June and July saw a few firsts for our studio singers. At our concert, singers Aleks and Celeste made their performance debuts. Another singer, Anne, gave her first recital at a Sydney city church.

Part of growing as a singer is daring to step out of your comfort zone by performing in public, and all three singers rose to that challenge, with great success. Let’s hear how the experience was for each singer.

Aleks intended her debut to be her swansong – it wasn’t

Aleks has been working with me since 2022, but hadn’t felt ready to sing at our 2023 concert. When she decided to have a go in 2024, she thought it would be her swansong.

“I had chosen to put my singing education indefinitely on hold, so I decided to go out with a bang,” she said.

At our concert, Aleks sang ‘Anyone Can Whistle’, from the Sondheim musical of the same name. “My only goal was to make the audience laugh with the song introduction and I achieved that – that was what I did best, everything else was a bonus,” she said. “Also, I was terrified to look at the audience, but I did look into the audience. I still find the idea confronting but it felt weird to look elsewhere.”

Aleks performing at our 2024 Studio Concert

Since her successful debut, Aleks was inspired to continue singing. We’re working on performing ‘Colors of the Wind’, from Disney’s Pocahontas, in her native language, Polish. Aleks has always known the song in Polish, unlike most of the other music she listened to as a child. “Maybe because I grew up to foreign music without understanding the lyrics, words became secondary, even for those I did understand. All I hear is nuances in sound, pronunciation, mood. With ‘Colors of the Wind’, what enhances the meaning for me is how these nuances and the singer’s voice application in the Polish version convey the overall message more strong-mindedly.”

Aleks also plans to explore traditional songs in Korean, another language she is skilled at.

“My goals are to improve pitch accuracy, explore vibrato and its more modulated variations, and to dip my toes in these Korean songs, which rely heavily on the latter.”

Celeste steps into the spotlight

While Celeste had experience singing in public, it was in choirs, not solo. For our concert, she sang the French classical works, ‘Bonne Nuit’ (J Massenet) and ‘Si Mes Vers Avaient des Ailies’ (R Hahn).

“At rehearsals with Kathleen, I was fairly relaxed, but all my confidence vanished when I rehearsed with accompanist Alison one week before the concert. She was a taste of the public I was about to face. I forgot my lyrics, my hands were numb with cold, and I sang too loud,” Celeste recalled.

While rehearsing ‘Bonne Nuit’, Celeste couldn’t decide on the tempo, and considered not performing it. But she persevered and felt good about her performance. “I trusted Alison to adjust her tempo to mine, and I did a mix of both fast and slow. But all the breathing techniques I had been trying to turn into habit went out the window. I suppose nervousness was partly to blame.”

Celeste performing at our 2024 Studio Concert

Now, Celeste wants to work on her breath management and head voice. “I have to unlearn how to sound like a piano, hammering out the notes, and be more like a bowed instrument; a cello,” she said. “I also want to find my true head voice, because in my lessons with Kathleen I was astonished to discover that what I thought was my head voice wasn’t; that simply hitting the notes isn’t enough, you need proper placement and breath support to sing with ease.”

Anne’s French recital

With her background in cover bands, choirs and opera staging scenes, Anne’s debut solo performance of Belle Epoch French songs at St Stephen’s Uniting Church in the city, was “a dream come true” for her, and well attended. Anne worked with me to polish her singing to a performance-ready level, before she approached church organisers to arrange an event. She managed the entire project herself, choosing the eight songs to learn, arranging collaborations and rehearsals with Alison and Sophia (cellist), and designing, writing and printing the program.

Anne’s French Recital last July 5, 2024

“I was determined to make my public solo debut in 2024,” Anne said. “It took about 18 months to fully realise, and I had Kathleen’s guidance and advice to draw upon, to refine my vision and make it successful.”

As for her performance experience?“I felt I had arrived,” Anne said. “Inspired by this success, I’m planning to perform another recital in 2025. Stay tuned.”

Whatever your singing experience, Kathleen Connell gives expert guidance to help you achieve your performance goals. Find an in-person or online singing package to suit you, or call 0402 409 106.