 |
Subscribe Back issues |
 |
|
We've been getting into the Christmas spirit, ready to help you sing your hearts out in concerts, at family gatherings, in church and at school. As well as introducing a few new carols accompaniments and giving you an update on our latest additions, this issue of the Your Accompanist newsletter is packed full of seasonal cheer: We welcome Bass Baritone Armon Golliday who tells us that he first discovered his voice through carol singing. Las Vegas singer and voice coach, Heather Knowles, shares her tips for keeping your voice healthy in the winter months. We've got some great musical e-cards for you to send your Christmas wishes to friends near and far, and we learn about the mathematical puzzle concealed inside one of our most well loved Christmas songs. If there's a special singer in your life, why not give the gift of high quality piano accompaniments. You could pick a selection of their favourites and burn them to CD as a stocking filler, or send them voucher to let them chose for themselves. And if you live in the UK, it's not too late to pick up one of our Christmas Carol Accompaniment CDs.
PS: If this is the first time you've received a newsletter from us, you might like to take a look at the Newsletter Archive. All our back issues available to view online. You can view them in the original format, or browse the articles by type. You'll find easy access from our homepage to all of the festive singing related content including the carol collections in MP3 format or on CD, but here are some links to the good stuff. Carol Collections Christmas Carol Accompaniment MP3s Christmas Accompaniment CDs
We are always keen to expand the accompaniments we have available, so if you would like a version at a different speed or higher or lower voice version, you can request it via our Suggest a track form. Latest additions: www.youraccompanist.com/latest Collections: www.youraccompanist.com/collections Your Accompanist Gift Vouchers Beautifully presented in PDF format, our gift vouchers start at 5 tracks, and are perfect stocking fillers for the special singers in your life.
www.youraccompanist.com/ecards Look out for our 'Learn-a-song' packs Many of you have been asking for help with your vocal lines - especially in duets and part songs. Early next year we'll be introducing a new product: Learn-a-song packs that will include voice alone, voice line with accompaniment as well as the usual accompaniment track. For some songs, we'll also be able include pronunciation help with a diction track. We think we know the ones you'd like, but please get in touch if you want a particular song to be given the 'learn-a-song' treatment.
|
Issue 7 In this issue: Tell a friend! Do you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter? Forward on the email from us or send them a link to this page. Invite them to subscribe at: www.youraccompanist.com/newsletter Singer Profile: Armon Golliday
With these two major performances in the offing, he's a very busy man, but he was kind enough to take time out to tell us a bit about himself, the unexpected discovery of his singing voice and the healthy way to cure performance jitters. So, tell us a bit about how you got into singing?Unlike most of my colleagues, I started singing rather late in my life. I actually had no formal music or vocal training prior to my third year at university. My roommate invited me to spend Thanksgiving day at his parent’s home that year, and they have a tradition where they sing Christmas carols at the piano after Thanksgiving dinner. As we were singing one carol, his mother, who was playing the piano, stopped playing and turned to me and said, “Armon, have you ever considered singing professionally?...you have an excellent voice”. She encouraged me to speak to someone in the music department once I got back to school, which I did. I auditioned for one of the university choirs and was asked to sing in two of the three university ensembles. I attended the first rehearsal and was given the score for Mozart’s “Vesperae solennes de confessore”. The accompanist began to play, and everyone began to sing. I stood there in utter terror and confusion, and had no idea what to do. After rehearsal ended, I told the choir director that I would not be returning - that I was too far behind the other singers. He encouraged me to continue, and told me that I would catch on as time progressed. I agreed to continue coming to rehearsals and started taking voice lessons. The rest is history.
As singers, you MUST learn to take care of your instrument: your body. You are the only one who can really listen to how your body feels. When a singer gets sick, it often takes several weeks for the voice to return to a healthy state... Every year I experience the effects of the cold in the voice studio. Strep throat is the primary culprit and is getting worse year after year. BBC Radio 3 Celebrates Puccini
Put a date in your diary for Monday 22 December at 2pm when Afternoon on 3 broadcasts a 1956 Met opera archive performance of Tosca featuring Renata Tebaldi, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. Even if you're not based in the UK, you can listen to all the BBC radio channels via the internet. For more information visit the Radio 3 home page. The 12 Days of Christmas is a traditional carol, but one which contains a puzzle. A lot of very old English songs are about counting and the 12 Days of Christmas is no exception. If you've ever wondered - or been asked in a pub quiz - what the total number of presents showered on the narrator is, you might find that it takes a bit of working out. It will keep your kids occupied for hours. If you - or they - get stuck, you can get some help from Pascal's triangle. What do you notice about the total number of gifts? For help try out these links: Since we started out, we've enjoyed getting to know many singers all over the world, and working with them to understand what they need from Your Accompanist. But surely no two singers have exactly the same needs. Do you have some ideas about what we could do differently to help you more with your singing practice? Tell us by taking part in our online survey and get a free track of your choice: www.youraccompanist.com/customersurvey
Feedback please If you've enjoyed this issue of the newsletter, if there's something you'd like us to talk about in the future, if you've got a question you think we could answer or a singing tip you'd like to share with others, please let us know. Use our online contact form: |
|
We make real piano rehearsal tracks for singers. All tracks are recorded by a real pianist on a real piano in a single take. You download them directly to your PC in MP3 format. They can then be transferred directly to any portable MP3 player (such as an iPod or, Sony MP3 walkman, Archos box or iRiver), or burned to CD. They are ideal for soloists, ensembles, choirs and classrooms, for those who sing professionally, recreationally or secretly. The quality of the musicianship and sensitivity of the performances means that the accompaniments make great listening, even for those who don't sing along. Our catalogue covers a large part of the standard repertoire and is growing all the time. We bring you a wide variety of genres and composers, and aim to cater for all vocal ranges and levels of proficiency. Each track can be sampled on the site so you can be sure you've got the piece you want. We believe very strongly in the importance of music in education, and have a great deal of experience in the field. We hope to support music teachers, promote singing in the classroom and provide an effective low cost solution for singing teaching situations where good quality live accompaniment is not readily available. All of our tracks are available for instant download, so if we've already got the piece you want, there's no need to wait for a CD via post. If you'd like something we don't already have, or you need it in a different key, let us know. If it's in the public domain and we can get hold of the music, we could have it online for you quite quickly. Read more in our User Guide: www.youraccompanist.com/userguide. |
||
If you're in the UK and interested in getting a CD, please hurry as the last posting dates are this week. If you're based outside the UK, we regret that it may be too late to receive your CD before Christmas, but if you're thinking ahead for next year order now!
We're delighted to introduce bass-baritone Armon Golliday. Currently a member of the Dallas Opera Chorus, this season sees his solo debut in their staging of Puccini's La Bohème. On the 7th of December 2008, he performed as a featured soloist in Ralph Vaughan Williams Hodie, part of the Highlander Concert Series. 
Heather Knowles, Las Vegas Singer and Voice Coach, offers her advice for winter voice health.
It's 150 years since the birth of the great Italian opera composer and over the next few weeks Opera on 3 is celebrating his operatic works. 
© Your Accompanist 2008 | If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter in the future please unsubscribe.