fall 2020
Sweet Dreams
Lunedi
Annemarijn (eldest)
Lillian (
Annemarijn, Lillian, and Willemij make up the first classical crossov Lunedì which is inspired by their la means Monday. The sisters have stages and crossover fans may k “Dreaming
(middle)
ijn are three sopranos who together ver sister trio. Their group name is ast name (Maandag) which literally performed in various musicals and know them from their first single, g of the Day.”
Willemijn (youngest)
Natasha Barbieri: Was music making a big part of your upbringing? Lunedì: Definitely. We come from a very musical family and music has always been a major part of our lives. Our mother sang with us from when we were little girls and our father is a trumpet player. We sang in a kid’s choir and took music lessons. Growing up we shared our passion whilst doing the dishes together, singing with a tea towel in our hands, until each of us started our professional careers. Natasha Barbieri: How would you each describe your personality and what qualities do you admire most about each other? Lunedì: Annemarijn is the oldest and has (probably for that reason) the most sense of responsibility. She strives for honesty, she’s independent and we love how chatty she is! Lillian is the middle one and with her energy she provides the perfect balance in the group. She is calm and sweet, but with her sense of humor, she can also make us laugh until we cry. Willemijn is the youngest, and just like her curls, she’s very bouncy. She is a passionate performer and you can always ask her for beauty tips. Natasha Barbieri: When did you first start singing together? Lunedì: For as long as we can remember. Natasha Barbieri: Can you share one of your favorite moments on stage?
Lunedì: We remember one time we were singing a very personal song and one of us got emotional onstage. We feel each other so deeply, something beautiful happened in that specific moment and with one look one of the other sisters took over. This created a very vulnerable moment and a very strong connection. We know each other so well and we immediately feel and know how to support each other. During rehearsals and backstage, we have such a good time together, often we can’t finish our songs, because we are having too much fun. Luckily that never happened on stage! Natasha Barbieri: Tell us a little bit about your ranges and arrangements. Lunedì: All three of us are sopranos. Roos van der Waerden (our producer) creates our vocal arrangements fully suited to each of our voices. There is always room for our ideas and input so that all of our songs have the ultimate ‘Lunedì’ sound. Natasha Barbieri: You recently released “Dreaming of the Days.” Can you tell us why you chose this song? Lunedì: For us, the song is about connection, family, and time. The past, the present and the future and how everything is connected. The song is made on the beautiful piano music of Ludovico Einaudi. Because family and connection is so important for us and because the coronavirus has made that extra clear, we found this to be a perfect first release as a single for us.
Natasha Barbieri: These times have been a bit stressful for all of us, so can you tell us each one thing you have been grateful for over lockdown? Lunedì: Because we have worked nationally as well as internationally in so many places in the world, the distance between us has been great the past few years. Because of COVID, we could not work and after a long time, we finally had time to spend together again. We all went back to our home base. Because music is our biggest passion, it did not take long before we started singing together at home again. Actually, we have always had the dream to share the stage and perform together. We are grateful that corona has given us the time to make this dream come true. Natasha Barbieri: Looking into 2021, what are some of the things you would like to achieve? Lunedì: We hope to be able to get back on stage as soon as we can to share our music with everyone around the world!
“Dreaming of the Days” available to stream now on Spotify.
www.lunedimusic.com
Hannah Woolmer Classical Crossover performer Hannah Woolmer has been impressing audiences with her beautiful violin playing on the concert stage and has been heard as the composer on soundtracks like “Love Online.” During this difficult time for musicians, Hannah has been one of the musicians to be able to quickly turn the lack of live performance venues into an opportunity to Natasha Barbieri: How long have you been performing?
experience with creating videos/livestreaming before covid?
Hannah Woolmer: I began playing the piano at 5 and then the violin at 10, so I have been performing in various youth orchestras and concerts for a long time. I performed my first major violin concerto at 17 but I would consider my first truly professional work to start after I graduated.
