Voice Lessons in Irvine, CA

Instruments: Voice

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
My dad played guitar "by ear" and actually was a student at Berklee College of Music after WWII. Other than that there was no real music in my family. Mom did like listening to "crooners" as well as Sarah Vaughan and Eydie Gorme (two great singers) so I learned a lot of tunes before I even realized I was doing that!

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
Although voice is my main instrument, I found it helpful to have a piano so I could actually play melodies and accompaniments for the difficult songs I wanted to sing. I can play accompaniments at voice lessons which I teach, but I remember a Professor in Grad school who said: "When you teach a lesson, be sure to LISTEN to the singer, rather than concentrate on the accompaniment you are playing." Good advice. These days I try to use my pianistic skills at the beginning of lessons, then let lessons culminate by having students sing with high level professional accompaniments - so they'll be performance-ready.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Despite my traditional music education, I now prefer to perform in the jazz genre. Both undergraduate and graduate schools taught traditional European music. However, teaching at a great commercial music college taught me to study the masters in the Jazz field. *Jazz musicians need the "chops" of classical musicians PLUS the mind of composers, since they must compose on the spot. Quite a dichotomy. It's funny, before you study jazz, you might think that classical music is the most demanding....hmmm

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I could have done most anything. I scored so high in mathematics on my PSAT, that I considered becoming a mathematician or scientist. Having a difficult childhood, I was determined to take the first full scholarship I was offered for college study. My family was so poor that I didn't realize I could have applied to Harvard or any other college and I simply applied to one, for which I received a full scholarship. I could have made much money in any other field, but I loved singing - so this was it!

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
This was Cinques Poemes de Baudelaire by Claude Debussy. I ultimately performed these pieces in Tanglewood as well as while a Professor at Berklee College. They are the epitomy of great poetry and great composition in a contemporary style I love. It was quite difficult to find pianists who had the ability to play this rapturous and extremely difficult music. Once in grad school, I asked a pianist if he'd ever played these songs. His response was "Only in my dreams." He went on to become a world famous conductor after a Professorship at Juilliard in NYC.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
I first chose Music Ed. to study in college. After playing violin, then clarinet each for a semester, I realized that I should develop myself so that I could concentrate on singing. Thus I became the first Performance Major at U. Mass, Lowell. In graduate school, I continued the Performance emphasis by singing songs by Composers in whom I was interested, sang solo with the Graduate concert Choir as well as being the "Pop Singer" soloist when we went on tour. Even did a year of singing in the Opera Department at N.E.C. Starred as Penny in the Three Penny Opera by Kurt Weill.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I guess it was gradual, with academics always being important, it was that 1st full scholarship offer that made the ultimate decision to start my path into music.

Read More