Page 16 - Classical Singer magazine Spring Issue 2020

Singing with Chronic Health Challenges
Kim Lamoureux performs at Opera on Tap in Boston, MA.
People Mean Well and It’s Maddening
When you are ill, everyone wants the best for you. They want you to feel well and get better. This is a great sentiment when you have the u or
a cold or a broken arm. When your
condition is chronic, this gets a bit dicier. You learn to live with a new de nition of normal, but that normal is often not feeling good.
The nature of my work as a private voice teacher and performer is that I meet with and greet many individuals
each day. Each one asks, “How are you?” Many others also ask speci cally how I am feeling or if I am feeling better. They mean well. They want me to feel better.
But often, I don’t. And I don’t want to dump my baggage on every person who walks in the door. I don’t want to be negative and I certainly don’t need to disclose everything with everyone. So, I instead opt for the more casual platitudes of “Good”
or “Fine” or “Oh, you know, up and down.” But the cognitive dissonance of pretending to be ne or glazing over how I feel on repeat throughout the day feels disingenuous and is emotionally exhausting.
Get Educated and Then Get Out
When you are coming to terms with a chronic condition, arming yourself with knowledge is key. You need to nd a good specialist, but the
16 Classical Singer | Mar/Apr 2020
Vocal Artistry Art Song Festival
To further the study of Art Song Repertoire
Canciones Españolas
Spanish Art Song
April 17-19, 2020
National Hispanic Cultural Center
A liated with AMTA Albuquerque Music Teachers Association All events are free and open to the public
Friday April 17 - 7:30 pm
Dos Tenores! aaa
with Matthew Valverde and Andre Garcia Nuthmann, Kristen Ditlow piano
Saturday, April 18 - 3 pm
Canciones Españolas aaa
with Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian & Pianist Robert Koenig Sunday, April 19 - 2-5 pm
Final Awards Concert and Reception
2020 Guest Faculty:
Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, Tenor Matthew Valverde, Pianist Robert Koenig, Tenor Andre Garcia Nuthmann, Conductor Juan Hernández
From the Community www.vocalartistryartsong.com Founding Artistic Director For the Community
Jacqueline Zander-Wall
photo by Laurie Swope