Rejoice greatly: Evansville Philharmonic debut

On Dec. 11 I made my debut with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. I was the soprano soloist for two performances of Handel's Messiah. The first was a candlelight concert at Trinity United Methodist Church in Evansville while the second was presented in the Granary in New Harmony. A wonderful way to start the holidays!

Photo: With tenor Steven Stolen.

Holiday Pops at Victory Theatre

The University of Evansville presented its annual Holiday Pops concert downtown at the beautiful Victory Theatre. I got to sing one of my favorites, the Judy Garland classic: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

Mood Indigo premieres

Yesterday was the inaugural Mood Indigo jazz jam at UE. We had a good crowd in the Ridgway Center. Today we continued our musical adventures as the pre-show act for WUEV's "Happy Holidays and All That Jazz" concert.

Pictured: Lauren McMillen a.k.a Zooey Deschanel

Singing for our Veterans

This week it was my pleasure to sing at UE's Veteran's Day service. Thanks to all of our veterans (including my uncle Harold Smith). I performed the Star Spangled Banner and "He's Gone Away," which makes me think of Civil War as depicted in the film Cold Mountain.

Making an Impression

On November 3, the University of Evansville's Music Department presented its monthly First Tuesday concert. This month's focus was Impressionism. With my colleague, pianist Anne Fiedler, I performed 3 of Debussy's Ariettes oubliées: Il pleure dans mon coeur, Green, and Spleen. I love these evocative songs!

Photo: with my voice colleague, tenor Dr. Gregory Rike (who sang Duparc)

YFS at UK

On Oct. 28, I presented a Yoga for Singers workshop at the University of Kentucky. It was a presentation for the Voice Pedagogy class of
Dr. Noemi Lugo, Professor of Voice at UK and my high school voice teacher!
I studied with Noemi from ages 15-18 and she coached me through the role of Maria in West Side Story.

Tomorrow I'm doing a yoga session for the members of UE's Phi Mu sorority. It seems that everyone is exploring and enjoying yoga...

3 Finalists at Kentucky NATS

On October 22-23, I took 9 of my UE students to Kentucky NATS at Berea College. 8 of the 9 made the semi-finals and 3 were finalists. I was especially proud of my freshmen women: MacKenzie Sweeney won 1st place and Ali Wregglesworth won 3rd in Freshmen Women, and Michaela Tussey was 3rd in Underclassmen Muscial Theatre. The Kentucky chapter is actually closer for us than the Indiana chapter, and I thought the event was refreshingly well run. It was great to judge with my first voice teacher, Dr. Noemi Lugo, to run into Eric DeForrest, who was a student at SUNY-Fredonia when I had my first college teaching jon, and to meet Cynthia Lawrence and other new Kentucky NATS colleagues.

Weekly YFS begins at UE

This morning I began weekly Yoga for Singers at the University of Evansville. Studying for midterms kept some students away but we had a lovely restorative flow. Maybe next week senior Kayla will bring her seeing-eye dog Oreo to join us in Up and Down Dog.

The Hills of Tomorrow

On September 26, I sang a duet with my colleague tenor Dr. Gregory Rike for the Inaugural Concert in honor of UE's new President Thomas Kazee. Doug Reed accompanied us on the organ as we sang "The Hills of Tomorrow" from Merrily We Roll Along. Sondheim seemed an appropriate choice since Dr. Rike was conducting UE's excellent production of Assassins this weekend. As the song lyric says, "may we come to trust the dreams we must fulfill."

Yoga for Musicians (and Monkeys)

Today I broadened my focus to present Yoga Breathing and Meditation for Musicians at UE's weekly music major seminar hour. I introduced pranayama techniques as well as mudras to help in meditation and to combat performance anxiety. The students especially enjoyed my slide of a meditating lemur, although he seemes to be indecisive about his mudra.

Fun at the Faculty Gala

I made my UE debut at the annual Faculty Gala. It was great fun to sing Norina's aria with an appreciative and responsive audience. But I was overwhelmed by the variety of the program: harp, euphonium, guitar, woodwind quartet with harpsichord, brass quintet, sexy Piazzolla for violin, cello and piano. I am excited about my new instrumentalist colleagues. Still I can't escape Shorter. A Shorter grad from the 1970s was in attendance. A biology major turned Episcopalian pastor, this gentleman from Owensboro, KY was there to remind me of my former colleagues.

Yoga, Spirit, and Community

I have been taking class at a number of yoga studios in town but today I received the most lovely note from the teacher at Evansville Power Yoga. "It's always a gift to have you practicing with us. Much Shanti." I am overwhelmed by his words; they exemplify the yogic philosophy but I was both flattered and humbled. What wonderful energy I feel, and I look forward to practicing in this yoga community.

