Guest Artist Performance

Sunday, November 12, 2017

7:30 p.m.
Reichgut Concert Hall
Seton Hill Performing Arts Center
Domine Deus – J.S. Bach
Zwolf Gedichte nach Justinus Kerner Op. 35 – Robert Schumann
Banalities – Francis Poulenc
Three Songs, Op. 45 – Samuel Barber
“Poseidon Myself” – Peter Mills

Terry Lasut
Class Voice I
Dr. Miller
27/11/17

Voice Recital Review

I attended a guest voice recital given my Sean McCarther on Sunday, November 12, at
7:30 p.m. I was skeptical about going at first. Honestly, once I saw the program and all that was
in it, I thought that it was going to be boring and that I had better things to do. But, that
definitely was not the case at all. He sang several songs. Most of which were a part of a
collection of others. Being accompanied by our own Dave Anderson, these two wonderful
musicians had a story to tell, and they definitely told it. I think that, telling a story with music to
an audience, can be one of the most challenging things to do as a musician. It certainly is
something that I have been working on myself for many years.
Overall, his vocal technique was impeccable, just as expected. Everything was not
perfect, and will never be perfect 100% of the time. But his breathing was very low, slow and
timed with the music. It was difficult to tell, but to me, it seemed that he only took in the
amount of air that he needed for a given phrase.
The quality of his tone was phenomenal. He had a rich and full baritone voice that was
very enjoyable to listen to. And his projection, especially in the concert hall, was amazing. Even
at loud and soft volumes, slow and fast tempos, his tone and projection was the same. All
throughout his register, everything stayed the same. I would say that that is the second most
difficult thing that musicians must perfect.
Another thing I was very impressed with was his stage presence. First, he seemed so
comfortable up there. Personally, I was never one to get real nervous when I have to perform
on stage. But, Sean was very relaxed and not stiff as a board. As I was watching him, I kept
thinking back to some of the student recitals and comparing those people to him. Some of the
students performing their recitals were just not comfortable at all up on stage. You could hear it
in their singing. You could hear the nervousness and tension. With Sean, there was none of
that. He breezed right though his music like it was nothing. I think that is what defines true
talent, making something that is very difficult look and seem very simple.
All of these things have a huge impact on the quality of your performance. The way you
stand, what you do with your body, how you dress, all play a major part in your performance. I
have always been an advocate of dressing your very best for a performance. I firmly believe if I
were to show up to an audition in jeans and a t-shirt, I would do absolutely horrible. The way
you present yourself is a huge determination factor for an audience of what to expect from you.
If you look bad, your performance will be bad. It is that simple. Sean, he was dressed in a nice
suit and tie and it was appropriate for his performance.
Sometimes one of the hardest things for me while performing is what to do with my
hands and body. Being an instrumentalist, my hands are always occupied, but it is the rest of
my body that does not know what to do. I especially hate when I have several measures of
rests, I have no idea what to do with my horn, or with my hands. That is one thing I noticed with
Sean, being a singer, his hands are free to do whatever they want. I found that the way he
moved and used the entire stage and space around him very interesting. Yes, there were times
that his hands were just down at his sides, but when he wanted to communicate a certain
feeling or emotion to the audience he used his hands and body.
As far as his diction goes, that was spot on. Obviously, I did not understand a single
word he sang, but even without looking at the translations, I could kind of figure out what he
was trying to convey. But, his clarity and projection of vowels was done very well. The way he
would sing some of the phrases with such vigor, it just added to the story that he was telling us.
Sean’s musicality was, in my opinion, the best part of his performance. Like I said, I did
not understand a single word of what he sang, but that does not mean that I did not
understand the emotion that he was portraying. I once had a teacher who would describe every
song as being a pirate song or a love song. When you think of a pirate song, what do you think
of? Maybe loud dynamics, a faster tempo, and heavy articulations. When you think of a love
song, what do you think of? Just the opposite of a pirate song, right? Softer and more
expressive dynamics, maybe a slower tempo, and definitely soft articulations. No matter what
he was singing, I could decipher if he was singing a pirate song, or a love song, and then as he
would continue to tell his story, it became easier to put some of the puzzle pieces together.
Overall, I thought that this was a tremendous performance Sean and David. There were
definitely some things that I took away from their performance, and his masterclass on vocal
health, that I can use in my own studies.