Description:
The human voice is one of the most expressive instruments, capable of portraying joy, sorrow, anger or despair. Western art music contains an almost inexhaustible supply of beauty music for voice and this course will showcase examples from the operatic repertoire and the song traditions of German Lieder, French melodie and English song. This practical course will present an informal opportunity to workshop individual arias and songs, exploring vocal technique, language skills, interpretation and presentation. Participants will prepare an aria or song to present to the class with our resident accompanist, whilst auditors are welcome to enjoy beautiful music and art in the stylish setting of Art Sawa.
Clare Lesser studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, Birmingham University and Birmingham Conservatoire. Then, at the University of Sussex, she completed groundbreaking research on the music of B.A. Zimmermann. She specializes in the performance of 20th and 21st century music, and has collaborated with many composers on new works, giving over fifty premieres. She has recorded Lieder by Wolfgang Rihm, chamber music by Richard Emsley, the works for solo soprano and soprano with instrumental trio by Michael Finnissy, and many other contemporary classics. She has performed throughout Europe, including at the Edinburgh and Avignon International Festivals. She was nominated for the Royal Philharmonic Society Singing Award in 2003.