pier 39
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=92106
MADAMA BUTTERFLY – A Beautiful Ensemble At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=91730
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT – World Premiere of Five Shakespeare Sonnets, November 11–13
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=91632
SCHEHERAZADE – Alonzo King LINES Ballet at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=91228
MADAMA BUTTERFLY – Opens at SF Opera, Tuesday 10/12
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=91101
Dr. ELISA STEPHENS – My Visit with the President
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=90791
TALES OF THE CITY – Casting for A.C.T. Workshop Announced
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=90166
Carey Bell and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger – At Davies Hall
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=89908
VAN GOGH, GAUGUIN, CÉZANNE & BEYOND – A San Francisco Must-See Experience
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=89802
MARIA CALLAS EXHIBIT – A Rare Collection At the Italian Cultural Institute
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=89563
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO – Now At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=89358
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES – A Sparkling Hit at Broadway By The Bay
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=89305
AT THE DE YOUNG – Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=89086
PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA – 30th Anniversary Gala, 9/24
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=88961
TENOR RAMÓN VARGAS – A Worthy “Werther” At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=88856
AÏDA – Spectacular Opening Night At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=88247
JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA – Now At The Victoria Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=88014
OPENING NIGHT AT SF SYMPHONY – A Mixed Bag
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=87772
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO – Opens 9/21 at San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=87283
WERTHER – French Classic At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=86829
SF FRINGE FESTIVAL – Preview Coming Attractions
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=86425
DREAMGIRLS – High Gloss and Not Much Soul
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=86316
CUBAN BALLET – An Interview with Octavio Roca
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=86049
A Look At "Giselle" with Ballerina Lorena Feijóo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33-a6Oa-0j4
DOLORA ZAJICK – Internationally Acclaimed Mezzo To Receive Merola Distinguished Alumni Award
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=85363
OPERA – Opening Night, September 10th, Verdi's AÏDA
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=85323
BLACK SABBATH – The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=85115
DON’T ASK and DIVALICIOUS — Now at the New Conservatory Theatre Center
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=84593
HAIL CAESAR! – Gymnast Dreya Weber is “Cleopatra” at Teatro ZinZanni
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=84775
CD: SONIDOS LATINOS – Guitarist, David Russell
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=84374
EAT PRAY LOVE – Julia Roberts Is Gorgeous
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=84196
JAMES LEVINE – Celebrating 40 Years at the Metropoitan Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=84017
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA – Broadcasts Return to KQED
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=83505
19th ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO FRINGE FESTIVAL – Begins September 8th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=83168
“L’ELISIR D’AMORE” – Members of the Merola Opera Program, this week at Fort Mason
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=82920
DIVALICIOUS – Leanne Borghesi Raises The Roof At New Conservatory Theatre Center
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=82831
OPENING NIGHT – SF SYMPHONY, Tuesday, September 7th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=82620
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE – Swashbuckling At SF's Yerba Buena Center For the Arts
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=82738
AÏDA – Verdi’s Masterpiece To Open SF Opera, September 10th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=81526
NORMA TALMADGE & GILBERT ROLAND – “A Woman Disputed” At The Castro Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=81297
“PSYCHO” – SF Symphony Accompanies Screening of Hitchcock’s Classic, Saturday Night, 7/17
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=81083
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE – A Sweeping Bore
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=80896
JULIAN COX – Appointed Chief Curator of the de Young Museum and Founding Curator of Photography
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=80803
BACH & FRIENDS – West Coast Premiere At The Kabuki, 7/14
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=80577
JONAH HENDRICKSON – Sculptor of Harvey Milk Bust At City Hall
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=80449
DREAMGIRLS — Coming to SF, Box Office Opens on Sunday, 7/11
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=80404
STONEWALL UPRISING – New Documentary Captures Pivotal Moment in the Gay Rights Movement
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=80102
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN – "Puttin' On The Ritz" At the Golden Gate Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=79580
DIE WALKÜRE and LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST – Final Performances Tonight and Friday
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=79383
SF PRIDE, 2010 – Videos of Ambassador James Hormel, Retired Navy Captain Joan E. Darrah, and Dykes On Bikes
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=79239
FROM BEGINNING TO END – At the Castro Theatre, FRAMELINE34
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=78854
THE STRANGER IN US – At the Castro Theatre, FRAMELINE34
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=78809
MARIA KALMAN – Coming to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, July 1st
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=78261
DEBORAH VOIGT – A Captivating "Fanciulla del West"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=77858
IMPRESSIONIST PARIS: CITY OF LIGHT – At the Legion of Honor
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=77477
SABINA ALLEMANN – Former SF Ballet Ballerina Returns In A.C.T.'s "The Tosca Project"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=76516
CD/DVD Release: CAMERON LIVE! – Organist Cameron Carpenter
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=76093
THE RUFFATTI ORGAN & CAMERON CARPENTER at DAVIES HALL
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=76169
JEANETTE MacDONALD – Hollywood Diva Remembered at the War Memorial Opera House
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=75637
IN THE HEIGHTS – Hits the heights in San Francisco
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=72988
ROMEO AND JULIET – Poetic Finale at SF Ballet
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=71635
AMANDA McBROOM – A rose for new CD, "CHANSON"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=68879
CAMERON CARPENTER – Stellar Organist Returns to San Francisco May 2nd
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=68311
HANDEL'S "ORLANDO" – TONIGHT AT THE HERBST. An Interview with Conductor Nicholas McGagen
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=67774
WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY – An Interview with Director Don Hahn and Producer Peter Schneider
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=66140
THE LITTLE MERMAID – “This Girl’s Got Everything!”
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=65498
CAMERON CARPENTER – At Davies Symphony Hall, May 2nd
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=64126
PEARLS OVER SHANGHAI – An Interview with Russell Blackwood
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=63625
PIANIST MISHA DICHTER – A Conversation
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=59695
ZUILL BAILEY – A Conversation
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=58241
DAVID PERRY – On the “Dos and Don’ts of Social Media”
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=56487
NATHAN GUNN – Sings Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=56056
CRITIC’S CHOICE: CD – MICHAEL MANIACI: Mozart Arias For Male Soprano
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=54523
THE 39 STEPS – Hitchcock To Stage Is Too Fabulous
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=52598
CAMINOS FLAMENCOS – A Conversation with Yaelisa
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=51761
A CONVERSATION WITH LUCIE ARNAZ – This Week At The Rrazz Room
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=51605
ON THE ORGAN – At the Legion of Honor
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=49615
JANE MONHEIT – This Sunday At The Empire Ballroom
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=48083
FLEET WEEK – A Conversation with Airshow Pilot Tim Weber
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=45460
NORMA SHEARER – Hollywood Dreams Made Real
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=38082
THE EGYPTIAN (1954) – A Swords & Sandals Cultural Encounter at the de Young Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=37554
DIANE BAKER – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=32007
CAMERON CARPENTER – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=24462
AT LAST! – ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=27122
A Conversation with Ruben Martin Cintas, Principal Dancer with SF Ballet
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22107
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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