New Music Dept. website

Check out the newly designed website of the University of Evansville Music Department or visit the Voice Area page to learn about my new colleagues.

Sarah McLachlan, singer/yogi, in concert

Last week I got to see Sarah McLachlan in concert at Chastain Park in Atlanta. I suppose it was a conciliatory concert since Lilith Fair was cancelled throughout the South. Sarah sang well, showing good breath control and impassioned expression. It was timely since she is currently featured on the cover of Yoga Journal.

Tiny Dancer on Penny Lane

I have made the move to Evansville! I am excited to explore the local music scene from the Evansville Philharmonic to the German Männerchor. And on my own block I can enjoy the Penny Lane Coffee House, a cool place for a soy latte or vegan scone, once frequented by Penny Lane herself (Kate Hudson in "Almost Famous").

NATS in SLC: Singing and "Postering"

The National NATS conference in Salt Lake City was a wonderful experience for me. It was literally a trip down memory lane to be in the town where I went to high school while encountering colleagues old and new. I had the pleasure of singing on the Graphite Publishing showcase and presented my poster paper on Yoga Breathing and Meditation for Singers. (To see the paper, click on the Yoga for Singers tab on lindalister.com.) Kelli O'Hara's concert and master class were highlights, especially her hilarious rendition of "Opera-It's an Opry with an A."

Druid City/YFS Thank You

I received a lovely thank you note from the students of the Druid City Opera Workshop:

"Thank you for giving us such a wonderful understanding of our bodies and what yoga can do for us as singers. We'll forever cherish everything you taught us!"

It is so rewarding to help empower performers to sing better, to find vocal and expressive freedom. I look forward to many more YFS workshops.

Clara a.k.a. Kelli O'Hara

The National NATS convention is about a month away, and I am excited about the featured performer: Kelli O'Hara. Originally Kristin Chenoweth had been the featured artist, but I suppose Glee and the Broadway production of Promises, Promises created a scheduling conflict. Kelli should be a good replacement. She has similar crossover appeal yet is a bit less known. The original Clara in The Light in the Piazza, she studied with the same voice teacher Kristin did, Florence Birdwell. What a great name! BTW, Kelli had a cruel cameo in Sex and the City 2, so I have to remind myself that she was just acting and didn't mean to demean Carrie Bradshaw.

Druid City Opera Workshop debuts

This week, the Druid City Opera Workshop debuted in Tuscaloosa, AL. This new summer program was created by Paul Houghtaling of the University of Alabama Opera Theatre. I was thrilled to be invited to teach Yoga for Singers at the workshop as well as coach the young singers on their arias. Here's to many more years for Druid City Opera.

Photo: Coaching singers at the "Acting Your Aria" class, with Kevin Chance at the piano.

University of Evansville

It is time for a big change in my life. After 8 years at Shorter College, I have decided it is time for me to move on, thus I have accepted a position at the University of Evasnville. It is an academically strong school with a strong music department, so I am excited for a new start and a new adventure. Click here to learn more about UE

YFS at University of Alabama

On April 14 I presented Yoga for Singers to the University of Alabama Opera Theatre. Director Paul Houghtaling and his students were energetic and receptive to the workshop, practicing pranayama breathing techniques and learning asanas and mudras especially helpful to singers. Here's to more YFS workshops in the future.

Pictured: Cow face pose

Fairy songs revisited

My student Laura Collins sang two songs from my cycle Pleas to Famous Fairies at the Voice Honors Recital at Celebrate Shorter 2010. Her shimmering soprano voice brought my music and poetry to life, luring the audience with her romantic rendition of "Fairy Godmother" and cheering them with her endearing "Tink."

Southeast Regional NATS Winners

I am so proud of all of my students who sang at the 2010 Southeast Regional NATS at Stetson University on March 26-27. The competition was stiff but my students stayed calm and sang well.


From left to right...
Ryan O'Leary, 3rd place Sophomore Men-Musical Theatre
Moi,
Hannah Freeman, 2nd place Sophomore Women-Musical Theatre, 3rd place Sophomore Women-Classical
Emily Tweedy, 2nd place Junior Women-Musical Theatre
Laura Collins, 1st place Advanced College Women-Musical Theatre

Catch me on Naxos

Both of my recordings on Albany Records, The American Soloist and Midnight Tolls, are now on the Naxos Music Library. Members can hear me singing Rodrigo's Cuatro madrigales amatorios or the world premiere of Lee McQuillan's Seasons of Gold. I had a fabulous time recording these works in Prague with Julius Williams conducting the Dvorak Symphony Orchestra.

