The world of classical music is competitive and it’s important to make the most of your natural talents including speaking well.  Being able to introduce your concerts and recitals is a very useful skill that can enhance the performance experience for you and your audience. 

 

People love to be spoken to and your personality can shine through if you are able to speak in an assured yet informal manner: this can relax you and your audience and result in a more satisfying performance.  A few, well-chosen words from you can bring your songs and arias to life much more than detailed programme notes.

 

Some operas and operettas include spoken dialogue which sometimes needs to be projected into a large auditorium or theatre.  From my experience it’s important to realise that there is a subtle but crucial difference between projecting speech and singing. 

 

 

Picture: Rehearsal for Puccini Opera Gala at the Drapers' Hall, London