Abstract: In a video interview with Journal of Singing associate editor Melissa Treinkman on May 29, 2026, Broadway star Eva Noblezada discussed the relationship between mental health and the singing voice, her philosophy of artistry, and navigating a vocal injury. A QR code included at the end of the article contains the link to the recorded interview with Eva Noblezada, posted on the NATS YouTube channel.
Abstract: This article republishes Richard DeYoung’s “The Singer’s Memory,” one of five pamphlets published under the title Repeated Notes during the years preceding the publication of his 1958 book, The Singer’s Art: An Analysis of Vocal Principles . In this essay, DeYoung expounds on the importance of memory in the singing experience. After articulating six factors he believes are essential to cultivating and developing the singer’s memory, the author describes five conditions necessary for immediate recall. This essay is the fifth and final pamphlet of DeYoung’s to be published in the Journal of Singing , thus completing NATS’s reissue of Repeated Notes .
Abstract: In an era of eroding communal life, professional associations like NATS can serve as vital “third places.” Drawing on Ray Oldenburg’s concept from The Great Good Place and building on Alexis Davis-Hazell’s analysis, these spaces are not merely convenient but necessary. Every third place requires a host; not one who dominates, but one who sets the table and listens. To sustain this space, there is a cost. What comes at no financial cost, however, is viewing chapters and regions not as satellites receiving signals from a national center, but as sources of knowledge, innovation, and community in their own right.
Abstract: The German Fach system, established one hundred years ago, is a widely used framework for casting singers in operatic roles, applied in voice pedagogy and in professional opera employment. While its phenomenology—i.e., roles, tessitura, etc.—has been described extensively, little voice research has addressed it, and empirical data remain scarce. It remains unclear how much Fach classification is driven by nature (anatomy), nurture (technique), or environment (orchestral aesthetics). Offering a first step toward closing this gap, this text reviews existing research, framing Fach along two dimensions: voice category (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, etc.) and voice subtype (lyric versus dramatic).
Abstract: Rupture of a blood vessel in the vocal fold usually heals well. However, sometimes it can result in long-term or permanent hoarseness. Singing teachers should be familiar with controversies within the medical community regarding diagnosis and treatment of vocal fold hemorrhage. Teachers also should recognize symptoms suggestive of hemorrhage such as sudden hoarseness during voice use so that early voice rest and medical evaluation can be instituted.
