Speaker: Dana Zenobi
The talk will cover the acoustical elements of singing and the anatomy of the throat. Science has found ways to improve singing just as it has athletic performance. The talk will show how art and science intersect in vocal performance.
Dana Zenobi is equally accomplished as performer and pedagogue. She has earned national recognition as an interpreter of Art Song by women and has garnered success in operatic roles ranging from Mozart heroines Konstanze and Donna Elvira to Verdi’s Violetta Valéry. Currently based in Indianapolis, IN, she is an active recitalist, presenter, and concert soloist. She is on the faculty at Butler University, where she teaches Voice Pedagogy, Diction, Opera Literature, and Art Song Literature.
Sponsored by Janet Hock
Program: The Acoustic Science behind Singing and the Mechanics of the Throat
Speaker: Dana Zenobi, DMA, Assoc. Prof. of Voice, Butler University, lauded as an accomplished performer, voice pedagogy scholar, and presenter
Introduced By: Janet Hock
Attendance: NESC: 96, Zoom: 24
Guest(s): Maria and Pio Madar, Mick Meiner, Olivia Schroer, Valerie Trimble
Scribe: Russell Judd
Editor: Carl Warner
Talk’s Zoom recording found at: https://www.scientechclubvideos.org/zoom/06152026.mp4
and https://www.scientechclubvideos.org/zoom/06152026B.mp4
Dana has earned national recognition as an interpreter of art song by women and has had success in operatic roles. She is a faculty member at Butler University, where she teaches voice diction, opera literature and art song. Dana is an associate professor and has done research about anxiety in performance and, now a new science, about how the throat and body influence acoustics and singing.
Dr. Zenobi discussed acoustics, sound, and hearing, explaining how sound waves vary in frequency and amplitude. Louder sounds have greater amplitude. She described how the vocal folds, vocal tract, and tongue shape the sounds produced by the voice, and noted that the space between the tongue and the rest of the mouth is especially important in singing. Musical tone is complex, and good singing requires both strong muscle conditioning and regular practice. The talk offered a brief look at research and study underway at Butler, as well as the education and support available there. Many thanks to Dana for sharing her research with us.
Our speaker has also included a link to her slides if you wish to view and hear the videos that would not play at the meeting:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XxxJzW9zX6vzfkP7N3lUMIrPUZosS4IN/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104826203331722424880&rtpof=true&sd=true
Dana Zenobi