Hannah Woolmer: I did, to some degree. My good friend Daniel Roberts introduced me to live streaming on social media as a way to maintain contact with fans and audiences when not performing live for them, but at first, I wasn’t too sure how to use live streaming as a musician. Should I perform concerts? Should I do big prepared speeches, like I have seen other people do? In the end, I settled with using Twitter/periscope live streaming to answer questions and show behind the scenes. I delved into YouTube a few years ago, but I found the video making and editing so timeconsuming that I couldn’t maintain it (however now, thanks to my work in films, I have a bit more experience and can make and upload videos quickly, hence my return to YouTube this month). Finally, I found the concert platform Stageit a few years ago, which allowed me to broadcast live ticketed concerts online and around the world. I liked this platform because it gave me, the artist the scope to create professional and high-quality shows. I originally only performed on there once every few months to allow my audiences around the world to see me perform when I was unable to come
Natasha Barbieri: What was your musical education like? Hannah Woolmer: I come from a very nonmusical family and was state school educated in UK. I was introduced to music by witnessing older children having lessons and performing at school and asking if I could do that. I didn’t realise at the time how lucky I was, but over the past years music education has gradually been taken out of state schools and so I really grew up during a privileged time. From that point on I went down a traditional route of joining various youth orchestras and classical competitions. I was awarded a place at Junior Trinity in London before going on to study full time at The London College of Music. Natasha Barbieri: Did you have any
to their country, but through the pandemic, I have been performing 3 shows a week and over time I have really refined the show in terms of production. Natasha Barbieri: Once things hit what adjustments did you make? Hannah Woolmer: As soon as I knew we were going into lockdown I….like every other artist and musician panicked. But I decided to make a plan, I worked out what parts of my art form would be able to still continue. At the start of the pandemic that was stageit shows, film composing and radio presenting, and which parts would instantly stop – live performance, working with other musicians, So I worked towards increasing my outputs that were still available and adding more, such as my podcast and starting my YouTube channel up. I also have adjusted my Stageit show to give people the best possible experience and the things they miss such as happy healthy contact with others and new sites. Natasha Barbieri: Do you have any suggestions for other musicians in the same spot? Hannah Woolmer: Artistically – It’s a good idea to adapt your shows to make them more intimate and personal. Choose music that suits intimacy better, and vary your repertoire. Production-wise. Use the best mics, cameras, and wifi that is available. Do test shows prior to your first concert and every time you’re using new software. Getting an audience – This is something so many of us artists overlook. We are often not used to self-
promotion or encouraging an audience to come because we play at festivals and venues that take care of that for us. But online it’s mainly down to us. Invite friends and family, put it on social media, personally invite fans and give some of your most loyal fans a free ticket to the first show because it does take time for new audiences to try out an online concert. Also, make friends with other artists using the platform as everyone is very encouraging. Natasha Barbieri: Tell us about your partnership with Daniel Roberts? Hannah Woolmer: My partnership with Daniel began in 2012 as he was recommended when I needed a pianist for a recital in Portsmouth. We gelled artistically and socially and performed and toured extensively until 2015 when Daniel moved to Brasil. We are still best friends and perform and record periodically, in fact we were due to perform a concert when lockdown happened. Natasha Barbieri: How did the Woolmer orchestra begin? Hannah Woolmer: The Woolmer Philharmonic Orchestra began on 20th February 2014, I enjoyed running it and we made various recordings and concerts in partnership with Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund, but I had to make the sad decision to put it to rest in 2017 due to performing commitments of my own. I hope one day it can resume. Natasha Barbieri: What inspires your compositions? Hannah Woolmer: I find it very hard to start compositions, so I always ask for inspiration from others, be it a word, a
picture anything, just an impetus, and then I’m off like a flash composing. This is why I enjoy composing for the film so much as the film and drama itself is inspiration so I work very quickly. Natasha Barbieri: Tell us a little bit about when you first heard the Lark Ascending and a little about your own take on it? Hannah Woolmer: I was 13 and accepted to play in The Essex Young Peoples Orchestra a year younger than their minimum age. We played this boring piece called ‘The Lark Ascending’ all course long and the second violin part was just long notes and the whole thing didn’t seem to have a tune. On the day of the performance for our parents the soloist turned up (at this time I knew nothing about concerti or soloists and very little about performance etiquette) and when he began to play the solo I was so mesmerised I forgot to play and just watched, it was magical. To me, though The Lark Ascending is an extremely popular piece today, it is one of the most wonderful pieces of all time. It is bittersweet, beautiful, and heartbreaking all at once. Vaughan Williams, by all accounts, was a wonderful man. He composed the piece after returning from ww1. He was a pacifist and refused to fight but bravely signed up to be a medic on the front lines. I couldn’t imagine anything
more terrifying than facing enemy fire without a gun. I believe the piece is so heartbreaking because it really gives us an insight into who Vaughan Williams was at this point. A man who has said goodbye to the naivety of the past, a man full of sorrow, but also one of eternal hope. Natasha Barbieri: Tell us about “Love Online” and how composing for a film differs from your regular compositions? Hannah Woolmer: “Love Online” was a film I composed for in 2019. It is a very witty rom-com that allowed me to compose many different styles and genres. Composing for film differs from my usual composing in many ways. Firstly, I’m not the boss or the ‘visionary’, instead, I am helping bring other people’s vision to fruition. In addition to this, composing for film often has a very tight schedule and so it can be demanding. I often think I have to use a lot more of my classical training in the film as I have to produce emotions on cue. I can’t take 2 minutes to build an emotion when the scene requires it to happen in 10 seconds, so a lot of problem-solving. Finally, I compose for a film with reels of the film synced up to my daw, so my first sketches will be completely synced up and in time with the film, from there if an orchestra is required then we will have scores printed and record the orchestra, again in time with the film.
