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<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Hi, all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>I personally have sung a couple of operas with an
orchestra, and one specific conductor who I appreciate so much because of this
worked with me on how much of a delay there is in music at a distance. We
worked on it by me starting off standing close to the piano which was located
beside the pit and me just keeping an internal beat while I jumped up onto the
stage and walked around, singing and keeping time. It was almost a
sixteenth note of a difference to my ear. Almost. And I worked on
both fast and slow pieces, and we also worked on recit stuff.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Just get very comfortable and solid with your internal
beat and bribe an honest conductor and pianist by way of doughnuts or something
and ask them to please, please, please work with the poor disabled
person.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>In all seriousness, I asked him to please work with me
on it. He said he would just follow me, and I said that was ridiculous
because I would be following him and we would just get further and further
behind and sound stupider and stupider to the audience. I told him I
didn't want to be treated differently just because I couldn't see him and that
sighted people would have to deal with the same or similar thing if thy required
staging that didn't allow them to look at the conductor. He was very nice
and honest and worked with me for quite some time. It took us a few days,
but I finally was able to get it consistently. Depending on what part of
the opera I was in, I relied on different instruments if it was a bit of a freer
meter. Sometimes, I relied on how it felt when the double bass was
rumbling through the floor of the stage.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Hope that helps someone.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Cristina</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt Tahoma">
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=ayaka.isono@sbcglobal.net
href="mailto:ayaka.isono@sbcglobal.net">ayaka.isono@sbcglobal.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 13, 2012 4:19 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=menvi-discuss@menvi.org
href="mailto:menvi-discuss@menvi.org">'This is for discussing music and braille
literacy'</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Menvi-discuss] singing in opera and following
conductor</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312320900-14012012><FONT size=2 face=Arial> I thought it
was very interesting following the discussion regarding singing in opera and so
on, I asked a good friend of mine who is a violinist of San Francisco Opera
Orchestra for over ten years. Below is what she said. I am copying
her message. Also, I will be meeting some opera singers later, I will ask
them about following and working with conductors. I will share the info
later. Hope some of you can make it as an opera
singer.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312320900-14012012><FONT size=2
face=Arial>***</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=312320900-14012012>I know Andrea Bocelli has sung lead roles in
La Boheme and maybe Werther on stage, acting, of course, there are videos of
these performances. I think the other actors/singers sort of help him into
positions on stage, but musically, I think the conductor/orchestra ends up
following the singer. In case of somebody like Bocelli, who is not an
opera singer, but would sell tickets, they will make shows to make it work for
him, but otherwise, conductors are not going to let the singer do whatever
unless he is some big star.
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT><FONT size=2
face=Arial></FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Also, because of the distance involved between stage and pit/conductor, the
singer cannot always sing by ear; by the time he hears it, it is often too
late!</DIV></SPAN></DIV>
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