Vocal Anatomy 103: The Larynx
with Ryan Bede
Saturday, September 25, 2021 | 11:00 AM (Pacific Time) | Zoom Webinar
The larynx, that box at the front of your neck, is one of the most crucial parts of the body when it comes to singing. But most singers, even professionals, misuse or don’t fully understand the tissues that actually produce our sound. We continue our popular Vocal Anatomy series with a focused presentation on the mysteries of the larynx, including the secrets of how to take care of ours.
Download the handouts or the slide deck.
Expressing Text in Music
with Giselle Wyers, Jo Ann Bardeen, Gary D. Cannon, and Laura Cerven
Wednesday, October 20, 2021 | 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) | Zoom Webinar
Composer and conductor Giselle Wyers features in this panel discussion about how to reflect the text in music, both when composing and singing. Her 2018 work And All Shall Be Well will provide the focus of the conversation, but other music will be discussed as well. Joining Giselle is the work’s co-librettist, Jo Ann Bardeen; Laura Cerven, translator of three of the texts; and Gary D. Cannon, who conducted the premiere.
Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises
with J. Scott Kovacs
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11:00 AM (Pacific Time) | Zoom Webinar
In the last decade extensive research on vocal production has expanded our knowledge of how to sing more healthfully. One of the best techniques involves partly restricting the singer’s airflow, that is, creating a semi-occluded vocal tract to relax the vocal mechanism. These exercises can help to prevent damage and encourage a beautiful tone. Come learn how!
Hitting the High Notes
with Rebekah Gilmore
Saturday, November 20, 2021 | 11:00 AM (Pacific Time) | Zoom Webinar
Raise your hand if you’ve ever sung a high note and then wished you hadn’t. Sometimes we don’t like the color of the sound, or worse, maybe singing high makes us feel physically strained in the throat. Singing high is hard, but it can be done! In a master-class format new to the Emerald Choral Academy, Rebekah Gilmore will teach how make those high notes more pleasant.
Editions: What They Do, and What They Don’t
with Gary D. Cannon
Saturday, December 18, 2021 | 11:00 AM (Pacific Time) | Zoom Webinar
Your conductor hands you a score. But the same piece of music can look very different when prepared by different editors. It’s not just a matter of readability, either. Some editors give you the notes and expect you to make them musical, but some editors add markings to help the singer too much. Conductor and editor Gary D. Cannon will teach you how to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different types of editions, so you make any score sound beautiful.