Riddle Me This...: Crossover Repertoire (part one)

Monday, November 30, 2020

Crossover Repertoire (part one)

Classical Soprano seeking manageable musical theatre song to perform so she can have a glass of wine, eat some chocolate and not worry about singing in another language

cross·o·ver

/ˈkrôsˌōvər/

noun

the process of achieving success in a different field or style, especially in popular music

We’ve all heard the term “crossover artist” before but what does that mean? In laymen’s terms, it means that a performer can be trained and often classified in one “type” of music, i.e. opera, musical theatre, pop, etc. But we’re seeing more and more artists crossover into multiple genres (think Kelli O’Hara at the Met, Sara Bareilles on Broadway, Reneé Fleming recording a jazz album, etc.)

I’m a big fan of crossover because a) I do it a lot and b) it pushes singers to learn to step outside their comfort zone and learn more about what our incredible instruments can learn to do!

But perhaps you’re a trained opera singer trying to sing musical theatre? Perhaps you’re a pop singer trying to learn a more legit style? It’s sometimes hard to find the right repertoire to start with in order to get that muscle memory and vocal vocabulary as part of your new and improved “norm”. Switching back and fourth between genres can seem daunting at times, but trust me - it’s all your voice, it’s all the same approach, just with different vowels, different sensations and different diction.

Let’s start with classical sopranos who want to crossover into musical theatre…

There is a lot of incentive here for classical singers to get in touch with their MT style, since many opera houses are doing musicals as part of their seasons. So let’s start with the most obvious choices for finding good musical theatre repertoire for the classically trained soprano:

Rodgers and Hammerstein
Stephen Sondheim
Jerome Kern
Marc Blitzstein
Kurt Weill
Ricky Ian Gordon
Lerner and Loewe
Harnick and Bock
Schmidt and Jones
Leonard Bernstein
Frank Loesser
Adam Guettel

Just go on a deep dive into these composers and you’ll find a plethora of songs that are well suited a classical sound.

But, here are some of my favorites that are slightly more off the beaten path. (It’s okay if you just want to sing “Vanilla Ice Cream” but you better do it damn well, since 500 girls in front of you will be doing the same thing!)

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You just want some schmaltz!!!

"The Song is You" - Music in the Air - Jerome Kern