SINGING & SELF
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The Love of the Thing
The love of the thing (sourced on Snappa.com, October 5, 2023) Some reflections here in the afterglow of a powerfully authentic and inspiring visit to our campus last week by Shad, Laurier alum and rapper extraordinaire. Too often, creatives stay in their...
I shall not have sung in vain
"Outside the opera house" (uploaded from Snappa.com, Sept. 28, 2023) There are moments these days when I feel as incongruous as this country guitarist outside an opera house--which is not an opera house as I know it--where maybe he belongs more than I sometimes feel I...
The tools we need
It's been a bit of a tricky start to this academic year (understatement). For starters, a colleague died suddenly on the first day of classes, someone who had worked for us for many years, and who worked alongside so many of the students I care for in my opera class....
this old dog’s got new tricks
Riffing in an improv session at the Shenandoah CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute, July 2023 (photo LD Brown Arts) My blogging has been sporadic: forgive me, dear readers. I have been up to all kinds of new tricks, including riffing, death metal growls, jazz stylings and...
I’m not gonna stay in my lane
Stay in your lane (sourced on Snappa, August 3, 2023) One of the gifts of aging is that we start to see more clearly all the ways in which we are hindered from being our fullest self. Among the most pernicious of society's constraints is the admonition to "stay in our...
We are family
https://youtube.com/shorts/Prhug7KQegs?feature=share We are family Dance Jam at Shenandoah, July 2023 (video by Amanda Kind) It's been a while since I've put fingers to keyboard and waxed philosophical on all things voice, singing and identity. To be honest, it was a...
Every little thing
Forest ecosystem (downloaded from Snappa.com May 20, 2023) Spending time in these cedar forests on Salt Spring Island and amongst the marine life on Saturna Island this past week in BC, I've been struck about the interrelationship of all things. There's nothing like...
Maybe they know something
Louis Riel's words (taken in Winnipeg at The Forks, May 24, 2022, Kimberly Barber) Since reflecting last week on the relevance of the performing arts (and more specifically, music and singing) in today’s society, I’ve had many conversations and further thoughts. I...
Changing Landscapes
Spring has sprung (Kimberly Barber, May 1, 2021) I'm a gardener, so this time of year is my favourite: when things begin to burst back into life and the landscape changes. It's been a slow spring this time around; after some beautifully warm days in early April,...
Endings. Beginnings.
Endings beginning (sourced on Snappa.com, April 20, 2023) Spring is here (sort of). As the bulbs and shoots push through the dead leaves and other detritus with the literal force of nature, it seems appropriate to muse upon the beginnings that spring from endings....
One thing at a time
One little troll (K. Barber, June 2022) A little whimsy might be in order this week, given that I've had a couple of weeks of no posts due to sheer and utter craziness. And since trolls are one of my favourite whimsical things, and since the theme of the week is ONE...
Let go
Let go (sourced on Snappa, March 23, 2023) Let go. It's one thing that one seems to say often as a voice instructor (and singer), whether to one's students or to oneself. As one of my former teachers used to like to say, "let go and let God"; he was quite a spiritual...
ImPerfect As We Are
The Court of Last Resort, Little Women 2023 (photo by Kaela Bosch @kaelaboschcaptures) from l-r Grace Ronan, MacKenzie Sechi, Keiko Larocque and Katrina Elms (Xander Bechard hidden!) Our Little Women opened, ran, and closed last weekend. It was a triumph for everyone...
Power Women
Power Women--taken at Little Women dress rehearsal, March 8, 2023 (l-r Kira Omelchenko, Kimberly Barber, Kate Carver, Dana Fradkin) In honour of International Women's Day, I bring you: Power Women. At Opera Laurier, I have built a reputation for hiring amazing...