My local Sing Out finally folded in 1987, the year I graduated high school, but I remained an active participant at People International conferences through the early ‘90’s. I was even the musical director for a few of them. I still have friends all over the country from those years and many fond memories!
I attended Kent State University - well after the May 4th shootings, by the way…I’m not THAT old! Next came two post-graduate degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Right after graduation I sang in the Art Song Festival at the Cleveland Institute of Music which is a bi-annual festival founded by my then voice teacher, George Vassos. It’s a very unique experience. The singers and pianists audition as teams. The panel chooses ten teams to come to Cleveland for a week of concerts given by world-renowned singers and pianists in the evenings, and during the day those same great artists lead the team participants in master classes. The week culminates in a concert given by the teams showing off what they learned during the week.
In February of ’06, out of the blue, I heard from George Vassos. He asked me to come back and sing in The Art Song Festival, which had moved from the Cleveland Institute of Music to Baldwin Wallace College. So, in May, I went to Cleveland with my good friend and amazing pianist, Scott Rednour for a week of master classes with Warren Jones, Anthony Dean Griffey, and Vladimir Chernov.
To add to the excitement, Vladimir Chernov was actually a last minute replacement for Dmitri Hvorostovsky who abruptly cancelled. Mr. Chernov really saved the day on just two days notice! We were all extremely lucky that he was available and game for anything. He and his pianist flew in from Germany where they had just performed a concert of Russian songs. They repeated their program in Cleveland to a grateful audience. It was a terrific concert and his master classes were great fun. I was so pleased that my parents and my brother were able to be there for the final concert. I’d planned to spend several days with them afterwards, but had to cut my visit short due to an emergency back in NYC. Oh well… you know what they say about the best-laid plans!
Here is a picture of George Vassos and all the singer/pianist teams. Scott and I are standing on the far left. By the way, keep an eye out for Marianne Fiset. She’s standing in the front row just right of center in the black dress.
The Phoenix Quartet
Meet the Singer: David Root
The Phoenix Quartet is dedicated to
...performing music composed or arranged for vocal quartet
...commissioning new music for vocal quartet
...conducting educational outreach.
For repertoire and booking information, please contact Debra Poulter, Artistic Director
Phoenix Quartet
(212) 222-2064 or click here
Vocal music is an especially powerful form of communication that can encourage a better understanding of the struggles and achievements that define people and can develop values that sustain people in life’s experiences. It has a unique power to create community. Throughout its rich cultural history and directly because of its melding of poetry and music, vocal music has had a place in all celebrations of life - to herald new life, mourn the passing of life, mark holidays, and to explore the human condition.
The Phoenix Quartet is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation and donations are tax-deductible as determined by law.
The Phoenix Quartet is proud to be a member of
Chamber Music America
I grew up in the Buckeye State, that’s Ohio for those readers who aren’t from the mid-west. As a kid I always knew I wanted to be a singer, but I didn’t know what kind of singer I would be: pop, classical, opera, musical theater…etc. It wasn’t until I was in college at Kent State University that I settled on opera -- I bought a Joan Sutherland record at a library sale and fell in love with her and the whole genre.
Prior to college, my main musical influences were ABBA, James Taylor and Ella Fitzgerald. In grade school and high school I sang in the choir and I played the band (clarinet in concert band and saxophone in the jazz and marching bands). Needless to say, I was not one of the cool kids. I know. It’s shocking. One year I played the piano, very, VERY badly for the drama department’s production of Once Upon a Mattress. It was fun to be part of the production, but oh was my playing bad! The next year, I figured it would be better to be on the stage and so I played the teen angel in Grease. This forever solidified my standing as one of the MOST un-popular kids in school!
If you are as old as me, or perhaps a little bit older, you might remember a national organization called Up With People. They were a group of unnaturally clean-cut youngsters who sang uplifting, folksy songs about world peace, acceptance and tolerance in the late 1960’s. In their heyday, Up With People traveled the country starting and sponsoring local groups called “Sing Outs”. There was Sing Out Kalamazoo, MI, Sing Out Richmond, VA and there was even one in my neck of the woods: Sing Out Kent (Ohio).
Around the time I was celebrating my 3rd birthday, in 1972, Up With People found themselves unable to support all those Sing Outs. Many folded, but some, like my local Sing Out, kept going. These remaining groups formed their own “mother” organization and called it People International, Incorporated. Every summer, representatives from all the Sing Outs would get together in one city, usually hosted by one of the groups, and hold a conference. They would rehearse and share music all week long and at week’s end, put on a performance with the proceeds going to a local charity. You can see where I’m going with this, can’t you? When I was 14 or 15 I joined Sing Out Kent and I went to my first People International Conference a couple years later.
The music we sang was still on the folksy side, with some pop, jazz & blues thrown in here and there. It’s a little embarrassing to remember now, but we had these matching polyester outfits and we would do shows in nursing homes, state fairs and block parties all over the area. We also did community service work like cleaning local parks, acting as huggers at the local Special Olympics, etc. We were sort of like a church youth group only without all the Jesus stuff.
The main event that summer was the addition of three babies to the family. Our Jack Russell Terrier, Emma, had puppies! It was planned, in case you were wondering. She gave birth in September to three perfect puppies: Sammy, Ellie & Luna. I can’t resist including this naptime photo of Emma and me. It’s my favorite.
For quite some time I have wanted to sing with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players
(NYGASP). I love G&S and here in NYC, nobody does it better than NYGASP! Well, finally the right role came along and I was en-
This past spring I had the great pleasure to sing with the Christopher Caines Dance Co. Christopher is an innovative choreographer and almost always uses live music. We gave six performances at the Clark Studio Theater in the Rose Building at Lincoln Center. The music was all Mozart, first the Kegelstatt Trio (piano, clarinet and violin) followed by canons, trios, quartets and solo songs in Italian and German. It was so gratifying as a performer to accompany the dancers. To see them responding immediately to my performance was a truly amazing experience.
Well, intrepid reader, here ends my story. I hope you’ve found it entertaining and will take a moment to explore the rest of our website before you log off!
David
Before Intermission
After Intermission
gaged to play Colonel Fairfax in their production of Yeomen of the Guard last season. We opened on January 5th at City Center. We also did a one-night stand in February at the historic McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ. It was a great show, we had a terrific cast and I had a fabulous time. It’s a great company and I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. You be the judge about that wig. (They cut it halfway through the dress rehearsal!!!)
