A Toolbox for Better Singing.
With all the bloody competitions out there trying to show how untrained people can and should be conducting in major opera houses or singing solos with major orchestras while us poor blighters are shelling out good dosh for tickets… ahem, sorry but I mean, really! Anyway, I found this somewhat amusing. And I’ll promote his … Read more
I’m once again offering all of the MP3 files from the site as a download from a single link. Good if you want to be able to load them onto your iPod or computer for offline study purposes when there’s nothing good on telly. Or YouTube. The link is only good for 14 days so … Read more
Roger Parish says: We are having a Birthday Party for Joan on the 1st of April(Sunday). Its running from 12 noon and is a drop in, eat drink and be merry affair which will run until the last guest has left. All Voiceworks members are welcome to attend anytime from noon onwards. If anyone wants … Read more
Anyone interested in the current state of classical music should be following Norman Lebrecht’s blog Slipped Disc. Full of good stuff for you head. Here’s Norman’s latest takes on Bocelli’s catastrophic Romeo and the BBC’s dreary return of “Maestro.” Bocelli Crashes Out of Romeo, Ordered to Cancel all immediate commitments BBC’s dreary Maestro game show … Read more
Okay, so we were awakened by the dog at 5am and couldn’t get back to sleep because of a strange sound. At first I thought Carol or Zeke had developed a strange snoring. But no, I could hear both of them snoring very plainly. This was a third sound! I crept downstairs, got my trusty … Read more
I just heard this wonderful snippet on BBC Radio 4 about the death of character tenor Charles Anthony. He said that “abject terror” kept him focussed, and that “A singer onstage in the moments before he opens his mouth is the loneliest person in the world. You never know what’s going to come out.” Have … Read more
Here’s an interesting blog article on hemiolas with explanation and examples. This is part 2 of his article because I very much liked the example of a line from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s song “My Favorite Things.” Have a listen. My underlying drum beat starts and stays in 3/4 time. The only thing I’ve done to … Read more
It was lovely to see you all yesterday. Good to be back making music with you again. Here is where you can find info on the Kantanti Ensemble’s concert on 5th February at St. John Sub-Castro in Lewes. I’m performing Britten‘s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings but the whole programme is a stunner. There are … Read more
The All-New Walking Oliver! Please share this with all music lovers, especially those who have young kids or grandkids. Our new site is offering a free download of one of my new kid’s songs, Build A Snowman. PK
Hi All, A couple of years ago I arranged and recorded an album of ‘bluesy’ Christmas songs for a production-company-not-to-be-named in America. The contract stated that they would pay me $100 per song and that they would then ‘own’ the song and sell it at a deep discount in Walmarts and various other monstrosities. So, … Read more