Introductory Voice Diction – Singing in Foreign Languages - Starts July 14
About Introductory Voice Diction – Singing in Foreign Languages
Solo, chamber, and choral works of the classical vocal music tradition often use texts of various languages. This can pose unique challenges for English-speaking classical singers. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a standardized system of representing the sounds of oral language, which is useful for singers in learning how to pronounce words in Western languages used in traditional vocal music repertoire. This course provides an overview of IPA and how it applies to the basic rules of vocal diction in the Italian, Latin, and German languages. Comparisons and contrasts between English and those languages will be discussed. Examples from traditional art song and choral repertoire will be studied. This course is for any singer who would like begin learning the process of correctly pronouncing foreign texts – such as a serious young classical singer, or a seasoned community choir member.
Student participation during class will be encouraged. Class outlines and worksheets will be made available.
How It Works
Students can connect to the online platform using a tablet or computer with reliable internet. To actively participate online students also need a webcam with microphone. The live sessions are recorded so that all enrolled students can review the class sessions following the live class. Class recordings will be available for viewing within 48 hours of the live class. The class is covered by the Lessonface Guarantee.
Age Range
Ages 15+
When
The class will meet for 6 live online sessions on the following schedule:
Tuesdays, 7 pm EDT | 4 pm PDT | 23:00 UTC.
- July 14
- July 21
- July 28
- August 4
- August 11
- August 18
Enrolled students receive lifetime access to the video recordings of the classes.
- Signed up already? Click here.
ABOUT KARA ALFANO
Kara Alfano has served on the voice faculty of Concordia University in Ann Arbor since 2005, teaching voice lessons to music and non-music majors. She has also developed and taught courses including Voice Pedagogy, Voice Diction, Opera Workshop, and Vocal Arts Lab. She also taught voice at the Ann Arbor School of Performing Arts, the Chelsea Center for the Arts, and area high schools. She has performed with opera companies and vocal groups throughout Michigan, including Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Grand Rapids, Arbor Opera Theatre, Motor City Lyric Opera, Comic Opera Guild, Lakeshore Chamber Singers, and Vox Early Music Ensemble. She received her training at the University of Michigan School of Music, earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Voice Performance. She studied under Carmen Pelton, Freda Herseth, Edward Parmentier, and Martin Katz.
About Lessonface, PBC
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