Ian Sidden

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Tenor-ish Debut

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I am on my way across the country to do two recitals in Wilkesboro, NC and Roanoke, VA. The material will mostly be the same as my graduate recital except for the exclusion of the two French duets and the inclusion of two of Paul Bowles’ Blue Mountain Ballads.

The difference is, besides a new audience and location, that I am now singing in tenor keys (except for Despite and Still since that is high even in the low key). They all feel very good, and I am looking forward to an entire recital within my higher range.

PhoebeJoy has been very kind to oblidge my shifting tessituras and relearn old material in new keys. For that, I am very thankful. My dad has also been very helpful in organizing these events.

Whoa! Graduation, “Tenor-hood” and Passaggio

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The past few weeks since my last post have been absolutely crazy. One should never underestimate the various finales that accompany the end of a graduate degree.

In the background since I have not been writing (on this blog anyway, I have written several rather long papers for school), I have been exploring my new “tenor-hood”. My opera focus so far has been on Rossini, Donizetti and Mozart almost exclusively. For songs, I have bought the same song books that I had before in higher keys. And it’s been working just fine. However, within my own personal craziness, I have a fear that I am like the Emperor of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, and my tenor-hood is like his proud nakedness. Of course, no innocent children have come along to pop this bubble yet, so I continue. I wonder if anyone who changes voice type experiences similar doubts. Please let me know if you do!

Because of this shift, I have now come to know and fear my own passaggio. I had never experienced it before as a baritone because I never sang high enough! The only time I really sang notes within it were on my highest notes G and Ab. I never felt like I could really lay into them and sing loudly. And that’s why. My passaggio is pretty high.

For those of you who don’t know, the passaggio is the “passageway” between registers in voices. In the way I think about it (and along with breathing register talk tends to be very  controversial amongst singers and pedagogues) men have one main passaggio area while women tend to have several. It is, at first, very difficult to work with it because certain vowels work very poorly within it, and it is hard to sing loudly within it. It also feels like it may be ready to crack if the poor singer does not move very carefully through it. So the singer must abandon a certain amount of fear to even begin dealing with it because otherwise it’s too nerve wracking.

So, the main point that I want to get across is that I am writing again and that this change to tenor is occupying a great deal of my thoughts on singing. Thus it will be mentioned quite a bit on here, especially as I become more adept at moving through my passaggio and I find things to share that may help other singers.

I have also graduated and have my Masters of Music degree. Pretty cool. :)

Here’s a video with Rockwell Blake singing an aria that I am currently working on. There is some of that awful digital video delay, but if it bothers you, just close your eyes and listen.This guy is just awesome, and I hope you enjoy it!

Timeout

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I am currently working on wrapping up graduation (papers, orals). It may be a week or so before I can give myself over to a full post. Until then, happy singing!

Despite and Still Videos

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This is my Despite and Still by Samuel Barber set from my graduate recital. I must give great thanks for PhoebeJoy who worked so hard with me on these pieces and to my dad who after first hearing the texts in isolation immediately figured out what was going on in this cycle.

It’s amazing that since then I have come to realize even more about the cycle. I am so happy that the arc of artistry is a long one, because as I grow as a human being, these pieces will only become richer for me to perform.

Tenor? Baritone? Oy…

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I’m a baritone. I’m a tenor. I’m a baritone. I’m a tenor.

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Crossroads

Today, I am a tenor. With all this lift stuff, I walked into my lesson and found that I could sing high C sharps with no problem whatsoever. My teacher, who had up until today had serious doubts about me being a tenor, saw the light so to speak. I then sang through “Recondita armonia”, “Ecco ridente” (with an interpolated high C) and some Brahms and Schubert songs in tenor keys with no problems whatsoever.

The idea that I could sing some of those great tenor arias and play some great roles is very exciting, but it’s also frustrating. If I wake up tomorrow, and today was not just some fluke, then I have some serious issues to deal with.

First, I was considering doing auditions sooner rather than later, and that will have to be put on hold while I relearn how to sing and gain stamina in a new fach. Also, I have to decide how to sing some upcoming performances. I am scheduled to sing in NMSU’s opera scenes next week as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro. So I will still have to do that. I am considering singing a recital at the end of May and perhaps before, so I will have some serious choices there as well.

Part of my consideration must be this, however, and interestingly, I rarely ever read about this in vocal pedagogy books or in discussions of fach: I am not as big as most operatic baritones. Neither physically nor vocally. A couple years ago, I sang in the opera chorus of Arizona Opera’s Macbeth. The guys playing Macbeth were huge. Huge. So were their voices. I can’t fake that. Of course, Macbeth might not be a role for me, but then what is if I have to push and push to get my dark sound heard?

Discussions of vocal fach seem to be rarely cut and dry issues. Several students here at NMSU are in similar situations in trying to decide which path to choose, and it may take years to sort out. Domingo trained as a baritone only to train upwards to a tenor.

Plus, it seems that I have a choice. I could go either way. I just have to choose. But it seems like go with tenor and see what happens.

[Let me reiterate: I am more excited than pessimistic. Something lifts in my heart when I think of singing tenor.]