Martha Argerich

hrrrm, that's odd... most people START on another instrument and THEN turn to voice when they're older (like myself!!! and it's going really well!!), not the other way around... it's very hard to train voices before the student is about 17 or so... there's not a lot that CAN be done except in special cases...

But I agree with David, Martha's a genius and it's wonderful that she started so young and is still going!!!

Rubberband Girl

The rules are simple: one should start at about 4-5 and by 17 must win a major contest in order to start a career. Eighteen is OLD

What about Panderewski and Richter?

LOL that's the exact age I decided to let my concert pianist dreams fall away and decided to study operatic singing instead!

And it's been very fruitful so far...

Rubberband Girl

RBgirl, what vocal pieces or roles are you working on now? Don't you find it helpful that you can play the notes on the piano? Are you a soprano, mezzo or contralto? Just curious.

Impressive! I've only recently started listening to opera, but one of the most impressive voices I've ever heard is that is that of Sarah Brightman. She hits the most incredible notes without ever being shrill or even sounding like she's really straining. I told my wife that she's the Sade of opera. <G> The only other female opera singer that I've heard (not sure what the technical name for a female opera singer is. sorry...) is the woman who used to sing for the group, 'Renaissance.' If you can find the CD, 'Scheherezade & Other Stories,' her voice is utterly amazing. The music is wonderful too. As with Loreena McKennitt, they blend Celtic and Middle Eastern influences with seeming ease...

All The Best,

Frank, if you are listening to Sarah Brightman, you aren't listening to opera. She is a Broadway performer. She is classically trained. She does not perform at any opera house. Stop by rec.music.opera to see what the opera mavens think about her. For someone just starting to listen to opera, may I recommend: get a good recording of La Boheme (the Pavarotti or Domingo recordings have good sound and good singing), get the video or DVD of Rigoletto with Pavarotti directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Get the Joseph Losey film of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Get one of the Beverly Sills recordings of either La Traviata or Lucia di Lammermoor. That's opera. When you know a little more, I will tell you which Birgit Nilsson recordings to get.

Thanks, Mark. I have gradually been listening to other singers. I enjoy Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, too. And although Sarah Brightman may not be opera, I still think she has a phenomenal voice. My piano instructor has a double-CD of La Boheme, but I'm unsure of what recording. Thanks for the recommendations.

On the other hand, Fredericka von Stade (american, though) is one of my favorites (together with Kiri Tekanawe and Leontine Price - what a memory I have ...)

Yes, Nostradu, those girls are opera singers. Brightman, Bocelli and Church all sing with microphones. Real opera singers wouldn't be caught dead doing that.

Hi Mark

I'm currently singing as a lyric soprano... however my voice will probably darken to a spinto or even dramatic sop in a few years. At the moment I'm working on a few good old lyric sop arias by Bizet, Bellini, Puccini, Mozart, Handel et al... plus a set of three Messiaen songs, a Berg lied, and some Bellini songs. It's great fun!

It is indeed extremely helpful that I had 11 years piano training before I started singing lessons... it's great because I learn all my accompaniments also, so I can get a full overview of the piece... and I don't need to use my weekly vocal coachings for note-bashing, I can simply work on performance, which is wonderful.

thanks for asking!

Rubberband Girl