Masterclass
Lisette will be giving a masterclass with On Zoom
,
2020
May
02
13:00
May
02
20:00
May
03
13:00
May
03
20:00
May
06
13:00
May
06
20:00
May
09
13:00
May
09
20:00
May
10
13:00
May
10
20:00
May
11
13:00
May
11
20:00
May
14
13:00
May
14
20:00
May
16
10:00
May
17
11:30
May
18
13:00
May
19
14:30
May
20
16:00
May
21
17:30
May
22
19:00
May
23
20:30
May
24
12:00
May
25
12:00
May
26
12:00
May
27
13:00
May
27
19:00
May
28
12:00
May
30
13:00
May
30
19:00
May
31
13:00
May
31
19:00
June
02
13:00
June
03
13:00
June
04
13:00
June
05
19:00
June
06
13:00
June
06
19:00
June
07
14:00
June
09
13:00
June
11
17:30
June
12
10:00
June
19
13:00
June
19
19:00
June
20
19:00
June
21
11:00
June
27
11:00
June
28
12:00
June
28
20:00
July
02
14:00
July
02
20:00
July
06
13:00
July
06
20:00
July
07
13:00
July
12
09:30
July
13
13:00
July
16
10:00
July
20
13:00
July
26
16:00
July
26
23:00
July
29
11:00
July
29
16:00
July
30
11:00
August
15
15:00
September
13
13:00
September
14
09:00
September
19
10:30
September
27
16:00
October
11
13:00
November
13
13:00
November
21
13:00
December
13
12:00
About
This summer, Lisette will be hosting a donation based Zoom Masterclass series. Her masterclass series is designed to help singers develop and refine their skill sets in order to improve their performance, enhance their visibility and increase their chances of success. These Zoom masterclasses will take place Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays every week, 2 sessions a day.
Our dashboard has all of the most updated information and dates. Check here:
http://bit.ly/lodashboard
Here are the topics we are covering
May 2nd
FINDING THE MOTIVATION TO SING
- To schedule or not to schedule?
- All this free time, now what?
- Emotional swings, and what they are putting us through
- The news, the deaths, the cancellations, the stress
- Distractions
EXPECTATIONS
- Auditions coming up
- Juries and recitals
- New roles?
- Expectations vs reality of the business
- Preparing for making first impressions again
May 3rd
TIME MANAGEMENT
- Prioritizing your day
- Making time for reflection
- Making time for output
- Using social media wisely
- Efficient practice (we’ll get into this one more in depth as the summer goes on!)
HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR PRACTICE WHEN YOU ARE ALONE
- Researching and creating your own expertise
- Becoming your own teacher
- Observing and listening carefully to others/recordings/broadcasts/performances
- Finding new rep and making a plan for it
- Language study, text, and non-music work
May 6th
WARMING UP
- To stretch or not to stretch
- Helpful vocal exercises
- Breath and the body
- Letting go of judgement
- Building discipline
COOLING DOWN
- The importance of rest
- Heart rate and hydration
- After a performance
- Vocal-fry-on-an-inhale exercise
- Reflecting on how you did
May 9th
VOCAL TECHNIQUE INTENSIVE PART 1 OF 3
THE BREATH
- Where should you feel it?
- Alignment and posture
- Breath efficiency and control
- Singing in a corset or other costumes
- High notes
- Dynamic control
- Nerves and shallowness of breath
- “Support”
- The straw exercise? Lip trills?
- Alexander, yoga, pilates, cardio, and how they can help
LEGATO AND COLORATURA
- What makes great legato, exactly?
- Seamlessness in the registers
- Skills showcase musicality
- Aspirating, singing with the jaw
- Building accuracy
- Trills, staccati
- Building dynamic contrast
- Vocal weight
May 10th
VOCAL REGISTERS
- How many registers are there, really?
- The passaggio
- Are men and women really different?
- Vowels, pure and simple, mix, and cover
- Can I build an extension?
- What about chest voice?
- Where should my warm up begin and end?
- Dealing with vocal change/age/hormones
- What do I do if there is contradictory advice about this???
THAT FUNNY WORD NO ONE CAN AGREE ON: PLACEMENT
- Does the mask exist?
- How wide should the mouth open?
- The jaw and the tongue
- The soft palate
- Lips
- “Avanti” vs “in dietro"
- Nasal mix
- The larynx and what it should be doing
- What do I do if there is contradictory advice about this???