Playing now on Stageit
www.hannahwoolmer.online
Sophia Winton
Sophia Winton is drawing new fans with her unique and visually stunning music videos that complement the beautiful classical music she performs.
Natasha: Sophia tell us a little bit about how you got started with music did you being by singing or taking violin? Sophia Winton: It all began with violin aged 3. I was on stage aged 4 when I won my first trophy for violin solo 6 years and under. I haven’t won a lot of trophies since then but thankfully I can confirm that I did not peak at 4 years of age: I have since bettered that accomplishment. And you know, I hope to win more but if not most engraving shops sell them so pas de problem! Natasha: Do you find ways that both of your instruments complement each other? Sophia Winton: I wouldn’t say they compliment each other per se but they can sit in the same track without fighting and hurling insults at each other! The track I’m currently completing employs both and it’s nice to have an ear break; nice to mix things up. Though violin is not my main instrument any more, it is for me where it all began and as such pervades all that I do. I learnt compositional craft sitting in orchestras playing glorious music by
the likes of geniuses like Elgar; I danced ballet to my formative Suzuki school years’ rhythms. Natasha: You’ve had some exceptional opera teachers. Tell us a little bit about what you learned from them? Sophia Winton: This is true. I have been fortunate. But I have also had some rubbish teachers. I tell you, learning to sing well did not come naturally to me. It was like a very difficult puzzle. The best teachers gave me helpful pieces to the bel canto singing puzzle; the worst, wrong pieces to some other puzzle. Maybe to a motorcycle repair puzzle? Cause they sure didn’t fit into my bel canto puzzle. In the end, I completed the final pieces to this complex conundrum myself because when you reach a certain point in your singing apprenticeship you just have to listen to yourself, and trust your instincts. Music teachers are a funny bunch. You pay them for music lessons and they dole out life advice. These are the things I remember most now. One told me “always be kind to the little people”. Although I see this statement
has at its core some kindness, it is also shamefully superior and smug. Last time I checked, we are all created equal and roughly the same size give or take a few feet up, down or sideways. And the other comment I recall was from early on in my teens. She said if you can do anything in life BUT singing- do that. Anything elsejust do that. This is someone who asked to teach me and who I paid for singing lessons. So..that’s not really what you want to hear! I have also learnt from my idols- from Callas, from Sutherland. They taught me from the beyond through their recordings that will forever endure. Callas once said call your voice to you like a horse. Something like that. I get her and I love that. For anyone who doesn’t know horses they can be flighty, skittish, frightened creatures. And I feel what she was saying there, was don’t bully and pound your voice into submission- be patient, be gentle, be kind and call it to you. Natasha: In addition to singing and playing violin, you also compose. Can you tell us a little bit about the type of music you compose and if you have a particular sound or aesthetic you aspire to? Sophia Winton: I compose melodic modern classical and classical crossover songs. They are almost entirely for operatic voice which I believe to be a beautiful instrument that is underemployed in contemporary music and which I wish to force upon everyone including spotty teenagers. Especially on them, so that the art form can live on. Everyone should love opera or learn to love it. I’ve put a big fat beat on my forthcoming track so there are no
excuses! I think classical crossover artists have a huge responsibility as modern descendants of grand opera to spread the joy, bridge the gap and bring classical style to wider audiences. My songs differ in style and mood, with lesser and more thumpy beats, but broadly fall into two categories: pretty and sweet or dramatic, angst ridden and downright miserable. I am leaning towards producing a more epic orchestral sound akin to film music, but that’s not to say that some of my songs are more dainty. I enjoy composing classical crossover the most because it is both fun and challenging to have a massive sound palate with both traditional instruments and limitless electronic sample possibilities at your disposal. Natasha: Your music videos are something that is very unique and sets you apart from other opera singers. You seem to especially love medieval/Renaissance costumes and dance. How did this come about? Sophia Winton: Thank you very much that’s kind of you to say. Wagner deemed Opera to be the ultimate art form and labelled it Gesamtkunstwerk because it was all singing all dancing and all spectacular! I agreed with him which is why I became a professional opera singer. Each of my music videos represents a mini one aria opera and costumes are a vital and super fun part of my art, as is dance. Costume wise I am loving the rococo era right now. And dance shall be ever present because I was a serious ballet dancer in a “past life” who might have gone pro. My ballet teacher cried when I quit! My swansong was playing the duck in ‘Peter and the Wolf’. One day
I hope to even write a whole operetta but first things first- get some of the many songs I have waiting in the wings out!! Natasha: Do you film/edit your own videos? If so can you share any tips for learners? Sophia Winton: You’ve just made my video editor very sad..! and to make matters worse I may need to fire him now ha ha. Yes I film the videos myself. I edited my first video but it’s a bother and takes an amateur so long, which means precious time away from my music. So my top tip is hire someone unless you enjoy frustration and a sore head. But apparently don’t hire my guy! (That’s a joke my guy- you know who you are and you are doing a great job!! I stand by you, you’re not fired.. don’t cry!).
