The Voice of a Diva
Handel’s divas were the leading singers of their day, with busy careers and adored by their followers, but what was it like for them to sing such bravura repertoire so often? How were they trained, how they did cope with the demanding workload, and did their voices suffer? We will examine these issues and gain insights into the difficulties that opera singers faced in Handel’s time and continue to face today in a chaired discussion with two leading experts in the field.
Richard Wistreich is Director of Research at the Royal College of Music, a former professional singer, and a music historian with a particular interest in vocal performance in Europe between 1500 and 1800. Declan Costello is a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon specialising in voice disorders; he is based in London and Wexham Park (Slough) and works with many professional singers.
All attendees are welcome to join us after the chaired discussion for a drinks reception to continue the debate.
Please note that tickets for this event should be booked directly through the Royal Society of Medicine’s events department either by telephone on 020 7290 3855 or online at www.rsm.ac.uk/events