May 11th
VOCAL HEALTH
- Good habits and bad habits
- Hydration and rest
- Exercise and diet
- Dealing with difficult climates
- Allergies, acid reflux
- Illness
- Medicines yes or no?
- Steroids yes or no?
VOCAL ISSUES
- Fatigue
- Breaks in the voice
- Loss of the voice
- Pushing
- Wobble, slow vibrato
- Cracking
- Nodes or damage
May 14th
AUDITIONS AND COMPETITIONS
- What kind of rep should you present?
- How should you dress and present yourself?
- What are the judges looking for?
- Manager hunting
- Showcasing your best attributes
- Facing rejection and criticism
- Constructive vs destructive advice
NERVES AND ANXIETY
- What do to before, during, and after an audition
- Self sabotage
- Comparing yourself to others
- Dealing with nervousness, shortness of breath, or shaking
- Confidence and ease in your presentation
- Mantras
- Giving yourself a break but learning how to improve
May 27th
Today I’d like to share some major take-aways from our Singing Week together, and what I learned from you guys. I sincerely enjoyed listening to each one of you sing and present your arias for the class! We talked about everything! Technique, breathing, style, musicality, interpretation, text, vowels, placement, space, bullfrogs…
THE BIGGEST SINGING CONCEPTS WE COVERED
- Creating space: Opening the throat, lifting the palate, back space
- Vowel Modification: Mixing them up using lips, palate, dome, color
- Breath support: Optimal alignment, grounding, and lift
- Legato: Vibrating through all the notes, letting consonants serve the line
- Core and Resonance: Bringing the sound forward when appropriate, or up and back
THE MAJOR STYLES WE COVERED
- Baroque/Handel: Ornaments, vibrato, dynamics
- Mozart: Articulation, phrasing, clean lines, spin
- Bel canto: Legato and rhythmic drive
- Verdi: Legato, dynamics, space, and phrasing
- Puccini: Space, color, taking time, supporting like hell
- Art Song: Text, tone color, word painting, storytelling
MAKING MUSIC
- Find an emotional reason for articulations like accents, staccati, rests in between words
- Use rests to serve the phrase
- Every phrase has a point of arrival
- Every note is going somewhere or coming from somewhere
- Text, as much as register, helps you color a vocal line
- Dynamics should be within the context of the style
- Darken or brighten to articulate emotions
THOUGHTS FOR PRACTICE GOING FORWARD
- Set up for difficult intervals
- Isolate technically challenging spots
- Find a common vowel
- Remove consonants and then putting them back in
- Speak the text of all recit and put the musical stresses where they belong
- Keep vibrato, spin, support active at all times
May 30th
Today I’d like to finish talking about some of the major factors I observed during Singing Week, as well as discuss some thoughts for practice going forward. Finally I’d like to touch on some elements of interpreting the music of W.A. Mozart.
MAKING MUSIC
- Find an emotional reason for articulations like accents, staccati, rests in between words
- Use rests to serve the phrase
- Every phrase has a point of arrival
- Every note is going somewhere or coming from somewhere
- Text, as much as register, helps you color a vocal line
- Dynamics should be within the context of the style
- Darken or brighten to articulate emotions
MOZART’S MUSIC
- Recit and its interpretation...what’s the big deal?
- Dynamic markings and what they actually mean
- Articulation and note values
- Artistic license aka dramatic interpretation
- Handling the range and tessitura
THOUGHTS FOR PRACTICE GOING FORWARD
- Set up for difficult intervals
- Isolate technically challenging spots
- Find a common vowel
- Remove consonants and then putting them back in
- Speak the text of all recit and put the musical stresses where they belong
- Keep vibrato, spin, support active at all times
May 31st
Today I’d like to cover some of the basic elements of this very popular, very widely practiced style of music, and how you can work certain aspects of the style into your interpretation of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi. With special guest, Franceso Izzo!
THE MAJOR ISSUES
- Is there a difference between the big 3 composers?
- What is expected from a singer of this music?
- Which comes first, the text or the music?
- What are some good references for study?
- What kind of bel canto is good for me?
MUSICAL/INTERPRETIVE POINTS
- Come scritto vs. tradition
- Cadenzas
- Recit and its use
- Dynamics and vocal color
- Legato and coloratura
GIUSEPPE VERDI
- Does his music count as bel canto and if so, until when?
