food

One of the greatest loves of my life is food. I love reading about it, growing it, making it, and of course eating it. This is not unusual among singers either! I have had part time jobs in cafes and restaurants to make some money to help pay for singing lessons - I’m sure you know or have been served by people working between music or acting jobs.

When I travel I love trying out new dishes and dream of coming home to recreate them, even if they never quite taste the same! I will greedily ask you what you ate on holiday, in a restaurant, or made for your dinner party.

This month which is often associated with summer holidays (for those of us in Europe), I thought it might be fun to talk about food and singing - what foods do famous singers eat? What is advised for singers to eat/avoid? And of course some recipes to try that are associated with some of our operatic heroes.

What should I avoid eating when singing?

Well, this escalated quickly - and the truth is… that there are no hard and fast rules! Know your own body, and respond to what works for you. There is no evidence that certain foods will be good or bad, only general advice linked to reflux and heartburn.

I recently ate ice cream just before singing, and it was delicious. Dairy is not an issue for me personally, but if you notice any extra phlegm that inhibits your singing, you might want to time it so you don’t have it right before singing. But don’t presume or deny yourself certain foods if they don’t cause you issues.

Reflux

Reflux can affect the quality of the voice, causing irritation and inflammation. There have been studies that link singing/professional singers and reflux, the link is not entirely clear, the linked study was with a small number of singers. You can read it here:

If you work with and are generally more aware of your body and small day-to-day differences, you may be sensitive to changes others may not notice.

If you are experiencing problems like waking with a scratchy throat, feeling burning in your throat, hoarse voice, bad breath, bloating/heartburn, you should speak to your pharmacist or doctor for advice.

Some of the causes of reflux can be:

• Eating certain foods/drinks (coffee, tomatoes, fatty foods, alcohol, spicy food, chocolate)

• Eating late at night

• Certain medicines

• Pregnancy

• Smoking

• Being overweight

• Stress and Anxiety

So to try and reduce symptoms it is suggested you:

• Lose Weight if overweight

• Find ways to relax/destress

• raise the head of your bed when asleep by a couple of inches to use gravity to help

• Avoid food/drink that exacerbates your personal symptoms

• Don’t smoke

• Don’t drink alcohol

• Wear clothes that are loose around your middle

  You can find more information here:

  NHS advice on Acid Reflux

Anecdotes

We’ve covered the science, we’ve discussed what should be sensible, so now we can enjoy the stories and the recipes!

• It is said Pavarotti asked for three roast chickens to be available at all times where he sang. He was also famed for cooking certain pasta dishes for his friends for which there are recipes online

• San Francisco opera published a recipe book called “What Aria Cooking” published by SF Opera Guild in 1974, with favourite recipes of the stars including Leontyne Price’s ‘Crabmeat Imperial Casserole’, and Tito Gobbi’s ‘Pasta alla Tito Gobbi’. I feel I need to hunt this down! There are several other cookbooks around with recipes from opera singers

• Callas would collect recipes from famous cooks and hotels when she travelled, but was said to rarely if ever cook them. She ate mainly steak and salad to maintain her slimmer figure after her weight loss

Remember that what you eat will power you through your work - so balance the good and the not so good, and consult a personal trainer/nutritionalist if you wish specific personalised guidance to help you improve your fitness or lose weight.

Always consult your doctor if you have any concerns and before making radical changes to your fitness and diet.

I hope you enjoy trying one of the recipes below - a cocktail, pasta dish, and classic pudding for your enjoyment.

Please comment and let me know if you try one of them!

• Opera Cocktail

  1 and a 1/2 ounces of gin

  1/2 and ounce of Dubonnet (the red version)

  1/4 of an ounce of maraschino liqueur

  Dash of orange bitters (optional)

  Twist of orange or lemon peel, or slice of orange to garnish

  Method:

  1. Shake together the gin, Dubonnet, maraschino liqueur and bitters (if using) in a cocktail shaker with ice, until the cocktail is mixed and chilled.

  2. Strain the mixture into your choice of glass, and garnish. Serve with a name drop of the last famous singer you made the drink for at one of your many soirées.

• Pasta alla Norma

  This recipe is also called ‘pasta con le melanzane’ (pasta with aubergine/eggplant)

  Serves 4

  Ingredients:

  2 Aubergines cut into pieces of about 3cm

  1sp salt

  4tbsp olive oil

  1 small onion

  2 cloves of garlic

  pinch of chilli flakes

  2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

  1 tsp sugar

  350g spaghetti

  small bunch of basil, shredded, plus extra to decorate

  1 heaped tbsp capers

  ricotta cheese or finely grated parmesan to serve

  Method:

  1. Add the salt to the aubergine chunks and set them in a colander over a bowl to remove excess moisture.

  2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a casserole dish or saucepan. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt on a low heat for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and chilli for 1 minute, before adding the tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a simmer.

     Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Heat the oven to gas mark 7/220C fan/200 C.

     Pat the aubergine dry with a clean tea towel/kitchen roll. Stir in the remaining 2 tbsp of oil, and spread it out on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden around the edges.

     Meanwhile cook the pasta according to packet instructions, and reserve 100ml of the pasta water.

  4. Stir the aubergine into the sauce with the basil and capers. Season to taste.

     Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce, with some of the pasta water.

  5. Divide between 4 bowls and top with ricotta/parmesan and extra basil for decoration.

• Escoffier's Peach Melba

  Serves 4

  Ingredients:

  Choose 4 ripe peaches, the best seasonal ripe peaches you can find.

  200g Fresh raspberries

  Lemon Juice (optional)

  some sugar

  100g icing sugar

  Vanilla ice cream - home made or bought

  Fresh almonds/flaked almonds to serve

  Method:

  1. Blanch the peaches for 2 seconds in boiling water, remove them with a slotted spoon and place in iced water for a few seconds. Peel them when cold.

  2. Optional- to reduce the peaches browning, place them in water with a little lemon juice. This helps if you are preparing the dessert in advance.

  3. Sprinkle the peaches with a little sugar, and place them in the fridge.

  4. Puree 200g of raspberries and pass them through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Mix with the icing sugar, and refrigerate.

  5. When ready to serve, either prepare one large celebratory dish or plate into 4 bowls.

     Add a bed of ice cream with the peach on top, covered in the raspberry sauce.

     Use almond flakes to decorate - Escoffier suggest only fresh and in season, but shhhh, we don’t need to tell him!

sea

Exploring music written about the sea

This month we are celebrating the sea, and the music we that is written about the sea.

This list is a few of the diverse pieces written from more recent centuries, and it is also a playlist on youtube. Click the link at the bottom to read about each piece while listening to them too.

Feel free to comment and add your own favourites in the comments box - what have I missed out?

Prelude in G, Op 28, no.3, Chopin

Used in the BBC adaptation of Persuasion which features the sea-faring exploits of Captain Wentworth, this Chopin prelude seems to capture the ever moving and reflecting water which is present in so many Sea themed compositions.

Sirèns, Debussy, ‘La Mer’

Would it be the sea if a composer wasn’t writing about mermaids or Sirens luring sailors to their death? Here Debussy writes soaring melismas for the choir to represent those other-worldly creatures.

O Waly waly - Britten, Folk Song Arrangements

This folk song and arrangement is a favourite with me and many of my pupils. The technical aspects of performing are matched by the job of the performer to be a supreme storyteller.

4 Sea Interludes: Storm, Britten, ‘Peter Grimes’

There were 4 sea interludes to choose from, and I chose the storm as we haven’t had any music yet that really captures the strength and danger of the sea.

Here Britten really uses his powers of orchestration and melody to suggest the crashing sea on rocks, spray, wind, and surge.

My Gallant Crew, Sullivan, ‘HMS Pinafore’

As much as we respect the sea, we also enjoy satire and gently poking fun at authority and those in power. In this Sullivan song from HMS Pinafore the Navy and privilege are gently mocked.

Leave Her Johnny, Sea Shanty, ‘Assasins Creed’

The Shanty tradition is alive and well in this shanty used in the ‘Assasins Creed’ computer games. In recent years a sea shanty went viral as young people on tiktok enjoyed the art form and recorded their own performances.

La Mer, performed by Charles Trenet

To finish, we have French singer Chalres Trenet with his celebration of holidays and beach life. His rendition sums up the hot summer relaxing by the ocean.

positive

‘Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.’

-Frances Hodgson Burnett, ‘The Secret Garden’ -

In life, it is often said we fall in to one of two camps: optimists and pessimists. You probably already know or have an idea which you are! It’s not entirely the whole truth though, as many of us are a little of both, switching between the two.

In the arts we are often very hard on ourselves, and being self-employed we can feel the loneliness of working by ourselves for long stretches between gigs. I’ve heard of one artist describing success from one in ten auditions - so how do we handle the rejection, knock-backs and self-belief if we work in an industry by ourselves. And why should we be positive? There is a romantic fiction that performers are notoriously depressed, sarcastic and negative off stage…

Firstly, and most importantly, being positive is good for us. It not only makes us feel better, it is good for our health overall in many different ways.

The Benefits of having a Positive Mindset:

• Increased lifespan

• Better stress management

• Lower rate of depression

• Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from stroke and cardiovascular disease

• Greater resistance to illness

• Lower levels of distress and pain

• Improved creative thinking

• Stronger leadership skills

Have I convinced you yet? It’s a fairly conclusive list. These health benefits would make you better at performing as your body would be better at processing stress and recovering after.

