I have been taking part in a series of master classes in Beverly Hills with Maestro Peter Mark and had a significant vocal breakthrough this past weekend.

Of course, such breakthroughs are also a result of the work I’ve done with teachers and coaches on a regular basis … it all adds up to whatever metaphor or instructive device it is that has you “get” something. So along those lines I also acknowledge the many hours spent working with Maestro William Vendice, Renee Sousa and Timothy Leon (all of whom I work with regularly).

Anyhow, I just began working on “Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!“, from La fille du régiment by Donizetti. For those who don’t know, this is the famous aria for tenor featuring nine high C’s.

I have always had a high C … but these recent breakthroughs have made it so that I feel comfortable sustaining it for however long I feel like. Which is profoundly an amazingly satisfying … I always wondered how Pavarotti used to do that!

This is the final high C: