Vocal Music
A creative approach to vocal technique, this vocal music class will include breathing, placement, sight singing and music reading/theory. Students will work on singing solo numbers as well as in groups. Special attention to building confidence and working together cooperatively will be important parts of the class.
THE INSTRUCTORS
Conrad Erdt
VOCAL MUSIC
Conrad Erdt has accompanied a Who's Who of noted musicians, Broadway performers, and film actors in venues including Weill Recital Hall, Upstairs @ the Duplex, the 55 Bar, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and the NJPAC Victoria Theater, just to name a few. Some eclectic highlights include performing with a ranchero band in New Mexico, an improv comedy troupe in Manhattan, and a Polynesian band on Emeril Lagasse's TV show. Conrad has written and performed original songs at the Triad Theater, and his recorded piano improvisations were used to accompany an Off-Broadway play. He's played private functions for Lachlan Murdoch, Simon and Schuster, Bette Midler, and the late Michael Chrichton, and Conrad has also been in shows featuring Jackie Mason and Jim Gaffigan.
Melanie Hope Long
VOCAL MUSIC
Praised by Opera News for her “bright, vivacious” and “particularly promising young voice” soprano voice, New York City-based soprano Melanie Hope Long is a promising, emerging talent in the operatic world today. Ms. Long attended Mannes School of Music and received a master’s in music, and holds a Bachelor’s of Music Degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Melanie’s diverse operatic roles include Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, Kupava in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka, Danica in Missy Mazzoli’s The Listener’s, and Spring Fairy in Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Melanie is an active recitalist in the Manhattan & New Jersey area, where she’s performed many works from aria excerpts to art songs, ranging from bel canto through contemporary. Melanie’s repertoire ranges from Handel to Verdi, as well as brand new opera and workshopping with modern composers like world renowned composer Missy Mazzoli. Melanie has performed Berlioz’s Lelio with the NJ Symphony and has performed across Europe and the US.