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Steven Blier Looks Back at Vocal Rising Stars |
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Home > What's New > Caramoor Blog > Steven Blier Looks Back at Vocal Rising Stars
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April 12, 2010
In 2009, it was the fightin’ Irish: a strong, feisty program, a powerhouse quartet of singers, a high-voltage trio of guest teachers (poet Paul Muldoon, composer Russell Platt, soprano Amy Burton). The experience was very intense. Passion, with an edge of competitiveness, ruled the day. The program ranged through many languages and many styles, and included three instrumentalists. But the moment I’ll always remember is the way Paul, Liza, David, and Joélle completely let down their guard when they sang the unaccompanied encore, “Believe me if all those endearing young charms.” It never failed to bring me to tears. They told me they rehearsed it all over the grounds of Caramoor, and the blend of those four beautiful voices gives a new meaning to “a garden of great music.”
This year was just as intense, but the tonality of the week was entirely different. The sensuality of French music needs both precision and softness. All week long we worked on the physical release and the emotional depth the material requires. Gentleness, wit, sensuality, and nuance were the hallmarks of The Sweetest Path. Once again, it was tremendously moving to watch each cast member let go of old habits, musical inhibitions, and book-learned ideas about French music. It takes courage to let go the way these four singers did—musical freedom is hard won. By the end of the week, they were flying high, singing with a kind of sophistication very few young people even attempt.
We only had one outside teacher this year: tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt took the morning off from his rehearsals at City Opera to work with each of the singers. I knew his work (and loved it) and we have mutual friends, but I’d never met him and didn’t know what to expect. He turned out to be an ideal teacher for us. We started by showing him how we were doing the final song, a comic quartet called “Partie carrée.” By verse three I heard Jean-Paul laughing out loud, and I knew we had found a kindred spirit. He worked with each singer differently. He conducted John Brancy through “Fascination”; he sang along with Matt Peña in “O ma belle rebelle”; he became Becca Jo’s scene partner in “Lied”; and he talked Charlotte through “Attendez le prochain bateau.” Best of all, he illustrated the phrasing with such spontaneous joy and creativity that we all caught on to his free-wheeling, swinging approach to French music. I am still vibrating from those two hours with this wonderful artist.
And I am still vibrating from the time I spent with John, Matt, Charlotte, Becca Jo, and Michael. It was a beautiful week—very hard work, very satisfying work, and what a payoff: two gorgeous concerts, including a real triumph (not a word I use lightly) in New York. Thank you, everyone.
Steven Blier, Artistic Director Vocal Rising Stars Leave the first comment
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