Singing Studio

 

 

Annalisa has a very limited number of students of all ranges, and of all levels. Students are currently performing in major Australian productions as well as starting from the very beginning. She does not teach young children, or students until they are at least 17 years of age.

  • speaking and singing beautifully
  • self expression and self confidence
  • body awareness and correct posture
  • correct breathing techniques
  • how to self analyse, recognise and correct singing problems as they arise
  • languages and interpretation
  • phrasing and stylistic knowledge
  • performance style and stage craft
  • prepare for examinations, auditions, scholarships and eisteddfod on international and national levels, mindful of the age of the voice and the individual capabilities of the student him/herself
  • enjoy themselves and their learning experience

 

 

AT ANY LEVEL:

Annalisa studied a European vocal technique with Antonio Moretti-Pananti, in Florence Italy for 6 years. She also studied with Margaret Haggart of Opera Australia, Gerald Moore, John Dingle, Margaret Fielding, Lindsay Saddington and David McSkimming. She has a Bachelor of Music in Performance and a Graduate Diploma in Opera Studies, as well as a CILS qualification from the University of Siena. She speaks Italian fluently (albeit with a Florentine accent!), and has a strong acting background.

She teaches absolute beginners through to professionals, with several professionals now starring in major productions throughout Australia.

Annalisa is of the opinion that everyone should sing: beginners and professionals, and enjoys creating an atmosphere of excitement and joy about singing, without judgement, and with the finest technique available

For more information and to see if there are any spaces available, email info@annalisakerrigan.com or call 61 (0)412 907 879. Please note that there is often a waiting list for students, but Annalisa will do her best to fit you in when she can!

 

 

Comments -

(Thank you to students for providing the following!)

"she seriously changed my voice, after six years of lessons, in a week - it was such a simple thing that I was doing wrong! All I could think of was "doh!" Jason, student age 30

(Note from Annalisa - it's not always that easy!!)

"I think the thing about Annalisa is that she gets straight to the heart of the matter. She says singing should be simple, and she has simple ways of explaining complex things. It means that I go away not trying to imitate, but actually understanding what I need to do to make the voice feel freer." Kate, age 20

"She is so kind. I came with absolutely no confidence whatsoever, and she completely blew that out of the water - it meant I could concentrate on just improving, not apologising all the time" Simon, age 28

 

Annalisa's philosophy -

"It is my strong belief that singers, young and old, should not push their voices to the point of creating a brutal sound, just for the sake of carrying across a theatre. A light voice can carry just as well, if it is produced properly and is singing the correct repertoire. It should not be difficult to sing - the voice should feel better when one has sung, not worse, and the body should feel in alignment and the heart and soul enriched

It is an Australian trend at the moment to sacrifice quality of sound for quantity of sound. This is partly because the new opera houses and theatres are too often big - in Germany, the US, Australia and now in Asia. This is the fault of planners and architects and I do not see why audience and singers should have to suffer for their mistakes. The acoustics in the older theatres are generally spectacular - they do not require mammoth voices to sing material that was traditionally sung by lighter voices. I ask producers and directors of the Handel and Mozart repertoire to ask themselves - how resonant were the instruments that played under operatic singers in the last few centuries? (Answer - not that resonant!) And how big were the theatres that these operas were written for? (Tiny and exquisitely beautiful!) And to find venues that show the operas at their best. It is no wonder that audiences are dropping off. How can one appreciate the subtleties of "Un Aura Amorosa", or "Ach, ich fuhls", or "Come Scoglio" in a house that feels as though the singer is singing into cotton wool? Have they ever sat in the Mozarteum in Salzburg or in Carnegie Hall in the US and heard a pin drop?

Singing should always be beautiful - if a person has an enormously resonant voice, and can sing over Wagnerian orchestra, then that is one thing. There are few people who can do this beautifully and those people should be held in the highest esteem. But for those singers that do not have naturally enormous voices, it is not our place to try to sing with that level of sound.

After you sing, you want to feel more relaxed, more fulfilled, more uplifted, and not the other way round. That way you bring your audience with you, heart and soul. You should find the most natural way of singing, and learn how to converse with the subtext and the lyrics, melody and harmonies. Singing is a way of releasing tension around the throat, and of allowing the body to create sound in the most natural way possible.

It is not my job to teach you to sing, but it is my job to help you eradicate the problems you may encounter so that you can sing the way you want to sing naturally. This is mainly tension, and physical and emotional blocks that can be quite scary to release.

Annalisa is dedicated to her students, teaching them to correct their own voices, and help themselves to create a performance technique based around their strengths.

There are only a very limited number of students that Annalisa can take on, for more information please contact info@annalisakerrigan.com, or cal 61 (0)412 907 879.