Classical-Crossover.co.uk

[Richard]

Well done Nicola!

Love,

Richard xx

[nicola]

Hey guys, thanks so much! It's been a good and sometimes stressful year!

Half of the competition entries I have at the moment are giving me the incorrect answer to the competition question! ARGH!

If you enter, please look it up. People seem to be making assumptions.

www.classical-crossover.co.uk/blog/1-latest-news/266-anniversary-competition.html

[joanne]

Hello Nicola,

Congrats on CC's first anniversary!! I think it's been very nicely done!

cheers,
Joanne

[Nordly]

Hi Nicola,

Congrats on the 1-year anniversary! Here's to many more to come!

~Nordly

[John]

Opps

I'm guilty of making assumptions and seeing what I expected to see in the artist bio rather than what was actually written.

[nicola]

Aww, you're really not alone, John. I'm sorry for choosing such a question, or including that artist in the selection of artists that everyone is choosing, but I honestly thought that it was common knowledge. I guess not.

[martindn]

Hi Nicola,

And congratulations. Love the site, and I am leased that it has been so successful.

I'm starting to wonder if it is a trick question?? Can't be surely, pretty strighforward I would have thought, and the answer is on you site anyway.

Martin D

[nicola]

Hey Martin,

I think the question is pretty straight forward too. I think many people are just guessing.

The link I originally posted up is no longer working - so this is the new one:

bit.ly/cKzVoC

There are two signed Hayley Westenra CD's in the prize bin on top of another 11 signed crossover albums.

[mihizawi]

Hey, Nicola, congratulations! As you know, I am not a user member of your site, but I find it highly interesting to follow and really admire and appreciate your work on it. So, well done and keep the great work!

Michal

[nicola]

Inspired by Jackie Evancho's recent success, I compiled a list of artists that I predict will be the next generation of classical crossover stars.

I think people here will like the top two artists.

www.classical-crossover.co.uk/editors-corner/blog/1-latest-news/267-hot-propety.html

[martindn]

Good list Nicola!

And yes, I do like the top two from what Ive heard of them.

Martin D

[nicola]

I have compiled a list of all the classical crossover releases due over the coming months on my forum. You can view it here:

www.classical-crossover.co.uk/forums/7-classical-crossover/1901-album-releases-20102011.html

Please tell me of any I may have missed out.

Nic xx

[mihizawi]

Sept 18, 2010 22:09:50 GMT nicola said:

I read an article from a purist slagging of Jackie's voice and what not, which provoked me to write this article:

www.classical-crossover.co.uk/editors-corner/blog/1-latest-news/274-classical-crossover-vs-opera.html

It's in general interest to Hayley fans aswell, as it discussed the misconception that crossover artists are opera singers, etc.

Great article, Nicola, as it was to be expected from you. You know my view on that: I mostly agree, CC singers aren't Opera singers (there are exceptions... Carlos Marin, from Il Divo, used to sing true opera before he joined the group, and I think anyone can notice that he has got the most trained voice of the four). I insist however in making a distinction between Opera and Classical, as I explained in this thread before. I consider some Classical Crossover artists can't be considered Classical musicians, but many others could (Hayley, Méav, Fiona Pears)... Even in your quote, Camilla Kerslake seems to agree with me on that, saying she is a Classical singer (don't know Camilla enough to say if she is fully a Classical artist as I understand the term). The fact that most Classical Crossover artists regularly perform in venues where Classical music is the most common one also seems to point that they are accepted as a part of the Classical world in wider terms (Jackie Evancho being invited to the Carnegie Hall is a clear example). If anyone is interested in more details about my view of what Classical music is, you can look through the pages of this thread.

Oh, and just as a side note... singing closer to Opera doesn't necessarily mean singing better than, for example, a Classical Crossover singer. I couldn't help noticing the epic fail of the AGT judge when saying to Prince Poppycock that he was competing against a great "Opera singer", having in mind Jackie. Jackie has potential for Opera, but she is still far away from it, her technique and singing style is much closer to that of Sarah Brightman, Katherine Jenkins or even Hayley. But, even more: it was Prince Poppycock who was much closer to Opera... Yes, the acting part is an important facttor, but not the only one: his singing technique, the way he used the voice and the expressiveness on it, even though far from perfect, was indeed that of the Opera. Yet, Jackie had a much better voice and as an overall, was singing better, even I must say her voice sounded more trained.

Michal

[nicola]

Hello Michal,

The article was mainly about opera, but referred to classical when talking about instrumentalists (I didn't know how to else to describe the elite version of them).

It's not all clean cut, but when it comes to the topic I was referring to in that article, it was generally accurate. I agree with you about classical singing and opera singing - there is a clear distinction from that. It's that the label of opera singer on Hayley Westenra... well, you can see how absurd that is. Classical, yes, but not opera.

[milewalker]

Personally, while there have been exceptions like Natalie Dessay in general, and an occasional piece here and there, I almost always prefer the lighter crossover sound. To me, real opera singers are overtrained, and all the decoration and embellishment simply gets in the way of the music.

I particularly dislike operatic sopranos in general. I have never exactly figured out why some of them appear to have so much vibrato that I cant even be sure they are hitting their pitch