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Sep 26, 2014
Singing in Other Languages
by Rachel Eve Holmes
Diction for Singers: Why it is Important
Do you sing in other languages, but aren’t quite confident that you are performing with authentic pronunciation? Consider checking out the course I will be teaching for 5 Sunday evenings at the Madison Music Foundry, October 12, 19, & 26, as well as November 2 and 9. This class is ideal for students that compete in Solo and Ensemble, NATS competitions, sing in foreign languages in choirs, those who hope to be voice majors in college, and aspiring opera singers. Performers interested in various dialects of English could also benefit from knowledge of this alphabet, such as country and folk singers.
What is the International Phonetic Alphabet?
IPA is the standard notation used to help pronounce singing languages (Italian, German, French, etc.) authentically. It is a series of symbols that represent sounds. If you know how to pronounce all of the symbols, you can, in theory, pronounce any transcribed text in ANY language! It can, with practice and over time, aid you to sound very authentic in virtually any language. This is the gold standard system used in any major conservatory, school of music, professional choir, or opera house.
Why is it important to sound authentic?
As human beings, we communicate to be understood- to ask a question, to receive information, to show love and affection. Without communication, we could not survive. If you were in a foreign country and knew every part of speech, grammar, and spelling for a language on paper, but could not convey the correct sounds of the spoken language to anyone, you would not survive!
Pronunciation is KEY. IPA can help us to be quickly understood.
Most of us are vaguely familiar with IPA, whether we realize it or not. Pick up any dictionary in any language, and right after any word but before the definition, you will see a series of symbols, showing you how to pronounce the word.
We must first, however, crack the code of these symbols!
I hope that you will join me for the first class, Sunday, October 12, at 5:30, and for the subsequent classes in Italian, German, French, and a Master Class, so we can practice singing in other languages for our peers. It will be a BLAST!
Rachel teaches voice lessons at Madison Music Foundry and the class Diction for Singers beginning October 12.
RACHEL EVE HOLMES
Rachel Eve Holmes is an exciting young soprano, recently described as, "expressive and subtle, with a stunning instrument." (Cap Times) A Georgia native, Holmes' performing career has taken her to Bruges, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Novafeltria, Italy, as well as all over the United States.
Rachel Eve has performed with Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Opera Fort Collins, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Intermezzo Festival, Opera for the Young, La Musica Lirica, Loveland Opera Theatre, Fort Collins Symphony, Fresco Opera Theatre, The Ralph Opera Center, and The New England Conservatory Undergraduate Opera Studio. Favorite Roles include Rosina, Frasquita, Pamina, Susanna, Marzeline, Beth March, L'Enfant, Papagena, and Mimi.
Career highlights include singing Beth March in Mark Adamo's Little Women in Belgium, a European Premiere in which Adamo assisted with the production; performing at Carnegie Hall as a result of winning the Associated Music Teachers of New York's Weill Hall Young Musicians Concert competition, as well as being named winner of the Wisconsin Public Radio's Neale Silva Competition, a distinction which lead to her performing in recital twice on WPR, as well as in recital at the Green Lake Music Festival.
Rachel Eve is also a champion of the musical theatre genre, and loves "crossing over" whenever she possibly can! Recent roles include Cosette (Les Miserables) and Charlotte (A Little Night Music) with Four Seasons Theatre, Tzeitel (Fiddler on the Roof) with Children's Theater Madison, Linda Porter (Red, Hot, & Cole) with Madison Theatre Guild (for which she received a nomination from the Bartell Theatre Awards for Best Actress in a Musical) and most recently Luisa (The Fantasticks) with Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh.
Passionate about Choral Music, Holmes is also a member of the Madison Choral Project, Madison's only professional chamber choir. She will join the roster again next year, and looks forward to the season under the baton of Albert Pinsonneault and Dale Warland. Rachel Eve is the proud Soprano of the Scholarship Singers Quartet at Christ Presbyterian Church in Madison, WI. She has performed as the soprano soloist in many works at CPC, including Handel's Messiah, the Vivaldi Gloria and the Rutter Gloria.
Rachel Eve Holmes is also a music educator. She has a flourishing studio at the Madison Music Foundry. Rachel teaches all voice types and genres, and finds great joy in helping people find their voice! Also a big believer in Opera Education, Rachel Eve sings with Opera for the Young, performing with and for thousands of Elementary School children throughout the Midwest.
Rachel also teaches Voice Lessons and Specialty Lessons in Audition Prep and Acting (for musical theater and opera).
www.racheleveholmessoprano.com