Julia's New Posts Will Be Back Soon!

This is just a quick message to all of you, Dear Readers, that I will be back to posting at this website in the middle of September, since I am currently working very diligently on completing many applications for the fall audition season in Germany and America. Wish me luck! (No really, good luck wishes are very much appreciated!!) And I hope, of course, that you all are enjoying a wonderful summer and are excited for the next post when I am finished these applications. So, I'll be in touch soon, or as they say in German, Bis bald!

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How Long Can Opera Singers Sing Per Day?

To those readers who aren't singers (or even those who are) I would like to take some time today to talk about the proper and measured use of our voices (speaking and singing) during the course of a normal day and over the course of a normal week. This subject has come to mind for me because of factors relating to everyone' normal daily lives. We are technologically-connected beings who are constantly communicating with someone, somewhere, somehow. Sure, it's great to talk at work with your co-workers during lunch break, or have a phone conversation with your Grandmother for an hour every Tuesday, but just how much is all that talking really weighing on your voice in an overall evaluation? Because I have been singing six days a week for at least two hours since last June (and have really kept that schedule up- amazingly--okay, except for Christmas break at which point I didn't sing for 1.5 weeks) I've noticed that speaking frequently over the course the day wo

Allergy & Cold Remedies for Singers

I know that it's only 3 days away from the Summer Solstice, but I have had my first experience this year of just how terrible seasonal allergies and a subsequent summer cold can be, so I have compiled this list of tips on getting back to normal when in the throes of a cold or allergies. The advice comes from many colleagues and friends (thank you!) as well as my own experience. I hope it can serve as a reference (which might be handy to bookmark for cold season!) and if you're suffering currently, I wish you a speedy and complete recovery! :) Over-the-Counter Medicines: Claritin/Allegra/Xyzal: doctors say that Claritin is the mildest anti-allergy medicine (in pill form) and Allegra is the next strongest, followed by Xyzal, which is the strongest. I've not tried any of these so I cannot speak to their effectiveness. Flonase: over the counter nasal spray which is a synthetic steroid and supposedly helps with decongestion. My disclaimer: when I used it once bef

From the Other Side of the Opera Stage- Life as a Conductor, Coach and Collaborative Pianist: An Interview with William Hicks

All too often I find myself forgetting that there are many valuable perspectives to be examined in the world of Opera and not just that of the Singer. So today I'd like to introduce you to one such perspective from an interview that I held recently with the very talented Conductor, Coach and Pianist, Maestro William Hicks. Although his extensive experience with many of the legends of Operatic, Classical and American Music would surely lead you to believe that he holds numerous advanced degrees from Juilliard, Mr. Hicks actually only completed two years of study as a Piano, Voice and Piano Accompanying Major at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and he did not finish high school. (This, of course, just makes his considerable achievements all the more impressive!) He grew up in Lexington, Kentucky; an only child raised by his maternal Grandparents and attended private school until his musical precociousness gained him early acceptance to CCM at age sixteen. Though h

Opera Singing in Germany and other adventures....

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