Have you ever heard of Michael Chance? No? Too bad, because he's a great singer. He's a counter-tenor and there aren't many good ones. His voice sounds beautiful and natural and he's a Musician. You know, there are a lot of singers who just love the sound of their own voice and pay no attention to what the composer wated to say. That's not the case here. Michael uses his divine voice to get the message to us.
It has been my dream to meet him. Or even better - to have a singing lesson with him. Well, I thought that was nearly impossible. I'm so happy that I was wrong! On the 31st of October our ensemble took part in a workshop with Chance. It's really amazing that he managed to find time for us and didn't ask for money. And mind you, he taught us and then jumped on a plane and went to the Hague (he teaches there). So he's not only an exellent singer, but also a good person.
We sang William Byrd's Mass for four voices. I know that our singing is not great. In my opinion we sound too Russian, you know, like Russians pathetically trying to sing English music. And it's not the question of singing technique or music education - we just can't help thinking like Russians in the 21st century instead of trying to think like English in the 17th century. For me that is the main problem. But Michael said that we could still do it well, even sounding Russian. And he helped us find the right sound and the right energy to sing this music.
He said that he might be in Moscow in December and that he will try to find the time to give us another lesson. To tell you the truth, I can't wait.
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