www.sophiawinton.com
5 Questions with Jennifer Thomas
Jennifer Thomas is an American Billboard charting pianist. Her compositions have touched an incredibly wide audience (1.5 million users on Pandora). I previously interviewed Jennifer for our Spring 2016 issue, and we’ve exchanged a few fun messages related to how her music has become popular for figure skaters around the world since then. With the release of her new music video “The Red Aspens” it felt like a good time to catch up!
Natasha Barbieri: It’s been 2 years since your last release. You’ve been open on social media about needing to take the time off. When did you first start writing “The Red Aspen’s” and what is the inspiration behind it? Jennifer: So yes, I decided to take a much-needed sabbatical from music after my summer tour last year, which was great. Then the pandemic hit earlier this year, and after the panic
and stress finally settled down, I found myself at home and feeling more inspired than ever to write new music, and also create new music videos. This is something I could do from home and so I was excited. “The Red Aspens” was actually a song that debuted on my very first album in 2007, and I orchestrated it for my 10year anniversary release of the album. So it’s not new, but the video is. Natasha Barbieri: Your music video
is absolutely gorgeous. How does that process go for you. Do you storyboard everything or is there some spontaneous footage also? Jennifer Thomas: Thank you so much. For this video, I storyboarded the shots out, and had a vision for the “walking” footage of me hiking through the mountains, and timing the transitions with the beats of the music. After that, it’s about lighting and trying to get beautiful shots in great locations. Natasha Barbieri: The quality you and your husband produce is incredible. How did you start learning about filming etc? And any tips for other musicians learning to DYI due to covid? Jennifer Thomas: Aw thank you. I feel very lucky that Will and I get to work as a team to create these videos… For our smaller “in-house” videos like this, we do everything ourselves, whereas for larger-scale videos (like “The Fire Within”) we use a crew. Everything we’ve done has just taken time, learning, tutorials, research, and acquiring good equipment. Best advice for other artists is to take lots of notes on things you notice about the videos you love, and try to emulate that. Natasha Barbieri: When it comes to the pianos used in your music
videos, are they rentals or do you have a special travel piano just for this purpose? Jennifer Thomas: I am a Yamaha sponsored artist, and so they will bring me pianos if needed. For example, the pianos on my “The Fire Within” video for both the theater and the desert scenes were provided by Yamaha. They’ve also provided pianos for concerts for me. But for these videos that are just shot by my husband and I, oftentimes we are just driving around and looking for locations and it’s very “on the fly”, So I own a 6-ft Yamaha that usually stays in our garage filming studio. We haul that around for filming now. I also have another nicer 7 ft Yamaha that stays in my living room but we don’t take that one anywhere. Natasha Barbieri: Your music has been the soundtrack to so many wonderful skating performances recently. Can you imagine anyone, in particular, using this in a routine next season? Jennifer Thomas: I get so excited to see skaters using my music. This is a slower-paced song, but the middle section does ramp up in tempo and becomes very exciting so I could see skaters using this piece. It doesn’t have to be this song, but I would love to see Nathan Chen or Mariah Bell skate to one of my songs. #bucketlist
www.jenniferthomasmusic.com
Aliki
My Kind o
of Christmas
Way before the sound of her pure soprano vocals brought tears to the “Britain’s Got Talent” audience, Aliki Chrysochou was just a normal kid listening to her family’s music collection. “Being half Greek and half English and being born in a very musical family, going back to my great grandfather, I had the opportunity to be introduced to various sounds of music from a very early age. Music from our Greek composers M. Hadjidakis, M.Theodorakis, Nana Mouschouri, to Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion and then all of Andrea Bocelli’s records, Sarah Brightman, Luciano Pavarotti and many more. Through my father I found my Greek temperament sound and style, and my mother my love for Opera and Classical music.”
And it is very difficult to predict how encephalitis will affect each individual.” It was a devastating turn of events and Aliki’s family was left unsure what the future would hold. It wasn’t until one night when Debbie began to sing to Aliki that there was finally a breakthrough. Her echoing hum provided the first glimmer of hope in what would be a long road to recovery. Aliki faced huge challenges and had to re-learn to read and do simple math but despite the setbacks continued to fight.
