Breakout Session
Comedy in Song: Humorous Art-Songs in English
Monday, July 11 • 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Presenters: Loraine Sims, Maria Curry
Introduced by: Jon Secrest
Location: Marriott Ballroom - 4th Floor
When performing recitals, I often receive more comments about the humorous songs in the program than anything else. Each time someone comes to me beaming about how much fun some piece was and how happy it made them feel, I realize that audiences are appreciative of being entertained. Make your recital audiences laugh and they will love you for it. I have learned that incorporating humorous art-songs in English is a vital part of making my voice recitals successful. I will share my ideas on what makes a song funny and how you can communicate many different styles of "funny" to win an audience. The repertoire ranges from familiar to unfamiliar and covers early to current art songs in English. The styles of the pieces are wildly diverse and I hope to make the point that this diversity is what makes using this repertoire so compelling.
About Loraine Sims
Loraine Sims is associate professor and the vocal area coordinator at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she teaches voice and voice pedagogy. She has achieved critical-acclaim for her “vibrant, bell-like soprano” as well as her “warm intimacy, engaging passion and casual artistry.” She is an active recitalist whose voice has been described as “remarkably versatile, ranging from delicate lyricism to dramatic power” and her repertoire includes a broad range of songs and arias from the Baroque through Contemporary periods as well as a variety of selections from the American musical theater tradition. Dr. Sims is the past Southern Regional Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and is also a member of the National Opera Association (NOA) and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She enjoys giving master classes and her students have been winners in national and regional competitions.
About Maria Curry
Maria Curry is a native of Carthage, Missouri. She is a pianist, soloist, collaborative artist and poet. She has traveled the United States performing in solo concerts as a religious singer-song-writer and is an original member of the Precious Moments Singers, the Chapelaires, New Jerusalem, Spirit’s Call, & Brand New Day. She is currently the choirmaster/organist at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church and a free-lance pianist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Honors include Outstanding Music Student Award at MSSU, Outstanding Musician Award at William Jewel College, and the Excellence of Professional Service Award from the Graduate Student Association at PSU. She is a member of Phi Kappa Lambda, Sigma Alpha Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi. Degrees include BA in Piano Performance, BS in Vocal/ Instrumental K-12 Music Education, MSSU in Joplin, Missouri and MM in Theory/Composition from Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas.
