Hitting the high notes
By Mathures Paul
When a six feet plus opera singer turns his back towards the piano, raises his hands heavenward and breaks into an operatic piece, a five-feet three-inch photographer can only jump like a sheep ready to be fleeced! Adam Margulies is in the city to nurture young voices for opera. The New Yorker plans to stay in Kolkata for three weeks, celebrating Luciano Pavarotti and his friends' works at the Calcutta School of Music.
Instead of Providence bringing Margulies to Kolkata, a friend of his made him undertake the trip.
"He left Kolkata long back and now lives in New York. Here I am giving voice training to young and adult students. People in your city are very sweet. They don't speak too loudly, they are too afraid to yell. I am telling them it's okay to be loud, to be aggressive." And how is he doing that? "Imagine there is a snake in the garden. What would you tell your friend? Shout ‘hey’.”
Margulies is also a student who often visits the Metropolitan Opera School. "In New York the level of commitment is much higher. Only the fittest survive.”
One can aim to become an opera singer only when he or she gets over adolescence. "I started at the age of 16. Prior to this, the voice cracks. When I started taking lessons, I was told to forget singing for a year." He soon found himself travelling around France, Germany and Italy picking up various languages.
"On returning, I had to make that tough decision between bass, tenor or baritone. If you make a mistake here, there would be no looking back."
Sheer luck introduced Margulies to the world of opera. "I was travelling with father, who playing some song on the car stereo. Impressed, I picked up the lines. This is when dad decided I should take opera seriously."
Soon he was travelling extensively, one of his achievement being the winner of the UNESCO Orfeo Award for 2005-2006. "I have never been apprehensive about the future. I want to succeed enough to earn a living. Things change and so will I. I grew up listening to Bach and Beethoven and then turned my attention towards opera."
His students here are in the age group of 18 and 73. "Voice accounts for only five per cent of the skills. The rest is your dedication towards music, work ethics and modesty."
On a lighter note, some of the most fascinating moments during his stay in Kolkata have been spent in taxis and buses. "It's dangerous to walk here. In New York, people would have been fined heavily. Cabbies don't care about directions or rules."
When a six feet plus opera singer turns his back towards the piano, raises his hands heavenward and breaks into an operatic piece, a five-feet three-inch photographer can only jump like a sheep ready to be fleeced! Adam Margulies is in the city to nurture young voices for opera. The New Yorker plans to stay in Kolkata for three weeks, celebrating Luciano Pavarotti and his friends' works at the Calcutta School of Music.
Instead of Providence bringing Margulies to Kolkata, a friend of his made him undertake the trip.
"He left Kolkata long back and now lives in New York. Here I am giving voice training to young and adult students. People in your city are very sweet. They don't speak too loudly, they are too afraid to yell. I am telling them it's okay to be loud, to be aggressive." And how is he doing that? "Imagine there is a snake in the garden. What would you tell your friend? Shout ‘hey’.”
Margulies is also a student who often visits the Metropolitan Opera School. "In New York the level of commitment is much higher. Only the fittest survive.”
One can aim to become an opera singer only when he or she gets over adolescence. "I started at the age of 16. Prior to this, the voice cracks. When I started taking lessons, I was told to forget singing for a year." He soon found himself travelling around France, Germany and Italy picking up various languages.
"On returning, I had to make that tough decision between bass, tenor or baritone. If you make a mistake here, there would be no looking back."
Sheer luck introduced Margulies to the world of opera. "I was travelling with father, who playing some song on the car stereo. Impressed, I picked up the lines. This is when dad decided I should take opera seriously."
Soon he was travelling extensively, one of his achievement being the winner of the UNESCO Orfeo Award for 2005-2006. "I have never been apprehensive about the future. I want to succeed enough to earn a living. Things change and so will I. I grew up listening to Bach and Beethoven and then turned my attention towards opera."
His students here are in the age group of 18 and 73. "Voice accounts for only five per cent of the skills. The rest is your dedication towards music, work ethics and modesty."
On a lighter note, some of the most fascinating moments during his stay in Kolkata have been spent in taxis and buses. "It's dangerous to walk here. In New York, people would have been fined heavily. Cabbies don't care about directions or rules."
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