To the coloratura woodshed...

Ok, I didn’t quite manage to get back in the swing of things right away after my last post. Turns out I returned from my vacation with a SUPER fun sinus infection that meant I had most of another week before I got back to singing, which meant that last week was mostly spent rehabbing my voice and getting it set back to normal function.

Let me tell you, I’m playing catch-up now! The first day I got really back to singing, I had a coaching to work on “Parto” from La clemenza di Tito (one of the pieces I’m singing on the concert in a couple of weeks), and I completely and utterly embarrassed myself. It’s a long aria, and there’s a section at the end with a bunch of coloratura that takes you through the upper passaggio and up to a high B flat, and we’ll keep it nice and say that after two weeks of not singing, that section was a complete train wreck.

Good thing I’m the type of person who takes events like that as fuel for the fire - they make me work harder because I HATE feeling incompetent.

So this week, I’ve been working my tail off to fix that section. I’ve practiced it in my regular practice, I’ve practiced it walking around my house, while doing laundry, and in my car. It’s almost there, but there’s still some work to be done before its ready for public consumption. That’s totally fine, and I have another coaching Thursday on the same piece that should help me work things out.

I should say that this type of practice is tedious! It’s not glamorous, or pretty. It’s just WORK. When I practice a section like the one in question, I do it slowly to make sure I learn the correct pitches. Then I gradually speed it up. When I find I can’t take it any faster, I start practicing in rhythm variations so I can practice at the tempo I need it to be (or, ideally, faster than I ultimately need it to be). This is something I learned to do as a cellist, but it works for voice as well! Basically, I’m varying the rhythm so that I have a longer note for my brain and body to catch up, but everything else is at tempo. Varying where the longer note is keeps me from forming a habit of slowing down in any particular place and keeps the brain working and engaged for learning!

Aside from woodshedding coloratura, I have work to do on the final duet for the concert. Just a couple of technical things to work out, and then getting it memorized. I’m planning to have that done by Monday.

While practicing is the main focus of the week, here’s the full to-do list:

• Get that coloratura section in Parto worked out and finish memorizing the aria

• Work out the technical glitches in the final duet and get it memorized

• Read the next chapter of The Naked Voice

• Promote the upcoming concert!