SINGERS TO LISTEN TO

Many of you have asked for my thoughts on people to listen to. Any list like this is highly personal and will inevitably leave out some great singers. But here goes:

OPERA Montserrat Caballe Jessye Norman Maria Callas Helen Donath Hilda Gueden Joan Sutherland Jussi Bjoerling Nicolai Gedda Geraint Evans Leonard Warren Lawrence Tibbett Mattia Battistini Dmitri Hvorostovsky	BROADWAY & OPERETTA Julie Andrews "The Sound of Music" Shirley Jones "Oklahoma" Audra McDonald "How Glory Goes", "Ragtime" Marin Mazzie "Ragtime", "Kiss Me Kate" (1999 Revival) Betty Buckley "Live at Carnegie Hall" Ethel Merman, anything from the 30s and 40s Bernadette Peters "Into the Woods" Amy Spangler "Kiss Me Kate" (1999) Lea Salonga "Miss Saigon" Brian Stokes Mitchell "Ragtime" Robert Cuccioli "Jeckyll & Hyde" Howard Keel "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" or "Showboat" Gordon McRae "Oklahoma"
ORATORIO/ART SONG Jan DeGaetani Martyn Hill Jorma Hynninen	POP/R&B/COUNTRY, etc. Sinatra, especially the early years Streisand Whitney Houston "Whitney Houston" Celine Dion "The Color of My Love" Ella Fitzgerald "The Best of Ella Fitzgerald", and the various "Songbooks" Aretha Franklin "The Very best of Aretha Franklin" Etta James "At Last" Sarah Vaughn "The Divine Sarah Vaughn: The Columbia Years" Reba McEntire "Reba", "Greatest Hits" Luther Vandross "Greatest Hits" Garth Brooks "The Hits" Dennis Jernigan Shanai Twain
ALSO Mary Schneider "Yodeling the Classics" Yma Sumac "Xtabay", "Mombo" David Munrow "DUFAY, Se la face ay pale" The Proclaimers, Scottish folk/pop group Trio Los Panchos, Essential Mariachi trio The Bobs, SF a capella quartette
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DO'S AND DONT'S FOR SINGERS Do Not . . .

smoke anything (tobacco, marijuana - whatever) use drugs drink alcohol the day before or the day of a performance drink coffee before a performance become a cheerleader shout & scream at sporting events go to loud clubs or bars try to be heard in noisy places like bars, sport arenas, family gatherings, cars, airplanes, buses stay up late the night before a performance sing outdoors cough clear your throat continually sing if it hurts to swallow try to talk over a cold or laryngitis sing higher or lower than is comfortable "over sing" (if you are hoarse after singing, something is wrong) whisper loudly, or for very long raise the shoulders when inhaling be a vocalist in an acid rock or heavy metal band lift weights while holding your breath. EXHALE as you lift! scream cry talk on a lower or higher pitch than is comfortable for you try to change your natural speaking voice ("change your vocal image" e.g., try to be more sexy, macho, feminine, etc.) talk a lot on the day of performance argue with my mother

Do . . .

If undergoing surgery, insist that the intubation be performed by someone well acquainted with the risk to the vocal folds speak at your own pitch support your speaking voice just as when singing get plenty of rest be happy avoid stress avoid places with foul air - everything you breathe passes through your instrument eat well (as do certain opera singers) avoid dairy products prior to a performance treat your body like a valuable instrument if you're bedroom is heated humidify it during winter months drink lots of water -- 8 glasses a day "Pee Pale, Sing Clear" -- your urine should be clear -- yellowness means you are dehydrated (the more yellow it is, the worse)

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