There is more to the human voice than just an instrument for singing.
The University of Lethbridge welcomes renowned New York based vocal instructor, director and performer Richard Armstrong to be part of the Crossing Boundaries: Keynote Conversations in Fine Arts series.
He will be presenting a free lecture tonight at the Dr. Penny Foster Penny Building as well as will be spending Saturday in a vocal workshop with 14 students.
“ I won’t be teaching you how to sing (in the lecture),” Armstrong said.
Reflecting on his vast experience teaching voice, Armstrong will discuss his unique approach to vocal training and the full expression of the human voice in performance. The lecture is relevant to actors, singers, dancers, storytellers and composers of all levels of experience.
He will be presenting a tree day workshop at the Banff Centre beginning on Monday. There is one spot left for that. To enrol contact the registrar at the Banff Centre. He has been teaching his workshops in Banff for the past 30 years.
“ The voice is connected to your own personality,” he said adding he will be advising people how to better connect the two as well as some mechanical details about the voice.
“The voice is a prominent part of one’s artistic tendencies,” he said.
“Most people approach the voice as a manifestation of their personalities,” he continued.
He will also be reading excerpts from his upcoming book about the voice.
“ It‘s part personal memoir and part anti-textbook,” he said.
With over 45 years of experience studying and teaching voice, Richard Armstrong’s distinction as a teacher, director, composer and performer has taken him to over 30 countries and inspired a generation of performers and their work. His unique experience as a pioneer of the extension of the human voice began in the 1960’s when, as a founding member of the Roy Hart Theatre in France, he helped create one of Europe’s most influential schools of voice and body research.
The seminar begins at 7 p.m. in Room PB210 in the Dr. Penny Foster Building Downtown.
The Saturday workshops in the David Spinks theatre at the University of Lethbridge