'Singing is about the entire body not just the voice': Tara Erraught to Host Weekend of Voice Masterclasses in Drogheda

Tara Erraught

'Singing is about the entire body not just the voice': Tara Erraught to Host Weekend of Voice Masterclasses in Drogheda

Mezzo-soprano will work with eight emerging singers over weekend of public masterclasses and concerts.
 

As part of Drogheda Classical Music’s 2019/20 season, Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught has curated a weekend of voice masterclasses, concerts and talks from Friday 31 January to Sunday 2 February.

Eight emerging singers – Amie Dyer, Hannah O’Brien, James McCreanor, Michael Bell, Aebh Kelly, Matthew Mannion, Kelli Ann Masterson and Luis Magallanes – will take part in the masterclasses led by Erraught and pianist Dearbhla Collins. The workshops will culminate in two concerts featuring the mezzo and the singers including an opera concert on Sunday with the Irish National Opera orchestra. There will also be a guest lecture by Dr Paul Kwak, Laryngeal Surgeon at the New York University Voice Center, and a yoga and relaxation workshop with Emma Wallace Ahern. The masterclasses are all open to the public and tickets are €8.

The weekend, titled A Celebration of the Voice, begins on Friday with two masterclasses at 11am and 2.30pm focusing on song repertoire, in preparation for the recital concert the following day. The masterclasses and concerts are presented by Liz Nolan of RTÉ Lyric Fm.

On Friday evening at 7.30pm and Saturday at 11am there will be opera masterclasses in which Erraught will work with the singers on aria preparation and preparing for the first rehearsal with orchestra.

At 2pm on Saturday,  Dr Kwak will give a lecture on how the body creates sound and how to care for the professional voice.

Commenting on the weekend, Erraught said:

I am thrilled to come home to work with these emerging singers and to highlight the importance of vocal health for all singers and how it’s the key to longevity within the industry.

Often those starting out are not aware of measures they should take to protect themselves but also how singing is about the entire body not just the voice. I am blown away that Dr Paul Kwak, who I have worked with in New York, has agreed to come to give a talk about vocal anatomy and physiology. Emma Wallace Ahern is a qualified speech and language therapist and yoga instructor who will use her knowledge of vocal anatomy and breathing to tailor a yoga session to include mindfulness/anti-anxiety techniques.

The concerts take place on Saturday and Sunday at 7.30pm and Ahern will give her workshop at 11am on Sunday. All events take place in St Peter’s Church of Ireland in Drogheda. 

For tickets for A Celebration of the Voice, visit www.droichead.com/show/873614320

 
 
 
 
 

Published on 21 January 2020

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