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Acting in Plays, Singing/Baritone roles on Broadway?

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Expert: - 4/30/2010


Question
QUESTION: Hello Mr.Martinfield,
I'm 17 and a Baritone. At the moment my range is from Low D to F above middle C. Occasionally a G. Roughly two octaves. It seems that Broadway nowadays only has good Tenor roles. Are there no more roles for Baritones????

ANSWER: Hello, Dominic –

Thank you for the question.
Why private? Many people have concerns similar to yours. Let's share our exchange.
Please re-submit your question openly and I will respond.

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Mr.Martinfield,
I'm 17 and a Baritone. At the moment my range is from Low D to F above middle C. Occasionally a G. Roughly two octaves. It seems that Broadway nowadays only has good Tenor roles. Are there no more roles for Baritones????

Answer
Hi, Dominic –

Thank you for the question.

The Baritone voice is my favorite in all musical literature, including the Classical repertoire. Your job as a baritone – perhaps as a bass-baritone – is to become familiar with the roles intended for your vocal category. That is where it starts in building your audition portfolio and, thus, how you will make yourself increasingly marketable.

I want you to consider investing in the musical theatre anthologies listed below. Each volume contains the songs written for the baritone and bass voice. Each is published in the same key as the original score:

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology -  Baritone/Bass, Volume 1
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&lc=recs:det

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology -  Baritone/Bass, Volume 2
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&lc=recs:det

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology -  Baritone/Bass, Volume 3
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&lc=recs:det

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology -  Baritone/Bass, Volume 4
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=91201406412&lc=recs:det

If you keep up with your vocal studies and choose to major in music or theatre arts, you will find that most new Broadway shows don't become available to educational and community theatres until as much as five years later. What shows are being produced right now at your school or in local theaters? What roles might you be eligible for?

Who knows what will surface as the years go by? While it is true that the baritone isn't always the leading man, there are plenty of juicy roles and great songs in the Baritone anthology to keep you interested, busy, and paid.

All my baritones sing to High A, some go higher. By the time you are 19 you will notice a significant change in the sound of your voice. Get familiar with some of my favorite Classical Baritones: Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Leo Nucci, Thomas Hampson, Nathan Gunn, Robert Merrill, and Gerard Souzay. They share repertoire in common, including art songs and the symphonic literature.

There is so much more to get excited about than just musical theatre.

I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1721763819.html. 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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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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