This preview has been provided by the Posner Vocal Studios.
Katherine Kaufman Posner and Margaret Singer present a unique masterclass on singing and performance. The sessions will be on April 20 at 1-5 p.m. or 7-9 pm, and April 21 at 2-6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the Durham Arts Council, Duke Power Room, 120 Morris Street, Durham, 27701. The Durham Arts Council is located in Downtown Durham. Costs for each session are:
Schedule and cost:
April 20th, 1-5 p.m.
Participants $50/30 min. coaching
Auditors $10
April 20th, 7-9 p.m.
Participants $50/30 min. coaching
Auditors $5
April 21st, 2-6 p.m.
Participants $50/30 min. coaching
Auditors $10
Respected voice pedagogue, Katherine Kaufman Posner, brings a wealth of professional performing and teaching experience to the musical community in the Triangle area. She will be joined in the workshop by her longtime musical partner, the internationally-renowned pianist and vocal coach, Margaret Singer. In this transformational workshop, members of Singer’s Circle and the community will experience hands-on instruction in the principles of functional singing, professional performance, and presentation of opera and art song literature.
Singers are often faced with conflicting opinions and approaches between “teacher” and “coach.” These two advisors represent different parts of the “puzzle” of how to be an effective singer. The teacher is concerned with the production and quality of sound and the coach is concerned with the musical phrase and understanding the composer’s intention. Vocalists struggle to focus their attention on both things at once and sometimes find themselves in an emotional or physical bind trying to please both of their mentors and learn from them. Katherine and Margaret demonstrate that this dilemma can be resolved by a comprehensive approach, which focuses on free vocal production along with an unrestrained approach to making music. This approach eliminates the confusion in the minds of singers and allows them to open their singing and embrace the joy of music making. In these classes, Katherine and Margaret each will share their individual expertise, as well as their joint years of preparing and giving performances together, to show how teacher and coach can work together to the benefit of singers. Participants will receive feedback from both artists and observe the unified way that they work.
Participants will receive 30 minutes of combined coaching from Margaret and Katherine. We will provide professional audio and video recordings to participants and auditors for $10 so that they can continue to build on their learning experience after the class.
We invite all attendees to spend time getting to know us and each other during dinner break at the American Tobacco Campus at 5 p.m. on Saturday and after class at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
About Margaret Singer:
Margaret Singer has had an illustrious career as both solo pianist and accompanist for major artists. She was a Fulbright grant winner and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. As Assistant Conductor at the New York City Opera, she worked with Beverly Sills and José Carreras, among others. At the San Francisco Opera, she worked with Placido Domingo and Magda Olivero. During the summers, she was Vocal Music Director for the Rhode Island Festival of the Arts at Newport. At Tanglewood, she worked with Leonard Bernstein. She was also Music Administrator of the Opera Company of Philadelphia and collaborated with Pavarotti and Gian Carlo Menotti. Margaret has performed with singers Jan Peerce, Veronica Tyler, and Lucine Amara, as well as with violinist Paul Zukovsky. She started the Merola Program for training young singers at the San Francisco Opera and is a regular coach at major opera houses in Germany, including the Theatre Erfurt, where she is the head vocal coach. Margaret currently directs the Apprentice Coaching program at the National Opera of Paris.
About Katherine Posner:
After winning the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions at the age of twenty, Katherine Kaufman Posner was hailed by Metropolitan Opera conductor, Kurt Adler, as “one of the voices of her generation.” Katherine made her professional debut at the Santa Fe Opera, also appearing at the San Francisco Spring Opera as Lisette in La Rondine, with the Goldovsky Opera Theatre as Rosina in Barber of Seville, Micaela in Carmen, and as both Mimi and Musetta in La Boheme, and with the Duluth Opera as Oscar in The Masked Ball. Her other roles include Filene in Mignon, Ophelia in Hamlet, Creuse in Milhaud’s Medee, Monica in The Medium, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, both Gretel and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. Katherine completed a Master’s degree in Opera Theatre from Manhattan School of Music, singing performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and appearing as a frequent recitalist and oratorio soloist in the New York area. Katherine was a winner in the prestigious Liederkranz Society competition. As anyone who has had an opportunity to hear Katherine in recital can attest, she has a special affinity and fondness for the recital platform. Katherine was a student of the world-renowned Cornelius L. Reid, author of The Free Voice and Bel Canto: Principles and Practices. She has forty years of teaching experience, including appointments to the faculties of Duke University, Langston University, and The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill before going on to open her private studio in Durham, NC. Here she trains some of the finest professional voices in North Carolina.
About Singer’s Circle:
Singer’s Circle is an organization by and for singers. Without the resources of a university or company, independent singers face challenges at every turn. It can be hard to find even the basics: a place to practice, feedback on new repertoire, and connections to other musicians. Singer’s Circle addresses these problems by providing opportunities to perform and feedback from seasoned performers.
