Dear List:
Tracey Jones wondered what we thought of women who sing tenor in a choral setting, and mentioned some of the negative comments she has received. For me this is an interesting topic - I sang in the tenor section of a vocal jazz ensemble with a lovely and talented young woman "tenor" named Kristin and remember her also getting some funny comments. We tenors were delighted to have Kristin helping us out...
Some general comments:
There seems to be a prevalent bias that singing low is harmful. I think it is a matter of how one sings. I have a medium high male voice (many would consider me a tenor) and can sing bass all day without tiring. No I can't hit all the notes for certain music - if it goes too low, I just fade away.
Without having heard you it is hard to say, but I doubt that you sound "like a tenor." In some group settings, that is fine, but not in others. For the vocal jazz group I was in, having a female tenor worked perfectly.
As far as vocal classification goes, I think there is too much emphasis on the idea of a "true vocal classification" - as in, "you're a mezzo, therefore you shouldn't sing x", where x is say tenor. To the extent that singing may be a hobby, I think it even more important to have fun and sing what you like. Perhaps you like/prefer singing tenor, and if you are not straining I think that's fine. And at the present time, and given your present vocal abilities, it might even be the best for you. I would however be inclined to guess that that (with further maturation and practice/training) singing tenor is probably not the range where your voice really "shines," and perhaps that explains some of the negative comments you have received.
Cheers,
Michael Gordon
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