Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Holy Child of Boy Sopranos

I have never had the opportunity to work with a boy soprano (treble) so imagine my surprise when recently at the Peterborough Kiwanis Music Festival 12 year old Jacob Abrahamse sang for me!

The first thing that struck me was the power of the sound. Think of the composite voice created for the movie Farinelli in 1994 minus the vibrato. With that power came a great range and a keen musical mind.

After the festival was over, I had the chance to chat with his mom over email. She sent me a link to an upcoming Soundstreams concert featuring Jacob as The Holy Child in R. Murray Schafer's new opera The Children's Crusade. I hope that you take the time to hear this young talent!

For the teachers out there: Who has trained a boy soprano and what considerations did you take for this voice type? How did you work through the transition at puberty and beyond?








1 comment:

music teachers said...

I am also impressed and amused how these young people sound. I have recently watched a play showcasing the talents of a music school in our place and I also wonder how their teachers show their real potentials.

I know that there are available resources for music teachers that provides credible tips in teaching voice to children but I think this job is really for experts.

Thanks for sharing this post!

From the voice of....