Juliana Gondek is Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. A soprano/mezzo-soprano, she has had a distinguished career on the operatic stage in roles such as Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda, Bizet's Carmen, Handel's Alcina, Theodora, Rodelinda, and Ginevra, Puccini's Mimi, Rosalinde ("Die Fledermaus"), many Mozart heroines, and Pat Nixon ("Nixon in China"), as well as dozens of world premieres and symphony appearances. She is also a highly regarded master teacher who lectures and leads workshops in the USA and worldwide, and frequently judges some of the nation’s foremost vocal competitions.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, introduces herself and her career, and shares some of the things she has learned throughout her career. She offers advice on auditioning and practicing, taking care of your singing voice, the importance of understanding the context of the works you perform, the importance of building mentoring relationships, and what to look for in a great music teacher (and how to work towards becoming one yourself), and discusses some of the requirements she places on students in her program and why they're important.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, makes a forceful argument that musician must understand nonmusical art forms in order to become better, more well-rounded musicians.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses why she requires that her students understand the social, political, religious and cultural context of the works they perform – for example, being familiar with how eighteenth-century Viennese nobility dressed, sat and interacted when interpreting a Mozart aria.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, shares some tips for caring for your singing voice, from general wellness and diet to behavioral and environmental considerations.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses how her department goes about preparing its students for life after college, by exposing them not only to the history, heritage and scope of their chosen field, but by explaining the nuts and bolts of how the business of music works.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses why all students in her program must take on a student of their own for two years during their stay in the program.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses the foreign-language requirements and breathing regimen that students in her department undergo in order to not only learn how to converse and convey emotions in the languages they sing in, but also to breathe for maximum vocal support, sustain and endurance.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, reassures parents of musicians and music students as to the benefits and pleasures of a life in music, and reminds them of how much hard work it takes and the dividends that this work eventually pays.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses why in today’s opera world, it’s not enough for singers to just “park and bark,” but also study, explore, and practice excellent acting techniques to heighten the emotional and dramatic intensity of their performance.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses how she prepares to perform a role, from background study to character preparation and textual analysis of the libretto.
Juliana Gondek, head of the Vocal Studies department at UCLA, continues her discussion of the vocal arts with advice for performers on proper breathing, acting technique, emotional control and communicating effectively with audiences. She also offers advice to parents of music students and shares some thoughts on the state of modern opera and what the future holds for the art form.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses her vocal heritage and the lineage of her teaching and singing style, and why she feels it’s important to pass along the singing methods of teachers who lived more than a century ago.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses the social history of opera and who historically attended performances in the form’s eighteenth-century golden age, and traces its evolution from an essentially middle-class entertainment form to its current perception as an elitist, even snobbish, art form today. She also discusses some ongoing efforts to overcome this image and restore opera’s appeal to a broader audience.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses maintaining a degree of detachment from the emotional content she is conveying to her audience, and why this detachment is necessary for an effective, professional performance.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, discusses the risks involved in performing opera live (flubbed lines, flaming wigs, set disasters), some of the responsibilities that the performers have to their audience and cast-mates, and why it’s worth it.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, describes and demonstrates breathing exercises that she teaches to her own singing students.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, shares her thoughts on why opera is growing in popularity in the United States, especially among the generations raised on MTV, and whether this popularity is at the expense of the great tradition of opera.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, shares what she and her colleagues expect from prospective students auditioning for a place in their program.
Juliana Gondek, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Studies Department at UCLA, shares some secrets of the auditioning process and reveals how to make sure that you make the best possible impression on your judges. She also discusses how to manage pre-audition jitters and bring confidence with you into the room.