The love for music and her promising talent saw Aliki heading to university full of hope for future but soon everything was about to change. “For me University was a challenging period due to the fact that I had to take a whole year off as I was diagnosed with Encephalitis after the completion of my first year of studying.” When she had come home for break Aliki’s mother Debbie noticed her speech was becoming slurred. Her condition continued to worsen and Aliki eventually lost the ability to walk or even feed herself. For those who don’t know about the disease Aliki shares: “Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain where in some cases, can be life-threatening.
Thanks to her own determination and the support of her family and future husband, Aliki was eventually able to continue her university studies.
“I was one of the lucky encephalitis survivors that has fully recovered and have been given the honor to be one of their honorary ambassadors in the Encephalitis Society in which I actively support the society’s mission and global charity projects, and also having recently run a marathon raising funds for the cause. “
“Upon my return, I’d say it was more about honing musicianship and learning new repertoire, learning about new roles and the approach one must have to each era. It was more about learning the importance of practicing every day and discipline. Of course, each part of classical vocal studying is a stepping stone towards the understanding of this beautiful and challenging form of art. Better vocal development and more understanding of my vocal instrument I believe came later on in my life through experience and growth.”
She continued to refine her talent after graduating studying at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York and then later with teachers from the Julliard School of Music. “I believe that having had classical voice training it has definitely helped me to have the ability to approach any given song in the way that it deserves to be performed artistically speaking. Whether that is an aria, a musical theatre piece, a classical crossover or jazz. Additionally, studying theatre in New York, has enhanced my understanding of having empathy with the character in the song, so that when I go on stage, I can bring that character to life.” In 2013, Aliki shared her talent and story on Britain’s Got Talent audience and received resounding approval from the judges and standing ovations from the touched audience. She was an audience favorite advancing to the semifinals. In 2019, Aliki released her debut classical crossover album Reflections which she calls “A collection of passionate arias, musical theatre pieces and crossover.” Her career continued with performances with top classical crossover acts like Il Divo. “I have definitely had some wonderful and exciting times working with some amazing artists around the world. Loved the preparation of it all through rehearsals, watching it all come together, admiring their work ethic, discipline, and living the backstage moments and the way everything transforms once you are on that stage on the nights of performance. I have learned through speaking to the person
behind each artist, that it takes sacrifice and lots of determination, continuous work and practice to be able to make it and remain into the music industry.” This year Aliki is back with a brandnew release entitled My Kind of Christmas. “I have always wanted to do a Christmas album, and now seemed like the perfect time to do so. The recording of an album like this, was to make the listener feel at home, through the choice of songs and arrangements to feel the magic, and feel the power that music has for all of us during these difficult times for humanity. Through this album I wanted to give to the listener a feel of what “My kind of Christmas” is like. As an artist I love to experiment with different genres, different languages as I believe there is only one kind music… the beautiful kind, no matter if we label it as pop, classical, jazz, classical orchestra or a big band sound. “My kind of Christmas” begins with Adeste Fideles with a powerful arranged by Paul Bateman, and amongst others there the song Santa Baby with a very big band feel, which I really had fun recording in the studio.” Although the album has landed just in time for the Holiday’s, the preparation of course started much earlier. “The very idea of recording a Christmas album I’d say began sometime in May 2020. Finally, around July/August and September recordings and mastering took place in three different places in the world, Prague, England and Cyprus, but somehow all came together even under these challenging social
distancing circumstances. What I will most definitely remember and keep in my heart forever is how original it was for me to be singing Christmas songs in the heat of August! So, it was definitely a first timer and actually fun having to decorate a Christmas tree in midsummer to totally find me in the mood of Christmas magic!” The album see’s Aliki reunite with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. “They are an amazing classical orchestra, consisting of mainly Czech classical, jazz and guest musicians, who have worked for many international film studios and labels such as Decca, EMI etc. I had the opportunity of meeting them all in person at The Smecky Studios in Prague, during the recording of ‘Reflections’ which was something I couldn’t do this time, due to the pandemic situation and social distancing. The mastering, mixing and production was done in the UK by Gareth Williams who is also someone I am now able to call a friend, as he has worked on both of my albums so far.” The album also features the Diastasi Choir Association where Aliki used to solo as a child. “It was beautiful
having these new voices be a part on some of the songs in my new album.” For Aliki, Christmas holds an especially dear memory of the birth of her son, “In the very early hours of Christmas morning.” She now has two boys, 4 and 2 and they’ve been in the privileged position of hearing her sing all during pregnancy. “I believe that any mothers singing is something that the children are very attached to, as they find it very familiar and soothing to them, feels like home. I’m not sure they are very happy when I vocalize and do my warm ups at home, they’ll either join me and roll their eyes and do their own arpeggios, or they’ll start yelling ‘Stop now mummy!’” The pair has previewed the album and Aliki tells they “already have chosen their favorite songs from it.” After an especially difficult year for all, many are looking to Christmas for the promise of hope and with her incredible story, Aliki’s “My Kind of Christmas” is the perfect soundtrack. “Christmas this year will be somewhat different for all of us. So most importantly I am hoping that we will be able to spend some time with family and enjoy some quality time. Create some magic moments for our boys, and new memories with them which we can cherish in years to come.”
