Several weeks ago, I blogged about a high school voice student of mine named Jacob who has begun to explore the intriguing possibility that he is a Countertenor…. which means that even though his voice has changed and he is fully capable of singing in the normal male range, he actually feels most “right,” most free, most natural, when singing as a treble. It’s not the kind of thing one encounters every day, and in fact in over 20 years of teaching voice, Jacob is my first countertenor, so it has been an interesting adventure for both of us.
Countertenors are rarely encountered, but I knew that there was a superb young countertenor studying at UW-Whitewater named Brian Zwick – who had been a finalist three years in a row in NATS competition. I had judged him twice, and on a third occasion I actually stepped in and played for him when his regular accompanist was unexpectedly detained and his judges threatened to disqualify him out of the semi-finals because of it. I had just finished playing for one of my own students in the same room and was sticking around to hear some of his competitors, and I wasn’t about to sit idly by and let this fine young singer bounced out of the competition through no fault of his own. (And by the way, the judges were in error in threatening the disqualification.) So I did as well as I could in sight-reading a fiendishly difficult aria by Benjamin Britten – and the fact that Brian sang this piece pretty darned well despite my tortured, error-ridden efforts at the keyboard is a testament to his great skill as a singer.
Anyway, I thought it might nice for my student to meet another countertenor, to compare stories, and most importantly, to hear him sing. So I emailed Brian’s teacher, Brian Leeper, who happens to be a classmate of mine both from Luther and from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where we both studied for our masters degrees. And Brian, one of the finest and most dedicated voice teachers I know, very enthusiastically agreed to my idea for our two students to meet and sing for each other. And that’s how this meeting of the countertenors took place in Brian’s studio at UW-Whitewater. I also brought one of my freshman voice students from Carthage, Nick Huff, a fine young tenor who lives in Kenosha (most of my other voice students were long gone on spring break and obviously unavailable) – and we actually got rolling with Nick’s fine performance of the Italian staple “Gia’il sole dal Gange.” Then it was Jacob’s turn to get up and sing the very same song, but in the treble range of a countertenor. I was so proud of both of them for not being intimidated by the situation and singing so well. And once Professor Leeper had shared his insights on their singing, it was Brian Zwick’s turn – rendering pieces by Vivaldi, Handel and Gluck with consummate musicality and skill. And after that was a time to chat, ask questions, and share a delicious lunch together with my best friend Marshall Anderson, the chair of UW-Whitewater’s theater department, before Jacob, Nick and I headed back home.
It all unfolded exactly as I hoped it would, with both of my students feeling greatly affirmed, and Brian’s student Brian probably felt honored that a high school student he had never met or even heard of was anxious to meet him, sing for him, and hear him sing. And it also got me thinking that many more of these informal get togethers need to happen – since the only time singers from competing schools tend to meet is in the heat of competition. This gathering on Monday had nothing to do with competition or with making or not making finals- but was just a chance for some guys who love to sing to enjoy one another’s gifts… the first of many such get-togethers, I hope.
pictured above: My students Nick Huff and Jacob Beckman listen to Brian Zwick sing, with his teacher- Brian Leeper- at the piano. Below: Now it’s Jacob’s turn!
