This book is about the sincere quest for profound artistry as a performing musician, and as a teacher of a profound art form. It is an attempt to define the indefinable. It is my personal attempt to make today's art world connect with insights, feelings, instincts, and simple truths about the Classical Arts that have somehow gotten lost over the years. We must inform our students, drill them, encourage them, and above all, insist that they perceive mastery of their craft as viable only if they use the craft in the diligent pursuit of artistry.
Finding Vocal Artistry speaks to the level of talent and ability at which one is entitled to step into the role of creative and/or interpretive performer of a classical Art. It is a level where prodigious skill meets prescience. It is comprised of engaged intuition, tireless pursuit of skill and interpretive knowledge, and of the kind of humility that transcends self at all levels. It is born of skill that is developed to the point of astonishment, and the ability to use that skill with grace and absolute confidence in order to create something magical. It is called artistry.
Artistry is not a thing it is a way of thinking. It takes time and exposure to the very highest levels of artistic achievement in order to develop that level of thinking about one's own work. You cannot work at it in the way one accomplishes vocal exercises or linguistic expertise. The truth about your artistry lies inside you. You don't create it you find it. And your path to that discovery can be pointed out in some concrete terms. That is my mission. (Glenda Maurice)
