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Teaching Philosophy

Thank you for your interest in singing and the arts. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to interact with some of the greatest opera singers and learn from distinguished pedagogues, conductors, and coaches. My most influential mentor was the late Franco Corelli, and it was a privilege to have known him and worked with him. From our first meeting in Pittsburgh in 1992 until my last lesson with him in 2002, I considered myself fortunate to have been in the company of this legendary artist. During my time of study with him, I felt grateful to have a connection to a golden age of singing. Franco Corelli was a remarkable man, kind and generous. They possessed an immense amount of knowledge and wisdom about vocal technique and the life of a singing artist that they generously shared with me.

Sam with Franco Corelli and Danielle Orlando at the Pittsburgh Opera Center in 1992

His technique was based on the Melocchi method, of which Mario del Monaco was probably its purest exponent. Maestro Corelli told me during a lesson that They only took two or three lessons with Melocchi himself but instead learned the technique through a student, Carlo Crivelli. The Maestro frequently quoted manual Garcia II and was very fond of his treatise on singing.
Music seeks expression through sound. Like great art, great music examines the human condition and the universe, sheds a discriminating light, challenges perspectives, and leaves the world a better place. The two participants in this creative process are the composer and the performer(s). I am the latter. A composition is akin to a journey where the composer provides the map. This map tells us how fast, slow, bumpy, smooth, loud, and soft the journey will be. This map contains notational symbols and frequently utilizes a foreign language, requiring knowledge and technique. The work may be literary or historical, so a performer must be a scholar. Frequently, it has an emotional component requiring empathy and wisdom. And even though an opus is practiced and practiced, it must appear fresh at the moment, with imbued clarity and depth to be conveyed effectively. This art does not exist on a floor, shelf, or wall. It exists in time and is delivered through live performances. I enjoy the privilege of bringing works to life and sharing them with the public. In singing, a student’s obstacles to learning are numerous. His sense of hearing can be a particularly difficult hurdle to overcome. Due to strictures imposed by physiological acoustical phenomena, students cannot hear themselves accurately. The late vocal pedagogue, Dr. Richard Miller, stated in his book The Art of Singing, “I teach hearing the voice.” There are issues of self-identification and psychological complexities that the student needs to discover, understand, and address. This re-training is challenging given these acoustic, physiological, and psychological perceptions and their consequential muscle memory. It takes time, clarity of purpose, and individual attention to affect change. My students are taught the science and art of cultured singing. I begin with the basics: posture, breath management, and support. These basics emphasize to the student that his body is his instrument. As the students begin to grasp these basic ideas, more advanced concepts are introduced, including phonation, resonance, articulation, and registration. When students possess a free and resonant tone produced with apparent ease from bottom to top, they have at their disposal an instrument capable of accomplishing the intentions of the composer. With this technical expertise, the students can bring their abilities to performance, keeping it fresh and vital. I always remember one thing Maestro Corelli said to me in a lesson: “The imagination is very important to the singing, as the mind controls the voice.” if you can arrive at that point, you can achieve greatness. I find immense joy in enabling a student to find the true nature of their instrument. When that happens, every voice is beautiful. If you can match the pitch, you can sing! Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see someone discover the true nature and potential of their God-given throat. So, whether your interests are classical, jazz, musical theater, pop, country, or singing in a choir, I look forward to helping you discover your true potential and the joy of singing and making music.