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Songs for a Tenor

Songs for a Tenor

Songs featuring a tenor voice are rare in Broadway musicals, with other vocal ranges more often being featured and having all the fun in performances. This one-week forum presented by Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education Luke Lovegood will explain and showcase the distinctiveness of the tenor vocal range in contemporary American stage music. Blending lecture and performance, the forum will feature well-known songs from the American musical theater canon, such as those from shows like Godspell, Company, Gypsy, Shrek and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Within the presentation, Professor Lovegood will perform songs with piano accompaniment. The session will begin with a brief introduction to different vocal ranges and the musical styles that most often feature them. We will then delve into specific shows that feature tenors, learning about their storylines and characters and the historical context surrounding their original Broadway and revival productions.
Additionally, we will see how songs originally intended for other vocal ranges, such as “Defying Gravity” (Wicked), “She Used to be Mine” (Waitress), and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (The Little Mermaid), take on new life when performed by a tenor.

Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.

Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and one- and two-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance. For more information, visit the Thursday Forum website or call 319.399.8523.

In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.