The Boston Singers'
Resource (BSR) is a website for the New England music community, but
it also is much more. It is a commitment to a community of individuals,
and a passionate intention to nurture them and promote their singing
careers. The force behind the BSR is Lynn Shane, a self-defined "crossover"
singer who works in both classical music and theater venues. She was
inspired by the benefits that networking organizations such as The New
England Theatre Conference and Stage Source have provided to the New
England theater community, and had long dreamed of creating a similar
resource for classical singers.
"I've always
been 'the organizer,' " Shane said recently, "the one who
gathered all the kids in the neighborhood to put on the plays in the
garage, etc. So people who know me are not surprized that I started
this group."
The mission of BSR
is to strengthen and enhance the New England classical singing community
by providing a place for networking and promoting new singers. From
January to October 2001, Shane worked with Web designers Phil Montero
and George Hughen to design a user-friendly site to meet these goals.
She spent last summer compiling an extensive mailing list of nearly
1,500 people to whom she mailed an announcement about the site when
it was unveiled in October 2001.
The site can be
found at www.bostonsingersresource.com.
It is a wellspring of links and resources available to its 200 plus
members, which presently include singers, directors, producers, accompanists,
and composers from all six New England states. Resources include audition
information ,message boards, a searchable directory, products, and event
calendars. Membership costs $25/year for unlimited access.
In addition to distributing
information to singers, the site also provides a service for brides,
churches, and event planners seeking singers and accompanists.
Perhaps the most
exciting feature of the site is that it offers information about the
BSR Annual Auditon, the organization's first major activity held on
March 22 and 23 of this year.In the audition, singers are given four
minutes (or six minutes if the accompanist also is auditioning) to perform
to a room full of regional directors, producers, and composers who may
call the performers back to discuss contracts or further auditions.
Shane explained, "This allows singers to sing for a lot of organizations
without having to schedule individual appointments, and likewise, auditors
can screen many singers at once."
In its short tenure,
BSR has already completed its first major event and its database is
growing every day. But Shane clearly has far-reaching concepts for her
organization: "(The BSR) is primarily a functional group for information
right now. I look forward to expanding this way of thinking to include
more peer support and recognition," she said, adding that she is
interested in creating on-going workshop opportunities and discussion
groups that are specific to New England and classical singing.
Shane said that
she has found it rewarding to create a centralized location for the
New England singing network, which has for years functioned by word-of-mouth.
She noted that one of her major marketing challenges is to reach individual
artists who are not associated with a specific group or academic institution,
and therefore may not have received her initial mailing.
Shane admitted that
she also struggles with directors and producers who are hesitant to
use the Web-based resource she has created because they are attached
to their own personal networks. This has not been a surprise to her,
but she remains hopeful. "While I realize that larger organizations
like Boston Lyric Opera, Handel and Haydn Society, and the Boston Symphony
Orchestra will always use soloists of national and international stature,
I am hoping that they will recognize the value of building community
singing spirit and join us," she said. "These organizations
could find other ways to support the BSR," Shane suggested, "such
as through community outreach, education, mentoring,and advisory programs."
Shane summarized
her hopes for the BSR this way: "There are many of us who, by choice
or not, cannot travel around the world to sing and audition. It is important
for us to ally with one another and with other regional arts organizations
to instill a sense of pride and ownership in this place we call 'our
arts home.'"
Indeed, www.bostonsingersresource.com
is far more than an arts Website: it is a place vocal artists can call
home.
BSR
NEWS BULLETIN
Click
here to enjoy reading about BSR members featured in past issuesof the
Bulletin:
MEMBER
HIGHLIGHTS
OTHER
ARTICLES AND SPECIAL FEATURES:
NEW:
2004 Director's Meeting minutes! A two hour forum with 17 leading
NE area directors transcribed for your perusal.
An Interview
with Timothy Banker, Co-Producer of "From the Top" weekly
radio shcw.
Exposure
and Encourgement
Ed Justen interviews invesigates the joys and challenges of keeping
kids singing in today's busy world.
The
Boston-NYC Connection:
Contributing BSR members offer stories
and advice about commuting to New York regularly for singing. A list
of NYC resources and member biographies follows the article.
Strength
in Numbers;
A feature article on BSR reprinted, with permission, from Classical
Singer Magazine.
The
Japan Journal:
BSR member, Rich Bissell, shares his month-long experience as an american
opera chorus ringer for "Peter Grimes" in Japan, 2002.
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