I am a soprano, singing mostly opera and art song. I love learning new music, practicing, performing, teaching and collaborating with other musicians, composers, poets and directors. This blog is called Sweet Songstress after the novel by Paul Hiebert entitled Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan, the fake biography of Sarah Binks. I grew up in Saskatchewan and find that it has been a wonderfully inspiring place for writers and musicians for many decades. Even though I now live in Vancouver, I love those wide open skies and fields of the prairies.
I hope this blog inspires you to be as passionate about art song as I am, whether you are a performer or a listener.
Sweet Songstress 
This is a wonderful and extremely useful blogsite. Visually, too, it’s extremely attractive. Thanks for taking the time to keep it up.
I have just read your article in “Sparks and Wiry Cries” about how to get people to come to Liederabende. I too feel that my opera appreciation has been deepened and expanded by supra-titles and, although my instinctive, conservative reaction to having the words on a screen onstage for a Liederabend is negative (reminds me too much of holy-roller churches), perhaps this is the way to go. Certainly, rustling papers and the smattering of bald pates belonging to those attending the recital don’t get less irritating when they are so few in number and so close up.
I would therefore like investigate having ‘supra-titles’ for recitals too. And not just from the viewpoint of audience enjoyment; why can’t supra-titles help the singer too? I may know the song inside and out. But my guts threaten to turn to water when I imagine falling into a memory hole onstage. At my age, if I use printed music as a crutch, I have to wear reading glasses … well, you know how unsatisfying that can be. It’s tolerated for sacred music but not secular.
So, are there any videos of what the supra-titles system looks like in practice? Can it somehow also be modified to back up the singer unobtrusively? Could you point me, for example, at some website to see it in action, or perhaps where it operates physically somewhere near where I live?
I am a Canadian living long-term in Germany – at present in Berlin. I also travel to various European cities from time to time. I sing mainly Lied and Oratorio, a little bit of operette but only in recital.
Thanks in advance for your answer.
Hi Ronald!
Thank you for your comments! I haven’t got any video right now that shows the supra-titles. I’ve asked around and no one seems to have any. This summer I will be sure to get a few examples from our array of concerts at VISI. I really believe that text displayed somewhere on the stage is the way to get audiences more involved in the performance of song. Check out the photo I just posted yesterday of François LeRoux and Erika Switzer — the poem from “Travail du peîntre” is displayed to the side of the performers.