By Natasha Barbieri
How did you get into music and discover your voice?
I have been singing and ‘hamming’ it up, since about the age of three, according to my mom I didn’t really discover my own voice – my elementary school music teacher did. She told my parents that they should look for a good voice teacher for me when I was about eight. After that, Charlotte Church’s first CD came out, and I began to sing along with her in my room. One day, my mom walked by my door and thought the CD was on, when in fact, it was me. We began the search for a proper voice teacher the next day! What followed, has been a wonderful ride of singing and performing, in front of all kinds of audiences, which is what this passion is all about!
What do you think of classical crossover?
I am always a bit puzzled about the ‘controversy’ concerning crossover music v.s. purist classical music. I think it is really silly really, beautiful music is beautiful music, isn’t it? They can co-exist, and borrow from the other. Besides, if crossover music brings more people into the classical realm, what could be wrong with that? I love singing both, although lately, I have been singing mostly classical pieces, as that is the direction I want to go [in].
You were offered a contract with Sony and have sing released your debut album. Tell us about the recording process; how long it took, song selection, the musicians and your favorite track.
The experience at Sony Classical NY was amazing. I was blessed to be signed there by a visionary – Mr. Peter Gelb, who left Sony right after he signed me, to take over the directorship of the Metropolitan Opera. Along with Mr. Gelb, I was honored to have the support and friendship of Jeremy Caulton, whom I adore. Choosing the songs for the first CD, was a joint effort. The creative team at Sony asked me to send pieces that I wanted to be considered, and then they made other suggestions as well. The title song, “Simple Gifts” was one of their suggestions and it was perfect. Because of the many corporate transitions at Sony, shortly after Peter left for the Met, we ended up recording the CD at Colorado Sound Studios, here in Denver. I had a fabulous accompanist/arranger Deborah Schmit-Lobis, who plays with the symphony here, the Central City Opera, and has toured with Andrea Bocelli. She gathered the musicians for my project, and di the arrangements, too. I absolutely love the recording process! It is such fun – lots of work – but fun. The entire project from start to finish took about 3-4 months. Live performing is my first love, because of the connection with my audience, but recording is lovely too.
My favorite track off ‘Simple Gifts’ is probably ‘Requiem for a Soldier’ because of the important meaning behind it, and it was the one piece that required the most work to get permission to record. I also love singing the ‘Titanic’ theme in Italian, and probably my most requested songs to sing are, ‘Wishing you were somewhere here again,’ and ‘Ave Maria.’
Is it true you worked with Charlotte Church’s vocal coach (Louise Ryan) and songwriter Paul Weston? Tell us a little bit about your collaborations and recent UK trip.
My trip to the UK was wonderful mainly because of all the supportive, lovely people I met while there. I had a unique opportunity to meet and work with Paul Weston, who now is a very special friend, and has visited me and my family in Colorado several times. I also had the pleasure of meeting and singing for Louise Ryan. She is a fun, irreverent spirit – just like me, and so very talented. We rehearsed a song that Paul had written, and she had arranged, then I later recorded with Al Stelle at Shabbey Road Studios in Wales. It was also my privilege to meet in person my dearest fan and friend, Keith Sheel. Meeting him was made even more special because he passed away shortly after I left.
As an artist you have had to deal with many ups and downs, how do you cope with the bad times? And what can we expect from you in the future?
Honestly, I have had very few ‘downs’ in my journey so far. When they do occur, I have the support of my family, friends, fans, and my faith, to get me through, along with my ‘constant’ comfort, my music.
For my future, I am taking the steps to embark on a full-time opera career. My goal in a couple of years is to get into the Lindemann Opera Apprenticeship Program at the Metropolitan Opera and reunite with Peter Gelb, and Jeremy Caulton, and hopefully make them both proud!
Featured in our Spring 2007 Issue.
Follow Taylor’s career at taylorcarusokirk.com
