Mechanically Speaking with Klea Blackhurst

Singing isn’t a mystery based on talent. Everyone has a voice and should use it.  The larynx is basically a valve that works day in and day out  involuntarily. It provides open passage for the air we breathe and slams shut to keep food and drink out of the airway when we swallow. Its primary function is to keep us alive. Its secondary function is the thrilling ability to produce sound.  Many people take it for granted and are unaware of its purpose or prefer to be enchanted by the mystery of it all. In this class, you’ll experience my belief that knowledge is power, everyone has the same basic equipment to use, and familiarity with anatomy can solve a myriad of vocal challenges. And it  doesn’t have to be about just fixing problems, knowledge can also provide freedom to execute exciting new choices in the performances we give. When we take a song apart technically we can put it back together artistically. That is how we make magic and that is how we ensure that the magic can be repeated.  Anatomy and acting come together in a technique that is the foundation and cornerstone of my personal technique. Please bring songs you know well and have memorized so that we can jump right into interpretative work.

Klea Blackhurst is an actress, singer and comedienne known for her award winning tribute Everything the Traffic Will Allow: the songs and sass of Ethel Merman.  An old school Broadway belter, Klea has taken that natural quality and brought it into the 21st Century allowing for more range and expression.  A student of the late voice researcher Jo Estill, Klea learned to sing from both a physiological and interpretive point of view.  She has conducted master classes in high schools, colleges and universities in many of the cities in which she regularly visits and works. She teaches privately through Klea Blackhurst Studio and is delighted to be teaching with Singnasium. She is a distinguished Alumna of the University of Utah.

$450

Thursdays, 6:00 - 9:00PM 
March 21-April 25 (6 weeks) 
AMDA Studios 244/250 W 54 Street
Teaching Artist: Klea Blackhurst
Musical Director: Dan Furman
Max Enrollment: 8