Tracing Porpora

Posted byDeborah Wai KapohePosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , ,
Nicola Antonia Porpora

In 2021, I will be performing live. All of these concerts are building upon the techniques I am studying in historical vocal pedagogy. These live concerts are listed on this website. One of these concerts is called “Tracing Porpora”. This concert will be performed in May 2021, with Dr John Linker at the Christchurch Transitional Cathedral in New Zealand.

Tracing Porpora is a concert which features the extraordinarily beautiful, but difficult, music of Porpora, the great, great, great, great, great, great, grand daddy of the vocal technique I pursue and adore. This concert traces his legacy. Music includes music by Porpora, Mozart and Donizetti.

Here is a very rough diagram, showing Porpora at the top and the branch of singing teachers and pupils that I am studying. Many of these people wrote singing books, diaries etc. It is a wonderful resource for learning how to sing Bel Canto (Old Italian Singing School Method).

A rough family tree from Porpora to New Zealand

Here are some Spotify playlists I have created of singers listed on the whiteboard. These may be of use to young singers who are seeking to understand where their technique has come from. I hope you enjoy listening to these wonderful and, most importantly, original, singers.

Published by Deborah Wai Kapohe

I am a professional classical singer with strong crossover ability. I have been in the music business since my graduation from University in 1994. In addition to singing, I have been trained to a high level in classical guitar and brass. My guitar playing enables me to self accompany; I perform professionally as a self-accompanied singer. My brass playing facilitates my playing of Taonga Puoro (traditional Māori instruments). I have begun to focus on my YouTube channel now that my studio is full. I have called this channel 'The Complete Singer' because I am not only a singer, but also a teacher and singer-songwriter; I write songs professionally as well as for relaxation. I believe that old fashioned singing techniques, developed over hundreds of years in Italy, should form the foundation of good singing. I practice exercises daily from books written by Garcia, Marchesi and Melba. In addition to these exercises, I add modern singing exercises. Therefore, this forms the basis of my teaching.

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