Audra's Vocal Range

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 11:25pm

Hey, does anybody know Audra's exact vocal range and voice type? I know she's a soprano, but what kind?  

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 11:26pm

She does not acknowledge categories or boundaries in music. She is often called a mezzo soprano. 'I'm not,' she said. 'I have a chest voice and I can sing very low, but my tone, my timbre is more that of a lyric soprano. I can't stand categories. I'm like always hopping around, I mean not for the sake of hopping around. I just don't want to be boxed in.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/12/nyregion/music-audra-mcdonald-is-getting-up-close.html

[gypsy101]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 11:32pm

Sounds like she has no voice type.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 11:45pm

"She does not acknowledge categories or boundaries in music. She is often called a mezzo soprano. 'I'm not,' she said. 'I have a chest voice and I can sing very low, but my tone, my timbre is more that of a lyric soprano. I can't stand categories. I'm like always hopping around, I mean not for the sake of hopping around. I just don't want to be boxed in.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/12/nyregion/music-audra-mcdonald-is-getting-up-close.html"

 

 

That's good for her then! I would agree with her, she uses her chest and her mix a lot, but she definitely can sing soprano really well. Her sound has matured and gotten more richer and powerful as she's gotten older though which has just made her even better. 

 

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 7:32am

She's a pretty straightforward full lyric soprano.

[Dave19]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 7:45am

"She's a pretty straightforward full lyric soprano"

Exactly. And she needs to learn that everything has a name. I can't stand it when people don't know the difference between "names" and "boxes".

Also, every voice has boundaries.

And every person has a head and chest voice.

I hope she reads this. She is not an alto, she is not a belter, she is not many things. You have boundaries too Audra. And you have a very specific vocal type, with a name.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 7:58am

To be fair, I highly doubt Audra has ever referred to herself as a mezzo or an alto. Critics and journalists who know very little about music are the ones who've assigned those labels to her voice. Her comment (from 15 years ago) about "categories" may seem odd -- especially coming from a trained and intelligent classical singer -- but I doubt she would call herself anything other than what she is: a full lyric soprano.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:51am

Good question.  In her recent Carnegie concert, she made it clear that she doesn't consider herself a true soprano. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 12:33pm

I'm not an expert on this topic, but I think my experience is somewhat applicable: 

Like many people on this board, I've studied singing in an academic setting. Perhaps it's very different in a professional setting, but my experience with voice "labeling" has been somewhat negative. I go back and forth between singing tenor and baritone, and I find that as soon as someone hears the word "tenor" or "baritone," they start making assumptions about what I can and can't sing. That hasn't always been the case in my studies, but I have experienced the limiting nature of these labels. Audra's voice does indeed have boundaries (and I'm not experienced enough in female voice types to tell between a lyric soprano and a mezzo soprano), but I understand where Audra is coming from. 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 6/15/15 at 10:24pm

JBroadway, can you explain to me the difference between a lyric and mezzo soprano as well as an alto? I have some ideas and opinions, but I'd love to hear somebody else's perspective!