“My Kind of Christmas” by Aliki is just the right mix of familiar and new. Aliki’s soprano is a beautifully developed instrument, sweet and even throughout her range. She particularly excels at the ballads like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “White Christmas”. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is the perfect match for her with classic arrangements and unique touches to show off range. The album is masterfully balanced and the accompaniment never overwhelms Aliki on the sentimental moments. If you are a classical crossover fan “My Kind of Christmas” is an essential album to add to your collection.
Veronica Bell Veronica Bell (Yulia Ronskaya) has had an incredible career in opera, on the concert stage, and in exploring her very own unique brand of crossover. She has been featured on the score to “Little Odessa” and earned praise and notoriety with her cross-gender album “Les Frissons D’Amour.”
Natasha Barbieri: Tell us a little about your performance was it singing or ballet (or even skating?) Veronica Bell: As a child, my interests were so all over the place that my parents could hardly keep up. I was stretched pretty thin between ice skating, singing, piano lessons, drawing, and gymnastics. I also wanted to be a math teacher, a doctor, and a fashion designer. But my biggest love was ballet, and I seriously considered becoming a professional dancer. My dreams were brutally crushed when I auditioned for Bolshoi Ballet school and was rejected. They told me I would grow too tall, and my ankles would be too weak to sustain my height. That was the end of it. But before my tears dried off, the director of my choir picked me as a soloist, and I moved on with my life without hesitation. I was nine. Natasha Barbieri: When did you first start studying opera? Veronica Bell: Actually, I started pretty late: I was 16. My first encounter with opera was quite tragic. When I was five, my dad took me to see the opera Hansel and Gretel. Since it was a fairytale, he thought I would love it too. I remember what happened as if it
was yesterday: during the scene in the woods, I got so scared that I slid off my seat onto the floor, stuck my face into my dad’s lap, and started crying so hard, he had to take me home. It could’ve been the end of it, but it wasn’t. My family had a massive collection of LPs of classical music, including operas, and what they didn’t know was that when I was home alone, I would crank up the record player all the way and sing (or more like yell off the top of my lungs) along with the singers. By the time I finished high school, I knew quite a few operas from the beginning to the end. Then, when I was about 16, my God Mother, who was a famous Russian Symphony conductor, heard me sing in the kitchen and told me she “wasn’t quite sure but I might have something there.” That’s how she put it. So I entered the Gnesin Conservatory of Music and graduated with a Masters in Vocal Performance. I auditioned for one of the opera companies in Moscow, was immediately accepted, and had my debut as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin”. I sang one more role there and then we moved to the US. Natasha Barbieri: I think Russian singers have a really rich and
beautiful sound. Would you say those qualities are especially valued or cultivated? Veronica Bell: I understand what you mean, and yes, Russian singers are known for their rich sound. That said, up until very recently, singers from Russia were mainly known as performers of the Russian repertoire that requires that kind of big sound. There were exceptions, of course, but very few. In the last 10-15 years, however, Russian opera singers started performing worldwide and sing all types of music: Italian, German, French, which requires different techniques. I am thrilled to see how the world gets to discover the wide variety of Russian talent these days. Natasha Barbieri: You have had some unique experiences as a singer such as singing for the Queen of Thailand. Please share some of your favorite moments! Veronica Bell: Yes, performing for the Queen of Thailand was thrilling and challenging. I first met Queen Sirikit in San Francisco, where I was invited to perform in her honor. The engagement was supposed to last about forty-five minutes; instead, I ended up singing for about two and a half hours. My presence was also required at the Queen’s departure, which happened around 1 AM. Frankly, I wasn’t too happy about it. I had a three-year-old son at home and half a dozen voice students to teach in the morning. So, on her way out, Her Majesty came up straight to me and said: “I hope you will be able to find some time to visit me in Thailand soon.” Sure, I thought to myself and forgot all about it before the end of the night. Lo and behold, four-five months later, I received an
