Age of Enlightenment

Another year has passed! My point of writing this entry is because I question myself of why wanting to go through every single thing in detail that had taken place throughout this past year and what will or might take place in my new age.

It really has been a huge learning curve for me with changing teachers, which always boil down to changing your technique. This is a huge step that one has to make, a big decision! Having had doubts at the beginning of this transition I’m now coming to a point with my vocal abilities where I think that I’ve made the right move and a much-needed one.

Looking back to this past year I have signed with Maloberti Music Management and have taken stage on the 2010 London Handel Festival and Musica da Dias with Divino Sospiro. Fun experiences even though when you know that you are just at the beginning of working with this new instrument!

In the new age I’m embarking on a great and a difficult journey of singing extremely difficult repertoire and working with some great artists. I finally feel ready to get these hard pieces out in the open. One has to think carefully when touching repertoire that was written for such great artists as Farinelli or Cafarelli. Having said that it brings my discussion to three great highlights for this year’s performances. I will join I Virtuosi Delle Muse and it’s wonderfully talented leader Jonathan Guyonnet and conductor Stefano Molardi in Italian Afetti. Performances take place in Tudeley Music Festival and 2011 London Handel Festival. They then join my group Broschi Ensemble in our Southbank debut of Castrati: Forgotten Voices, repertoire that looks at music that was written for Farinelli, Cafarelli, Senesino and many others.

With these great concerts I’m also going for the Handel Singing Competition. Competitions are always tricky, some people are just born to do it and others find it a judgment call! Your practically in the hands of few individuals that might not score you well just because they are not interested in your vocal production. Keeping this in mind and knowing what kind of voices that Handel Singing Competition usually puts through, I keep my fingers crossed that they will have opened their thoughts out for voices like mine. As the countertenor voice grows we start seeing how different each singer is and what it brings to the table. It’s actually a revelation when you hear people who encourage you to sing high or low and not pigeon hole your voice because you’re a countertenor.

I have this feeling, a sense that this new age will be the age of enlightenment or the age of reason for me. It’s like pouring water to an ocean. I feel it’s time to let go and delve into music and knowledge. Be educated; soak every good thing in like a sponge. It’s time to change the gear and go!