Photo L to R: Lee McQuillan, Linda Lister, Julius Williams

Yoga for Singers article in VOICEPrints

For a sneak preview of my Yoga for Singers book, check out the article I wrote for the March/April issue of VOICEPrints, the journal of the New York State Singing Teachers' Association.
Click HERE to read the article pp. 4-5.

Sampling Yoga Workshops

I greatly enjoyed my Character Portraits recital and the audience seemed to as well. Besides working on the program, I have been busy with yoga workshops as of late.

February 27 I attended a workshop at Clear Spring Yoga in Chattanooga. I didn't realize until afterwards that the teacher, Manju Jois, is the son of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois who brought Ashtanga yoga to the U.S. It was an intense experience (my hamstrings took a week to recover!) and the Sanskrit chanting was most interesting.

March 7 I took my first class at Rome's new Spring Stone Yoga studio. Beth Novian Hughes teaches a monthly Yoga and Sound Healing class the first Sunday of every month. Since I was the only one in attendance, I got a private lesson. She shared neat insights into toning on vowels and the power of sound to bring peace and harmony.

Character Portraits Recital on March 8

I am busy preparing for my upcoming recital, Mar. 8 at 7:30 pm in Shorter's Brookes Chapel. My program is a unique exploration of different characters from history, literature, and film: Cleopatra (Handel), Shakespeare's Ophelia (R. Strauss), Madge from Picnic (Libby Larsen), Eliza from My Fair Lady (Lerner and Loewe) and Giselle from Enchanted (Menken/Schwartz). It should be a fun evening of music and drama, with a special surprise thrown in.

NATS winners

I am proud of all of my students who sang at the Georgia NATS Student Auditions at the University of Georgia this weekend. The picture features my three 1st place winners, Hannah Freeman (also Miss Shorter), Laura Collins, and Chris Lewis. All three won their musical theatre categories and impressed at the Winners' Concert with their strong renditions of Jason Robert Brown and Maury Yeston songs.

Exploring Handel's Cleopatra

In preparing for my upcoming recital, I have been exploring the character of Cleopatra from Handel's opera Giulio Cesare (1724). This plum soprano role has 6 arias, everything from the coloratura tour de force "Da tempeste il legno" to the sublime sostenuto of "Se pietà di me non senti." I love the stately sensuality of "V'adoro pupille," while "Piangerò la sorte mia" delves into Cleopatra's dramatic complexity. Notable contemporary Cleopatras have included Beverly Sills and Sylvia McNair.

Voce di Roma premeires

The new chamber choir Voce di Roma will make its debut February 6 at 7:30 pm in Brookes Chapel at Shorter College. Tre Appleby will conduct the Dvořák Te Deum featuring Matthew Hoch, baritone, with myself as the soprano soloist.

From Paris and Pontevedro to Savannah and Chattanooga

It will be a busy week for me: first I will be attending the GMEA (Georgia Music Educators' Association) conference in Savannah and then judging the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Guild Voice Competition. Meanwhile, I am still reveling in the success of my production of The Merry Widow.

Photo by Chuck Tedder featuring can-can girls/Shorter students Jenica Reed, Anne Marie Kelly, Emily Tweedy, Tareva Moore, Mary Diesch, and Jasmine Habersham.

"The Merry Widow" runs Jan. 22-23

Shorter Opera Theatre proudly presents Franz Lehar's operetta
The Merry Widow. As the stage director and choreographer of the production, I am proud of the talented singers at Shorter, who also get to test their acting and dancing skills in this production. Performances will be at the Rome City Auditorium Jan. 22 and 23 at 7:30 pm. For tickets, please contact boxoffice@shorter.edu .

Photo by Aimee Madden featuring Emily Tweedy as Valencienne in the can-can.

Excerpts from "The Prince of Tides" opera to be premiered

One should always be ready for unexpected opportunities. 2010 is starting with a new-found endeavor for me. Twelve days before the premiere of excerpts from Andy Fowler's opera based on The Prince of Tides, I was called to step in for an ailing singer. My last week of vacation before the spring semester will be spent learning this exciting new work. On January 10, 2010 at the University of South Carolina, Tim Koch of the Carolina Master Chorale will conduct the excerpts from Fowler's new opera. I will sing Savannah, the suicidal sister (played by Melinda Dillon in the movie) as well as young Lila, her mother, in flashbacks. It should be an exciting (and anxious week) as I do my best to prepare my part. For more on Tim Koch and Andy Fowler, please visit the CMC website at CAROLINA MASTER CHORALE .