invitation from the Thai Embassy to fly out to Bangkok for Her Majesty’s birthday celebration. I spent magical two weeks in Bangkok, where I gave three performances at the Royal Palace alongside two soloists of the Vienna State Opera. Think of it, I’ve had many exciting professional encounters over the years. The year after I arrived in the US, I recorded a part of the soundtrack for the motion picture Little Odessa. I wasn’t supposed to be in this project, but the director James Gray fell in love with the song Love is Sacred by Georgy Sviridov that he heard me sing, and the song ended up being practically the central theme of the movie. Then, four years after I settled in the US, I went back to Russian to sing with the Moscow State Symphony orchestra. I performed at the Grand Conservatory Hall, the same hall where my grandmother used to take me to my first symphony concerts. I had my first solo performance as an American singer on the stage where Luciano Pavarotti and Vladimir Horowitz performed before I was even born. I remember myself standing by the stage door, thinking that in a minute I would be in front of the audience that I myself used to be a part of; that my grandmother will be there along with my parents and friends; that my first voice teacher will be greeting me after the concert, and I better be worthy of her attention and her time. It was incredibly exciting and totally surreal, but it was only the beginning. Then there was a tour in Europe and back in Moscow, and around the US, and again in Europe. The typical life of a performer went on, but it never became a routine for me. I
have always been very conscious of how incredibly fortunate I am. Natasha Barbieri: Your biography mentions how you became more active on the concert stage to find more freedom. What is some of the repertoire you love combining that you maybe wouldn’t be able to do in a role? Veronica Bell: Here is the thing about opera and me: we never really took to each other. Growing up, I wanted to be an operetta singer, just like my grandparents. Operetta seemed much more fun than the serious and, at times, heavy operatic music and sad stories where somebody would always end up dead. But in the US, operetta is not very popular except for maybe The Merry Widow. I would’ve had to move again, this time from the US to Europe, but it wasn’t a viable option with the family, a small child, very little money, and only a few English words in my arsenal. So I figured, if I became a concert soloist, my repertoire could be much more inclusive, and I could sing all the types of music I love, from Oratorio to Art Songs to Cabaret. And that’s pretty much what happened. That said, I keep a long list of operatic arias in my concert repertoire. Natasha Barbieri: Your albums have been innovative and you’ve sung pieces for all voice types. Tell us a little bit about how this started and the reaction of people when you sang songs like Una Furtiva Lagrima as a female? Veronica Bell: Oh, my first album was an interesting project, to say the least. I decided to record a few of my favorite operatic arias regardless of what type of voice they were written for, as long as I could sing them. By
that time, I no longer had an agent, no one to tell me what I could and could not sing, and it liberated me and gave me the freedom to create. As I’ve mentioned before, I had the entire operas memorized as a kid, and I sang all the parts in them, male and female. Una Furtiva Lagrima was one of my favorites, and I didn’t think of it as a tenor aria but rather a beautiful love song. No, I am not suggesting at all that women should perform male characters. On the contrary, I am pretty conservative when it comes to opera. I am not a big fan of modernizing classical repertoire or giving it drastic makeovers. But taken out of the context, as a concert piece, I don’t see anything wrong with the aria having its own life and a little bit of freedom and fun. Nessun Dorma has practically become a Classical Crossover Anthem in recent years, and everybody loves it no matter who sings it! Anyway, as soon I recorded the album, all hell broke loose. One of the pretty well-known musicians in Los Angles called me the Antichrist of Opera, and I love my title, and I wear it proudly. It didn’t discourage me at all. If anything, I immediately started thinking about what else I can do along the same lines. So, I asked my son, who is now a recording engineer and a great guitar player and a composer, to make me a metal arrangement of the famous chorus Va Pensiero from Verdi’s Nabucco. I absolutely loved the way it came out, and now we are planning on recording an album of metal arrangements of classical music. Natasha Barbieri: Your first crossover album was “Midnight Affairs.” Your voice is still very operatic but you play around with
the arrangements and make these famous songs your own. How did this inspiration come about? Veronica Bell: The idea of “Midnight Affairs” came to me suddenly when I was searching for something on youtube and randomly came across a video of violinist Gidon Kremer playing Piazzolla’s “Oblivion”. I have heard this piece so many times before, but Kremer’s performance stopped me in my tracks. I suddenly started hearing a human voice in the sound of the violin. This music practically possessed me and I couldn’t think of anything else for weeks trying to figure out how I could sing this piece. I even found some French lyrics, but they totally took the mystery out of the music, so I discarded the idea. I thought of singing it as a vocalize, but then I was losing the violin. I finally wrote out my own arrangement where the voice and the violin became a duet, and before I even realized, I was planning an album. It took about a year to finalize all the ideas, to complete the orchestrations, to find musicians, a studio, a producer. Eventually, all the pieces fell into places, and the album came out in the spring of 2019. It is currently playing on over 50 radio stations in the US and Canada and is available on Amazon, Spotify, and iTunes. Natasha Barbieri: You recently started an online show during quarantine. What have been some of your favorite parts of this so far? Veronica Bell: I started my online series the “Happy Hour with Bell and Friends” out of fear. When the pandemic broke out, and all my concerts were suddenly canceled for
