So, here's my first post guys! It's a vocal range profile for Kelli, which is modeled after the profiles featured on the website DivaDevotee(Check out Kristin Chenoweth's profile here: http://www.divadevotee.com/2012/07/Vocal-Profile-range-of-Kristin-Chenoweth.html). Note: For those of you that are unfamiliar with musical terms, pitches in music are labeled by a process called scientific pitch notation, which gives numbers to the notes that one can play on an instrument. For example, the note middle C(Which lies in the middle of the piano) is labeled C4 and the typical range for a lyric soprano such as Kelli in music lies from about C4 to C6, the glass shattering money note that even those of you who aren't music fans have heard somewhere. Please remember though that most musical theatre roles for a soprano don't quite go that high due to the fact that musical theatre is about the words being communicated and vowels up there are not easily distinguishable, making it problematic for composers to try to write songs in that range. Anyway, here you go!
Kelli O’Hara
Voice Type: Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: F-Sharp3— E-flat 6. 2 Octaves And A Major 6th
Trill: No
Vocal Pluses: Gorgeous, classically trained lyric soprano whose technique is so good that there is never a sense of tension in the sound, only astonishing ease with every note. Trained with former OCU Professor Florence Birdwell, who also trained Kristin Chenoweth.
The chest register is reasonably strong in her voice, with a full resonant sound (Although it should be noted that O’Hara often takes her head mix down into this range). That said, she can go down to an F-Sharp 3, a very low note for a soprano. When used in classical singing(To Build A Home, When I Am Laid In Earth), this part of the voice achieves a strong, earthy power. When sung in other repertoire, this part of the voice maintains the same accessibility and strength but with different types of resonances.
The middle range from about G4 to F -Sharp 5 is very strong and maintains a light, bright, and warm quality throughout that she mixes into the chest register in order to create a smooth transition between her chest register and her lower passagggio. Although she doesn’t belt often and does not belt in her upper middle range , her belting is of first rate quality (I’m Not At All In Love, I’m Going Back) -It is more similar to the rounder style of belting that was popular in Broadway’s golden age that encourages less brightness and more vibrato then todays belting. When singing in the upper middle range(C5 to F-Sharp 5), she employs a strong head dominated mix that retains her gorgeous tone and also achieves a full, carrying sound ((How Glory Goes, The Light In The Piazza, Secrets). When sung with a classical resonance model(Something Wonderful, What’s The Use Of Wondering?), this range also shines.
The head voice range is where her classical sound fully blooms- O’Hara uses a classical resonance model to achieve a large, fully resonant sound (This Nearly Was Mine, Forever in Neverland)that would take many by surprise who are accustomed to hearing the lighter, more speech like sounds that she uses in other repertoire. Strong breath managements skills in this area result in brilliant use of dynamics(Almost Real, The Beauty Is) as well as great sustained tone in longer phrases(Somebody Somewhere, O Holy Night) that have a beautifully soaring quality. When singing coloratura passages in the the uppermost range of the head voice(Glitter And Be Gay, They Don’t Let You In The Opera If You’re A Country Star), the voice has, for the most part, impeccable agility and maintains the shimmering beauty of the lower head voice range(G5 to B-Flat 5).
Vocal Negatives: Sometimes, the upper notes of the head voice(B5 and above) can sound somewhat piercing and spread, losing the warmth of the rest of the voice. This most likely is a result of the tessitura in musical theatre singing being quite a bit lower for soprano voices then in operatic singing. Since O’Hara mostly sings in the former,her technique and formant tuning is not quite as consistent in this area as it is in the rest of the voice, although it is impressive none the less.
P.S: If anybody has any information/examples of her singing higher or lower then the range I have entered here, please feel free to email me! I am hoping to make a vocal range video for her and I would love more examples!
Mostly love your critique. But how can you say O'Hara has no trill & yet sings coloratura passages?
ReplyDeleteOne other thing: You cite E-flat6 as her top note, but she said in an interview that she sang The Queen of the Night in college, & that role has FIVE F6s.
ReplyDelete