1989 - The Portland Opera - Gave overall view of the mechanics
of the voice and breathing technique needed to perform at a
professional level whether operatic or Pop. Worked with ten
singers of all voices, diagnosing vocal problems and
furnishing technical concepts producing immediate cognitive
response.
The Houston Opera - Gave a Master Class in voice and one in
stage movement to apprentices and interested members of the
chorus, while directing and starring in Henze's, The Young
Lord.
The Honolulu Opera - as above
The Marin Opera, San Francisco. CA - as above.
El Camino Jr. College - Gardena, CA - as above
Marymount College, Los Angeles, CA - as above
Chapman University, Orange, CA
Fort Worth Opera - as above
A Master Class
critique, from Portland Opera's, Michael Berkson
"Dear Richard,
I'm writing to express my vigorous enthusiasm for the splendid
work you did last night in conducting your extraordinary
master class in vocal technique. The insights you shared
provoked significant improvements in all of the singers, and
everyone present was most positively enlightened in regard
to the very practical ways one can exploit his/her existing
resources to sing more powerfully and more beautifully. I
was particularly impressed by the comments you made to
demystify the vocal process; your emphasis on technique, in
contrast to relying on inspiration or good luck, is a most
welcome tenet in the arsenal of any artist ..."
FOR THE FULL PORTLAND OPERA LETTER
< click here
YOU MIGHT FIND THIS WORTH A READ ... :)
A letter to:
Gary Glaze
Chair, Voice Dept.
Flora Thornton School of Music
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, April 03, 2002
Dear Mr. Glaze;
As you know, I have been attending USC for three
years, working toward my Doctorate in Keyboard Collaborative
Arts with Dr. Alan Smith, and have concurrently been a
Teaching Assistant with responsibilities for accompanying
the vocal studios, vocal auditions and other assorted duties
within the vocal arts department. In those three years, I
have had the opportunity to see almost every vocal studio in
the school and watch how the students grow and develop. Now
that my time as a teaching assistant is nearly over, I
wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn
so much from these teachers. I feel strangely wistful
(considering how much work it has all been!) thatt this
great time of learning for me is coming to an end.
With regard to the state of the Vocal Arts Department, from
which I think I have a unique view of the standard and
progress of the various studios, I also wanted to write and
let you know that I was saddened to hear a nasty rumor that
there is a possibility that Richard Fredricks
may not be teaching here next year. I realize that there are
many factors involved in the decisions made with regard to
who is teaching here, from year to year, but as a teaching
assistant accompanying in his class, I have personally found
his energy and vocal standards to be extremely high, and his
students have improved unbelievably from last year. Those
students who are now under his care, have grown in leaps and
bounds from September - I think
there can be no doubt that his studio is dramatically improved over
last year.
It is interesting to watch, from the piano, over the course
of the year, how his students have begun to really "buy
into" his system, and are starting to really believe in
their own vocal potential. Never once has Fredricks been
anything but incredibly supportive, and his vocal techniques
have all of this students developing both much higher ranges
and much higher vocal standards, both in terms of diction
and repertoire. It is hard for me to believe, as I have sat
in his vocal forum classes over the year, to see students
who were struggling with"24 Italian Hits" songs, for their
upcoming jury in previous years, now consistently commanding
attention with much more major arias. Watching these kids
start to actually believe they can sing, is a wonderful gift
that Fredricks has given them, and I know that, over the
next few years, the seeds that are being planted will bear
some wonderful fruit, for the Vocal Arts Department and the
School of Music as a whole ...
I
give Master Classes on request, throughout the world .