when you are singing, you are making sound. particularly in classical singing, you are creating a specific sound. many singers make the mistake of assuming that, if they feel it, those feelings will automatically be converted into a sound that's appropriate. often, those physical sensations of feeling will turn into something quite else, in terms of sound. most people who feel very emotional while they are singing, just end up sounding frantic and/or hysterical because that's how the voice reacts to those kind of feelings.
instead of trying to convey what you are feeling, you should be presenting the material that caused you to feel that way, allowing the audience to react freely which, may or may not be the same as you reacted. think of it this way: if you just tasted a wonderful dessert that you wished to share with a friend, you would give them a piece of the dessert, not one of your taste buds.
in the performance of a piece of music, it is what the audience feels that is important, not what you feel. you already had those feelings when you first heard the piece. you are telling of the feelings, not experiencing them now. in the telling, it matters not whether or not you feel anything. you remember how it feels and you can still describe it. another analogy: if you were giving someone a massage, you should not be the one saying "ah, that feels great!", you should be the one doing the work so the receiver of the massage says "ah, that feels great!"
mike
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