- To ornament or not to ornament
- How heavy is the orchestration compared to other bel canto?
- What makes a great Verdi singer different from a great bel canto singer?
June 3rd
Today I am privileged to be joined by a panel of inspiring African American artists. In the first part of the class, they will have the floor to share with us THEIR stories and unique perspectives as both opera singers and as Americans.
*In addition to a regular donation for this masterclass series, please consider making a donation to a bail fund, or a charity that supports the Black Lives Matter movement.*
June 6th
MARKETING YOURSELF
- Know your strengths and work on your weaknesses; what can a manager sell?
- Present a finished product, one that is professional
- Be authentic; hype and image is only skin deep
- Know your place in the market; people WILL compare you to others singing the same rep.
- Find out what your “comps” are doing well, and assess what uniqueness you can bring
- What exactly are you selling? What kind of show are you promising people?
IMAGE
- This is a huge part of the industry and one that you must control
- What does your look say about your artistry?
- Does your voice type/”box” match your look?
- Headshot examples
- Tailor your presentation to suit “the box”
- Image plus reputation leads to BRAND
BRAND
- Brand is what people think of when they hear your name
- Met Opera, OTSL, Teatro alla Scala, Dutch National Opera
- It goes beyond just “opera;” Branding is all about IDENTITY
- What opera singers do you associate with or appreciate? The names you drop say something about you. EX: “I only like old opera singers, and hate all new ones”
- Find new niches that you can create yourself, rather than trying to be [Singer] 2.0
- Quality and consistency: What can people expect from your performances?
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Separate the personal from the professional Content vs. Regularity Find the platform that’s right for you Understand the algorithms Engagement! Authenticity
June 9th
MANAGERS: What they're looking for
Today's discussion will feature an important member of my management team, Liesl Kundert. She will give us some points about what managers are looking for, the kinds of habits they appreciate, and how young singers can find an ideal match.
June 19th
ACTING SCHMACTING
Today's masterclass will be an introduction into how you can approach your character dramatically, use of gestures and movement, and stagecraft techniques to help you find new ideas for expressiveness.
WHAT IS ACTING ANYWAY?
- The difference between actively expressing and actively listening
- Reacting to your scene partner
- Curiosity
- Specificity
- Thought before movement aka motivation
ACTING WITH THE VOICE
- Color choices
- Timing in a cadenza and a recit
- Recit rainbow!
- Dynamics
- Articulation
ACTING WITH THE BODY
- Posture and gait
- Gestures
- Facial expressions
- Awareness
- Movement type
June 27th
COLORATURA BOOTCAMP!
Today I'll be joined by special guests, coloratura superstars JESSICA PRATT and ERIN MORLEY!
July 2nd
THURSDAY, JULY 2nd Masterclass - STAMINA AND RESILIENCE
This class is going to be a bit of a delve...a presentation of food for thought. No two people will ever experience the same thing, and you have to find your own path based on your own experience. I hope these tools and thoughts will give you some guidance.
STAMINA
- Is this another word for tolerance? And if so, what should we be ok with tolerating?
- The power of habits
- The importance of failure
- Building carefully with patience
- Realistic expectations vs dreams and goals
- Putting your health first - mind/body/voice connection
- Mental strength: Believing in yourself, confidence, kindness, taking responsibility for your actions
- Vocal strength: Learning to be efficient in vocal production, good practice habits, sufficient rest
- Body strength: Diet and exercise, sleep, body awareness, consistency
RESILIENCE
- Not the same as stubbornness...but more like grit
- Focusing on the goal and not the obstacles
- The burning desire
- Are you open to growth?
- Acknowledging mistakes/shortcomings and working to improve
- Moving the goalposts if necessary
Questions for YOU:
- Are these two things a formula for success? What’s your definition of it?
- Will success lead to happiness?
- If I love singing truly, should I even do it for a living?
- Describe your personal “mission statement” or “top level goal,” in 10 words or less.
July 7th
Tenor Tuesday!
Today I'll be joined by special guests, tenor superstars CARLES CASTRONOVO and LARRY BROWNLEE!
July 16th
LE GRANDI VOCI!
I am beyond excited to feature this incredible panel of some of today's most important singers who possess some of the biggest, most exciting voices! Please welcome SAIOA HERNANDEZ and ANNA PIROZZI to our class!
