2009 Summer Vocal Music Academy (July 27th - August 15th,
ages 14-18)
December 31st discount extended to January 10, 2009! Download the registration form here (pdf)
A program where exceptional high-school singers can improve their singing and musicianship under the guidance of professional faculty in an atmosphere of fun and friendship.
"I feel like this program has really helped me to unlock the power
of my voice."
- Maria Yeskie, S.V.M.A. participant
Take advantage of early bird savings! Download the 2009 registration form here (pdf)
The 2008 Summer Vocal Music Academy for teens (yup, that works out to S.V.M.A., pronounced "Svuh-maaaahhhh") was an amazing experience. Solfege Bowl 2008 was a ruthless, brutal battle to the death: Congratulations to The Spinach Slaying Water Wall-E's of Ms. Hanson's Closet, winners of the team competition, and A.J. Berube, winner of the individual competition. See what you missed - download last year's S.V.M.A. brochure (page 1, page 2) or view last year's schedule and faculty information below. Check back in February for details about the 2009 program.
2008 Schedule
Weekdays (Monday-Friday)
Morning Sessions (9 am - 12 pm):
- Vocal Technique
- Proper Vocal Warm-up
- Choosing the Right Literature
- Ensemble Singing
- Duet Singing
- Vocal Health
- Posture and Balance
- Practice Technique
- Projection
- Breathing Technique Stage Presence
- Solfège/Music Reading
- Sight-Singing
- Dictation
- Developing Vocal Range
- Tone Quality
- Audition and Performance Etiquette
- Managing Performance Anxiety
- Music Histor
- Baroque and Classical Ornamentation
Lunch (12 pm – 1 pm + Lunchbox Recitals):
Bring a bag lunch or take advantage of the numerous restaurants and cafés within easy walking distance.
Afternoon Sessions (1 pm – 4 pm):
- Vocal Literature Styles:
- Musical Theater
- Jazz
- Lied & Art Song
- Opera Arias & Recitatives
- Rock/Pop
- Celtic Music NEW
- Solo Singing MasterclassesPrivate Lessons & Coachings
- Jazz Improvisation
- Audition Preparation
- Mock Auditions
- Working with an Accompanist
- Song Study
- Memorization
- Songwriting
Weekend (Saturday)
Final Presentation: Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 1 pm
at the Academy of Music.
2008 Auditions
Entrance to the Summer Vocal Music Academy is determined by painless audition. Please contact Program Director Jane Hanson at (413) 626-2343 to schedule an audition. (Arrangements will be made for those who cannot travel for an in-person audition.) Past S.V.M.A. participants are NOT required to re-audition.
2008 S.V.M.A. Locations
Academy of Music Theatre, 274 Main Street, Northampton, Massachusetts
www.academyofmusictheatre.com
Northampton Center for the Arts (across the street from Academy of Music)
www.nohoarts.org
2008 Faculty
Jane Hanson, Program Founder & Director, received her B.M. in voice from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her M.M. in choral conducting from the Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music (CCM). While at CCM, Ms. Hanson served as conductor in residence and soloist in the Music ’97 and Music ’98 international composition festivals and the CCM Grandin Festival. From 1999-2001, she served on the faculty of the Dept. Of Music and Dance at UMass, Amherst.
As founder and director of Jane Hanson Productions, LLC (www.JaneHansonProductions.com), Ms. Hanson has but one mission for the organization: joy and excellence through the performing arts, providing an ideal balance of passion and technique. The Proficient Musician, founded in 2001, is a division of Jane Hanson Productions, LLC dedicated to providing exceptional skills-based professional development opportunities to music educators and performers. These skills act as a catalyst for the integration of innate musical ability and newfound proficiency, fostering a greater self-knowledge and a deeper enjoyment of music. Under this branch of JHP, Ms. Hanson offers private voice instruction and coaching, master classes, professional development seminars, and residencies.
Ms. Hanson has been fortunate to work with many different arts organizations on varied and interesting projects. In 2006 she directed and conducted Old Deerfield Productions’ presentation of New York-based composer Paula Kimper’s opera "The Captivation of Eunice Williams" at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. In fall of 2007, Ms. Hanson directed a workshop premier performance of another of Kimper’s operas, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey." She is currently preparing to conduct PACE Theater’s hip-hop-inflected version of “West Side Story” at the Academy of Music. Ms. Hanson studied voice and vocal pedagogy for more than a decade with the internationally renowned (late) Dr. Oren Brown, and has been a featured mezzo-soprano soloist with Commonwealth Opera, The Keene Chorale, The Tuesday Morning Music Club of Springfield, the Chamber Music Series at Wistariahurst Museum, and through her own concert series.
James Argiro, Jazz Voice
Steve Biegner, Guest Performer & Masterclass Clinician
John Cavicchia, Musical Theater, Vocal Diction &
Coach Accompanist
Jazer Giles, Contemporary Music & Coach Accompanist
Justina Golden, Celtic Music
Evelyn Harris, Contemporary Vocal Styles & Vocal
Coach
Linda McInerney, Acting Technique
Edward Rosser, Song Interpretation & Coach Accompanist
Alan Schneider, Guest Performer & Masterclass Clinician
Jim Scott, Music Theory & Songwriting
Nadine Shank, Art Song Literature & Coach Accompanist
Paulina Stark, Masterclass Clinician
