NMT COUNTDOWN: Top 10 Songs for the Classical Singer
It’s back to school season and The Green Room is looking out for you. All this month, the NMT Countdown series is bringing you a guide to the best-selling songs on NMT from the last year. Are you planning a cabaret and looking for the perfect stand-alone song? Are you a soprano looking for audition material that shows off your classical skills? The NMT Countdowns will guide you to some of the best songs NMT has to offer. PLUS: for today only, get 20% off the songs on this list with the code NMTCOUNTDOWN. Happy singing!
It is extremely fascinating to track the evolution of musical theatre over time; the style of music has evolved enormously. Because of those shifts, it is getting more and more difficult to find good songs for singers who have a more classical styled voice. But just because the style of musical theatre has shifted over the years does not mean that singers have to manipulate their voices to fit the sound. Here are some of the bestselling songs on NMT for that classical singer who can never manage to find a contemporary musical theatre song to fit their voice type.
1. “Epiphany” from Emma (Paul Gordon)
Most of the time, it is difficult to find even a single song suited towards classical singers, so to discover an entire show in that style is incredible. Paul Gordon’s Emma, while a new piece of musical theatre, contains an air of lightness that only a classical styled voice could bring out.
2. “No One Else” from Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 (Dave Malloy)
“No One Else” is a heart-clenching love ballad from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. This song, along with this entire show, has an incredible balance of contemporary and electric orchestrations but with an operatic sound. It’s a wonderful find for any classical soprano.
3. “I Won’t Mind” (Jeff Blumenkrantz, Annie Kessler, Libby Saines)
This song is a gorgeous ballad about parenthood from an unique perspective sung by the queen herself, Audra McDonald. If this performance doesn’t have you rushing to put this in your audition book, I don’t know what will.
4. “I Still Love You” (Adam Gwon)
Classical sopranos don’t need to have all the fun! This one is for all those classical altos out there.
5. Sense and Sensibility (Paul Gordon)
Even though this is technically not a song but an entire show, it perfectly encapsulates new musical theatre with a classical sound. However, this new musical is so new that there are not any videos of specific songs. Once you are through with this gorgeous montage of the new musical, recently seen at the Chicago Shakespeare Festival, you are going to want to buy the entire vocal selections songbook, not just one song.
6. “The View from Here” from Darling (Ryan Scott Oliver)
This song single-handedly proves that classical styling in contemporary shows is not dead. After one listen to this song from the incredibly talented Ryan Scott Oliver, it became my new obsession.
7. “Taylor the Latte Boy” (Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich)
This song has been a cult classic for many musical theatre fans ever since it was made famous by Kristin Chenoweth. This song hits the trifecta: contemporary song for sopranos that is also styled more classically and is most importantly hilarious.
8. “Winter, Wait For Me” (Will Reynolds)
This is another gorgeous ballad that will have classical singers aching to add this to their rep book. This song combines a classical vocal line with contemporary undertones in the orchestrations.
9. “Not Yet” from Mosaic (Georgia Stitt)
It is easy to get bogged down in the ballads that usually accompany classical singers. “Not Yet” gives classical singers a chance to sing a more upbeat and lively tune while still staying true to their sound. Not only is the music absolutely gorgeous but it also carries an empowering message behind it.
10. “Untitled” (Adam Gwon)
I’m ending this top 10 list with another stunning ballad by Adam Gwon. Sung by the beautiful and talented Kate Wetherhead (for whom Gwon originally wrote the song!), “Untitled” is truly a song that will almost have you in tears by the end.
Click here to stream today’s NMT Countdown playlist. Remember, the code NMTCOUNTDOWN is good for these songs today only, so if you’re a baritenor looking to update your book, today’s the day to do it!
The post NMT COUNTDOWN: Top 10 Songs for the Classical Singer appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.