Today we will learn all about their approach to technique and stamina for the big roles that they sing.
*This class will be led in Italian, Spanish, and a little bit of English! ;) For those of you who want a bit of an immersion, this is a great opportunity to work with some of the best sopranos in the world. I highly encourage you to attend. We will be here to help you with translating!
*Questa classe si farà in italiano, spagnuolo, e un pocchino d'inglese! ;)
*Esta clase se dará en italiano, español, y un poquito de inglés! ;)
July 20th
RECIT RAINBOW!
Thank you so much for signing up and devoting your time to this endeavor. We are excited to have you join us!
Today's class will be all about recitativo from important arias that are commonly used in auditions. We will explore style and denunciation, pronunciation, and intent. We will have a few singers present spoken recits as well, and work through them together.
RECITS WE WILL STUDY TODAY
- Eccomi in lieta vesta... - I CAPULETI ED I MONTECCHI - Bellini
- E Susanna non vien... - LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - Mozart
- Giunse alfin il momento... - LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - Mozart
- Teneste la promessa... - LA TRAVIATA - Verdi
July 26th
RECIT RAINBOW! 2 of 2
Thank you so much for signing up and devoting your time to this endeavor. We are excited to have you join us!
Today's class will be all about recitativo from important arias that are commonly used in auditions. We will explore style and denunciation, pronunciation, and intent. We will have a few singers present spoken recits as well, and work through them together.
RECITS WE WILL STUDY TODAY
- Hai già vinta la causa? - Le nozze di Figaro - Mozart
- Wo ist der Jüngling - Die Zauberflöte - Mozart
- Allons! Il le faut - Manon - Massenet
July 29th
FUNNY HAHA
Today we will explore some of the best practices for getting audiences on your side and hopefully making them laugh! It's not easy to be a good comedian, but there are some skills you can use to help you break the ice!
August 15th
Style and Technique
STYLE
- Vibrato
- Articulation
- Ornaments
- Dynamics
- Portamenti
TECHNIQUE
- Breath support
- Vowel modification
- Placement
- Languages
- Resonance
WHICH THINGS ARE MOST IMPORTANT?
- Drama
- Text
- Beauty of sound
- Vocal effect
- Emotion
WHAT SHOULD MY FOCUS BE?
- Trying to sound different : color, vowel, light/dark
- Trying to sound bigger : weight, spin, focus
- Trying to sound lighter : runs, staccato, high notes, straight tone
DO’S AND DON’TS
- Real tea...
September 13th
VOCALISES, WARMING UP, AND GETTING READY
- Warming up the body
- To exercise or not to exercise?
- Hydration
- Sleep
- BREATH!
Warming up the voice: (Vocalises I like to do)
- Middle voice
- Scales
- Staccati
- High notes
- BREATH!
Warming up the mind:
- BREATH! Positive thinking Visualization Reviewing
Good habits and bad ones:
- Sleep, hydration, stress relief
- Discipline, preparation
- vs
- Self sabotage
- Procrastination, not reviewing
Have a plan
- Know where the difficult phrases are
- Music ready to go
- Take time to process notes
- Map out the character’s intentions
September 27th
AUDITIONS and COMPETITIONS!
Yes, we are still sending in videos and recordings for auditions and competitions, and despite format changes, it’s important to focus on what we CAN do with our materials.
Today’s class will feature some tips on your video and recorded auditions, as well as a very special guest, Melissa Wegner, the Executive Director of the Met Competition!
The Met Competition is still on this year so don’t miss your chance to hear what Mrs. Wegner has to say before you submit your materials!
October 11th
Masterclass hosted by INTERLOCHEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS
We are delighted to welcome all the participants of my Masterclass Series to join and watch this special Virtual Masterclass that I am giving to students at Interlochen.
November 13th
VOCAL WARM UPS and EXERCISES
Welcome back everyone! Today's class is extra special because I am home and I can sing as much as I want! Finally I have the chance to share with you some of my favorite warm ups, vocal exercises, and things I do to prepare to perform my best.
I'll also be hearing live singers and taking some questions from you!
November 21th
AUDITIONING
In today's class we will talk about auditions, how to practice effectively and memorize music, as well as some tips on how to get to know (and trust) yourself better as an artist.