the foreseeable future, I went into panic mode. I realized that if I don’t find a way to continue performing, I will not be able to force myself to practice because it felt so hopeless. I needed a goal, a reason to keep singing. So, I spent a few weeks learning about giving voice lessons online to be able to continue teaching my students and also decided to live stream small house concerts for friends on Facebook every Sunday. I would put up my phone, turn on my backing tracks, and sing for about half an hour. But in two short weeks, it was no longer satisfying, and I started asking my friends if they would like to join me. To my astonishment, I discovered that everyone felt the same way: musicians were more worried about losing their live performances than even about getting sick. We started performing from our homes: pianists, singers, instrumentalists, and the show grew into a real concert series. It also became a bit too overwhelming to do it every week, so we are doing it now every last Sunday of the month. All the concerts are free of charge, and all musicians are also performing for free. We have no sponsors and are sustained only by our enthusiasm and occasional small donations, so it is truly a labor of love. The upside is, we are all continuing to create and inspire each other to go on. It also gives our audience confidence that we are still here for them. Because, let’s face it, when the quarantine is over, and it will be over one day, and we start performing live again, we will have to hit the ground running. People will be starved for live music after such a long dreadful halt, and we will be ready to bring the joy back into their lives.
www.veronicabellsoprano.com
Heavenly Nkumbuzo Nkonyana Sihle Mtitshana
harmonies Melikhaya (Melly) Ndabeni
Melikhaya (Melly) Ndabeni, Nkumbuzo Nkonyana and Sihle Mtitshana are the current members of “Heavenly Quartez”. Formed in 2008 in Cape Town, the group has a mission to inspire their audiences and their incredible talent is sure to do just that. Natasha Barbieri: What was the first song you performed as a soloists?
Sihle Mtitshana: Magical especially when we come together with our harmonize.
Melikhaya Ndabeni: ‘Un Aura amorosa’ from Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart. Natasha Barbieri: What does the name Heavenly Quartez mean to Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: I performed you? ‘Magic’ and sang in the choir. Melikhaya Ndabeni: Quartet from Sihle Mtitshana: ‘Ah, se fosse intorno al heaven. trono’ from La Clemenza di Tito by W A Mozart. Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: A Heavenly Quartet. Natasha Barbieri: When did you first meet? Sihle Mtitshana: A Quartet created from heaven. Melikhaya Ndabeni: l met the guys in high school. We attended the same Natasha Barbieri: What do you want school in Khayelitsha Cape Town. your listeners to take away from your music? Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: Around 20072008 in High School Choir 3. Melikhaya Ndabeni: Inspiration, healing and be motivated. Sihle Mtitshana: I met the guys in different years back in high school but Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: The slogan is joined the group in 2015. ‘Music to uplift your soul.’ We give hope and inspiration. Natasha Barbieri: How do you describe your unique group sound? Sihle Mtitshana: Healing and encouragement. Melikhaya Ndabeni: Popra sound. Natasha Barbieri: Tell us about your Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: Classical most memorable performance to Crossover with a background of choral date? and a bit of opera.
Melikhaya Ndabeni: FIFA World Cup in 2010 seeing myself performing in front of 70 thousand people was a dream come true for me and at that time we only had 3 years as a group. Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: Sharing a stage with the SOWETO string Quartet at KKNK music festival. Sihle Mtitshana: In 2018 we had our show where I sang for the first time in front of my family and friends Natasha Barbieri: If you could do a tour in any country you’ve not sung in before where would it be? Melikhaya Ndabeni: For me that would be Spain definitely. Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: China Sihle Mtitshana: Australia Natasha Barbieri: What do you enjoy about the classical crossover genre? Melikhaya Ndabeni: For me it reaches everyone and it takes me out of my comfort zone and l love challenge. Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: The music is timeless and even if one doesn’t
understand the language they can still feel the emotion behind the song. Sihle Mtitshana: Having the opportunity to try different types of music and do it in my own style. Natasha Barbieri: Do you have a favorite song to perform together? Melikhaya Ndabeni: Definitely for me it’s ‘Unchained Melody’. Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: The ‘African Medley’, it shows our originality and where we come from. Sihle Mtitshana: Nosipho, I like songs that have that intimate feeling and are sung in our own language. Natasha Barbieri: What are some of the things your group has planned for the future? Melikhaya Ndabeni: Touring, touring and touring non stop. Nkumbuzo Nkonyana: To get more international gigs. Sihle Mtitshana: To sing on an international stage.
www.heavenlyquartez.co.za
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