Opera Singing in Germany and other adventures....

(This post is unrelated to opera, but it has incredible relevance for everyone, so please read!) Nowadays with all of the technology that we have at our disposal, we are used to getting results almost instantaneously. When we need to get somewhere we can hop on the highway (specifically built to avoid the delays that are caused by traffic within cities) and get there faster. We can check ourselves out at the grocery store to avoid long lines. We can order on the internet nearly anything we can imagine, and depending on how much we are willing to pay for shipping, it is delivered to our doorstep possibly within less than 24 hours. We are a world full of people (in the developed countries, at least) who are used to not having to wait for anything at all. Therefore, it is no wonder that we as a people, are also disposed to getting angry quickly when things don't go our way. Perhaps the reason that in the past 10 years terrorism and hate crimes have been steadily increasing i...

You know, all too often in these past few months have I noticed a few things happening in the realm of Opera (and the other art forms too--as the majority of our arts and cultural pursuits in the USA have been affected by these things) which I have not liked.  Not only have I not liked these changes, but I have watched as these changes rip apart people's lives, their incomes, their sense of well-being, and their hope of a better life for their children, and their childrens' children. I mean, am I the only one wondering how a country, that is so humongous (let's face it, America is HUGE!) can be filled with people who are content to see these things happening, and just sit back and think, "Well, that really does suck, but...what can I do about it?" And, to confess, I have been one of the people with this very attitude for the past two months!  (I think I was turned into a brainless zombie at the prospect of no arts...) But, I was, quite frankly, shocked to ...

I am certainly no expert, but I do like to think that I have a fair amount of observational talent.  That being said, I have paid particular attention to the singing that I've seen from my colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic and I have some general insights to share with you all, which you might want to keep in mind the next time you think about characterization for role preparation. (Phew, that's a tongue twister!) Anyway, I have watched various professional and non-professional colleagues from Germany and the USA, and I have noticed two distinct camps of acting training that are making themselves evident from the performances I've witnessed.  The German singers I've seen have managed to maintain (no matter what the dramatic situation was) a sort of naiviete in the portrayal of their characters while singing.  This, I believe, comes from their in-depth understanding of each word that they sing. And, I don't just mean what we American singers think of (I ca...