Uh-Oh! Those Ghastly Glottals

This is generally a blog about singing, but my ears have been tuned to speech recently. The past two weeks I have been recovering from surgery and listening to NPR and cable TV more than usual.  Something is bothering me.  My local NPR station recently got a new morning host, and sometimes her delivery bothers […]

Ines Leuwen, voice teacher — and mystery woman

Recently I found some photos and information about my undergraduate voice teacher, Ines Leuwen-Beck, known to me as Frau Leuwen (pronounced LOY-ven). She was a singer and later professor at the Music Academy (now the University of the Arts) in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where I studied with her as a voice major in the […]

Boston Choruses are Auditioning!

Boston’s choral community is vibrant and large. After a couple years of relatively low activity due to the pandemic, choruses are offering complete seasons of performances in 2022-23. I have included below a list of some of the area’s mainstream choral organizations who have listed their audition dates. The Boston Choral Collaborative has information on […]

The “Concert Hall of One:” why do I sound different on a recording?

The “Concert Hall of One:” why do I sound different on a recording? Were you ever shocked when you heard a recording of yourself? Was your reaction, “I don’t sound like that”? I can bet that it was not the recording equipment. “The Concert Hall of One” was my teacher David Blair McClosky’s term for […]

Looking for a Voice Teacher? What to ask….

Looking for Voice lessons?  What to ask…. In the United States, there is no certification or licensure to teach singing.  Anyone can hang out a shingle and promote themselves as a voice teacher.  So the consumer has to wade through the many options and make a choice.  Here are some guidelines. Teacher qualifications – Is […]

For Singers, COVID is Nowhere Near Over

Things seemed to be coming back to pre-pandemic norms for singers, but here in the Boston area, this month has been disheartening. Unmasked singing:  Recently there was a nightmare outbreak of COVID among members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the resident chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Over 30 people in the chorus and orchestra […]