From: Craig Tompkins
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: Choral singing
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

I hope that I'm not opening a huge can of worms with this, but I must
agree that too many choral directors are responsible for promoting poor
vocal technique. In the Vancouver Chamber Choir, we do not try to blend
with each other, that is to say we do not try to homogenize the sound so
that for example, all five tenors sound alike. Rather we try to sing the
identical vowel at the same dynamic as the singers around us with clear,
non breathy sound. We call this balancing. This holds true whether we
are singing pop, jazz, avant-garde, renaissance, romantic or any other
type of music. Those of you familiar with the VCC through recordings,
performances and broadcasts will know that we have a broad palette of
vocal colours that we use, much the same as any soloist has a palette of
colours that they use in performing different styles and repertoire.
These colours are not produced at the expense of healthy technique.
I think the essay entitled The Choral Conductor as Teacher of Vocal
Technique in Richard Miller's book On the Art of Singing should be
required reading for every conductor (and choral singer).
There, I had to get that off my chest!
Cheers,
Craig Burnaby BC