Posted on 06/20/2005 4:41:42 AM PDT by Jalapeno
June 20, 2005, 12:09AM
Associated Press
Mikhael Rawls sits in his music room at his home in
Bedford. The Texas Music Association has denied his
application to sing soprano in the All-State Choir
because of his gender.
BEDFORD — Singing soprano is for girls only in Texas' All-State Choir, eliminating a 17-year-old boy's chance to audition for a statewide honor and raising questions about gender and vocal performance.
The Texas Music Educators Association denied a petition by Mikhael Rawls of suburban Fort Worth to audition this fall for the elite ensemble as a soprano, a part traditionally sung by girls.
Rawls sings countertenor, a little known male voice part that has surged in popularity in classical and operatic circles in the past decade. He can sing an octave and a half higher than most boys his age, and he feels most comfortable singing in that range. He has even won first place as a soprano in the University Interscholastic League's competition two years in a row.
The association, however, does not allow boys to sing soprano, or alto or girls to sing tenor or bass. Association spokeswoman Amy Lear said the group adopted the rule two years ago because of concerns that girls auditioning for tenor parts were hurting their voices by singing too low.
"If you make a rule one way it has to work both ways," Lear said, adding that the association does not hold auditions specifically for countertenors because the part is rarely included in the group's music.
Neither Lear nor TMEA president Kerry Taylor could think of another male who ever wanted to audition for a traditional girl's part on the All-State Choir.
The countertenor was a popular part in the 17th and 18th centuries, when women were excluded from singing groups, but it was rarely heard of in modern times until an English singer named Alfred Deller revived it about 60 years ago. Today men can be found singing that part in music schools across the country.
"It seems to me that it's time for the association to sort of wake up and see what's happening around not only the United States of America but Europe," renowned countertenor David Daniels said in a telephone interview from London, where he is performing this summer in Mozart's "Mitridate" at the Royal Opera House.
Rawls, who will be a senior in high school this fall, has been singing since he was in the sixth grade. He can sing the lower parts, but it makes his throat hurt. He's worried it also could hinder his ability to hit higher notes later.
"I could do the music just fine and I could sound good on it. But I couldn't practice it enough to where I could make state, because I was too worried about my countertenor voice and the effects it would have on it," said Rawls, who's the only male in his school's female a capella choir.
Taylor, the TMEA president, said he's seen no medical evidence that singing tenor or bass can hurt a countertenor's voice. But Timothy Maguire, a professional countertenor and male soprano from San Francisco, said his doctor gave him strict instructions not to sing that way because it could cause polyps to form on his vocal chords.
Maguire said he's disappointed with the Texas association's decision, especially because a similar group in Illinois let him sing alto and soprano parts at state choir when he was in high school.
"This is an education association that is supposed to be fostering and developing young singers," said Maguire, who wrote a letter to the Texas group urging them to approve Rawls' petition. "Keeping someone from singing what is essentially natural to them is not fostering them."
Participating in All-State Choir is one of the highest honors available for Texas high school singers. Of the more than 20,000 students who audition, just over 500 students are selected to participate in one of three choirs — a men's choir, a women's choir and a mixed ensemble.
Music schools often look for All-State Choir on applicants' resumes, Rawls said, and many recruiters attend the concerts each February. After graduating high school, Rawls hopes to enroll in a dual program with the New England Conservatory and Harvard University to get a joint degree in vocal performance and some liberal arts subject.
Rawls said he plans to focus now on preparing for his college auditions, but he hopes the state association reconsiders its decision.
"It's really for music and for other people that I'm doing this, it's not really just for myself," Rawls said. "I think it's important that these doors can be opened for other boys in my position."
A blunt instrument? An oboe is an ill woodwind that nobody blows good.
Our choirmaster can sing both tenor and countertenor. Believe me, they are handy to have in the house.
And he's perfectly masculine. My husband is a baritone who can sing in the countertenor range . . . and he's six foot six, 250 pounds, a 4th kyu in Aikido, and the proud daddy of two . . . any questions?
Pasha Sha Boom was sung by a "bargain counter tenor".
First LP record I ever had of my very own was a copy of Alfred Deller and the Deller Consort, singing madrigals and songs from Shakespeare.
My church choir has me moving from Bass to Tenor for the last year to fill in. I have a new-found appreciation for a guy being able to hit those high notes. My Director sees my temporary assignment as Diving retribution for having denigrated the masculitity of the Tenor Section for all those years.
If this kid really is able to sing the part, I would love to hear him. At 17, he is old enough to decide which part to sing and to make an informed decision about the risks. How many kids get killed playing football in Texas every year, and the school is worried about this boy getting a sore throat?
Allllllrighty then!
Countertenor is a unique gift, and its quite natural. He has been singing in that range for some time and is apparrnetly quite good.
The Texas rules were designed for a different purpose and are being used in a CYA mode here.
Most choral educators would love the opportunity to do arrangements for that kind voice. Not clear why they won't do so here.
Castrati?
Go back and read it again. He wants to sing the soprano parts. The only time I know of where "guys" sing soprano parts is in boys' choirs before they reach puberty.
Just teasing, of course. I'm not a musician by any stretch of the imagination, and other than listening to Pavarotti, have never enjoyed opera.
One thing you said, though, seems to me to be pretty elemental--and that is that a choir is the use of mutliple voices to create one sound. Guess it shouldn't matter who sings what, as long as it blends. I remember Pavorotti referring to his voice as his "instrument". I suppose everyone should be allowed to "play" whatever "instrument" they have.
Dying playing football in Texas is perfectly acceptable -- it's FOOTBALL!! Singing soprano in Texas isn't acceptable. Apparently, the Vienna Boys Choir wouldn't be welcome in Texas either. Not that Texas needs culture -- after all, they already have football, big hats, big hair, and tumbleweeds.
And even more traditionally sung by castrati.
Vasity tacklde football was traditionally played by boys, too...but that didn't cut any ice with the Title IX government types.
There are other choices. When Schroeder visited didn't Bush have the Texas Boys Choir singint "Tief im Herzen von Texas" with Van von Cliburn accompaning on the hammerklavier?
What would ever give you an idea like that?
I invite you to take a look at my local boychoir and their accomplishments: Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas When they performed in Austria, one of the local papers stated "… probably one of the finest American choirs we have heard [at the Salzburg Dome] with precise singing and perfect intonation." —SALZBURGER NACHRICHTEN
We're quite proud of them around here, and they get a tremendous amount of support and donations from the general public. (And I enjoy bragging about them!).
Listening to boychoirs is such a precious experience, because you know it is a fleeting moment -- 99% of them are going to "voice out" as they mature. I do know of one in that rare 1% that didn't voice out and only left the boychoir because it was time for college (voice major, full scholarship, to SMU).
It was the Texas Frequency Fascists who decided what ranges are acceptable based on gender, not me. Obviously those morons need a good talking-to from the likes of folks such as yourself. If that doesn't work, smack them upside the head!
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message hereI smell a title 9 lawsuit in the making
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