Positive emotions actually widen our span of attention and it also changes our perception and focus on more of the “we” instead of the “me”

(Goleman, 2013. p170)

Well that covers the problems performers can have focussing on our own issues instead of thinking about the bigger picture.

So steps could we take to think more positively in our every day life and our life as performers?

• Keep a practise diary and look back on past goals to acknowledge your progress. Slow progress is still progress, and is usually longer ingrained.

• Visualize success. Not always winning first prize/the part, but singing your best, feeling connected in the performance, engaging with the audience, portraying your character well.

• Being grateful. Maybe there are parts of your work that are hard, but do they allow you to work with great colleagues? Can you work from home and reduce travel away from family? Has a job unexpectedly led to another job that you love - maybe that will happen again?

• Make plans. Treat your job like a business and do a full plan assessing where you are, and where you want to go. What are the ways you can get yourself to those end goals? Are there some in-between steps you can take to gain experience? Remember to book a six month assessment into your diary to establish what has worked and what you will change.

• Remember past successes. How did that make you feel?

• Read stories about the heroes in your industry and their journey to success. There are very few stories of instant/easy success, most artists strived and struggled through difficult times, having to find their way through multiple issues.

• Exercise and diet. Ensure you are giving your mind and body the fuel it needs. Find someone to help you with these if it keeps you motivated.

• Acknowledge your struggles. Being positive isn’t about pretending and living your life as a lie. Be real, but don’t allow that to pull you down and become your only reality. Deal with your sadness, anger, frustration, and move on.

As ever, these things can be talked about with your teacher and incorporated into your practise routine. If you feel your issues run deeper, seek professional help from a professional. Professional help will be a sound investment in your career and life.

If you have any comments or tips on how you stay positive, feel free to comment below.

nourish

Oak sapling in a jar, Photographed and copyright of Lisa Moffat

It’s cold and dark, we are wrapped in blankets, drinking hot tea, trying to avoid turning the heating on… Here are some simple ways to nourish mind and body as a musician or performer that won’t break the bank.

1. Exercise

If you haven’t already started a fitness goal for the new year - don’t worry! It is totally acceptable to start Any. Day. Of. The. Year. Yes, who knew. It doesn’t have to be expensive, there are easy beginner yoga classes and workouts on youtube, and taking a brisk walk outside is easy and said to be as effective as running.

Taking a 30 minute brisk walk is an easy way of stepping away from your desk or music stand, and returning refreshed ready for your brain to learn more. Set a reminder on your phone to schedule this and make it a habit.

2. Sleep

Too much caffeine, not enough daylight, alcohol, screens, internet scrolling… what’s stopping you from getting a good night’s sleep? We all know our weakness that might be letting us down, make the changes you need to prepare for your best sleep.

Sleep not only helps us learn music, it is the time when our bodies repair - there is no reason not to try get more or better sleep.

3. Meditate

You don’t need training or classes for this, a quiet space or calming music, and 5 minutes are all it takes. Practice slow deep breathing, and letting your mind think of nothing.

Alternatively, some people enjoy exercise for its ability to free the mind - have you tried some Contemplative Running?… google it! (other search engines are available)

4. Eat the rainbow, and make sure protein is in balance with carbs and fats

When we are busy its easy for food planning to slip out of schedule, but it is even more important to support your mind and body when you rely on them to get you through the busy days.

5. Breathe deeply

Breathing calmly, deeply, and easily without effort are all good ways to foster a calm mind and body. There are lots of apps and programmes on technology - some free - to encourage good breathing habits and bring calm.

6. Declutter

You know that drawer that never closes properly?… the pile of paperwork that is never-ending? The music pile that has more added to it than is safe? Make a few minutes in a break to tidy it, move objects to the correct room they should live in, and generally declutter. It’s a five minute job that makes us all feel more calm, easy to do a little and often without feeling overcome.

7. Make Time for Hobbies and Interests

I seem to spend a lot of time writing in my blogs about making time for outside interests, but I think it is one of the most important things you can do. It gives you a new perspective, it challenges your brain and body in a new or different way from your 9-5 (or whatever hours you work as a musician/performer/student!)

It also gives you new experiences and perspectives on your performance. You will meet people from other backgrounds, age groups, and professions, you will work in a new way that might teach you new skills that help in your work. You might make friendships with people out-with your work that are deeper or more interesting.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these suggestions to nourish mind, body, and of course, your music!

Have I missed out anything you think should be added to the list? As always, add it in the comments, and follow me on Instagram an Twitter for more quotes, blogs, and tips on singing.