The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting: A Handbook for Achieving Vocal Health

(Paperback)

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While there are many similarities between solo and choral singing, they are not the same discipline, and it is important to realize the different approaches necessary for each. In The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting: A Handbook for Achieving Vocal Health, Olson presents the unique perspective of choral singing from a soloist's viewpoint, providing a clear outline of several issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. She discusses concepts as diverse as body position in rehearsal and acoustic sound production, and she offers practical ideas for solving these challenges. Teaching examples and case studies help illustrate the problems and offer potential solutions for handling the challenges of the choral environment.

After a general overview of vocal technique, the chapters address the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, acoustic, and interpretive issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. Concepts, such as phonation; resonation and timbre; approaches to diction; voice classification; choral blend; interpreting emotion; relationships among choral conductor, singer, and teacher of singing; and the use of vibrato are examined in detail. Concluding with a conversation with two choral conductors, as well as a glossary, bibliography, and index, this volume is beneficial to singers, teachers, and conductors alike.

Reviews

The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting: A Handbook of Practical Ideas for Achieving Vocal Health, by Margret Olson, is chock full of probative insights and singular advice for the voice teacher and choral conductor. Specifically, the message is the care and feeding of the solo singer in the voice studio and the choral rehearsal, taking into account myriad potential emotional, intellectual, and egocentric mine fields that must be skillfully navigated. It is refreshing to read a book about singing replete with new ideas. Each chapter will be of particular interest to the voice teacher, conductor, and nascent voice student. Olson, obviously a teacher, leads the reader through theoretical to practical solutions about singing, presenting a benign litany of issues /solutions/teaching examples format, concluding many chapters with appropriate and useful vocalizes. -- Dr. Carroll Gonzo, Editor, Choral Journal
The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting covers a wide range of issues, and it is characterized by a reasonable tone, both in the author's attitude toward choral singing, and the nature of the counsel offered to singers who must perform as both soloists and choristers. With this volume, Olson has made a valuable contribution to the dialogue. * Journal of Singing *

Author Bio

Margaret Olson, an independent scholar and writer, has held teaching positions at Morgan State University, Iowa Wesleyan College, and Georgetown University and with the Washington National Opera and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. She has been published in the Journal of Singing and Choral Journal.