Post by Stacey on Jul 26, 2007 13:44:19 GMT -5
Quick Bio
Sarah Brightman (born August 14, 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano, actress and dancer.
Brightman debuted as a dancer in troupes such as Hot Gossip and later released a string of disco singles. She achieved greater fame as a musical theatre performer and partner of theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, originating several roles, including Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Her 1984 marriage to Lloyd Webber attracted active tabloid coverage. The couple divorced in 1990, effectively ending her musical theatre career.
After her divorce, Brightman established a position as a crossover artist with former Enigma producer Frank Peterson. Her style, a blend of classical vocals and pop-inspired instrumentation and arrangement, earned her further success. To date, Brightman has received over 150 Gold and Platinum awards in 34 countries[1] and is the only artist to hold #1 spots on the Billboard Classical and Dance charts simultaneously.
Stage Career
In 1981, Brightman auditioned for a role in the new musical Cats and received the role of Jemima. It was there that she met her future husband, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber; the two married in 1984. Brightman starred in several of his musicals, including Song and Dance and the mass Requiem, the latter expressly written for her voice. With Requiem she earned her first Grammy nomination.[1]
-The Original Christine in Phantom of the Opera
Brightman achieved greater success with her starring role as Christine Daaé in Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. The role of Christine, like Requiem before it, was specifically written for her.[1] Lloyd Webber refused to open The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway unless Brightman originated the role of Christine. Initially, the American Actors' Equity Association balked, due to their policy of hiring only Americans. Lloyd Webber had to agree to cast an American in a leading role in his next West End musical before the Equity would allow Brightman to appear (a promise he kept later in the casting for Aspects of Love).[5]
After leaving Phantom, Brightman pursued several projects. Immediately after her departure, she performed in a tour of Lloyd Webber's music throughout England, Canada, and the United States, and performed Requiem in the Soviet Union. She also released some studio recordings. These releases included the single "Anything But Lonely" from Aspects of Love and two solo albums: the 1988 album The Trees They Grow So High, a compilation of traditional folk songs accompanied by piano, and the 1989 album The Songs That Got Away, a musical theatre compilation of songs which were cut from shows by composers such as Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim. By 1990, Brightman and Lloyd Webber separated. After the official divorce, Brightman was given a lead role in Lloyd Webber's Aspects in London opposite Michael Praed, before transferring to Broadway. It would be her last theatre role.[4]
Her VOICE!
Brightman has undergone vocal training first with Elizabeth Hawes, head of the Trinity Music College in London, and later with Ellen Faul of Juilliard. She has a three-octave vocal range[23] that extends to an E above Soprano C.[4]
David Caddick, a conductor of Phantom, has stated:
"What is amazing about Sarah is that she has two voices, really. She can produce a pop, contemporary sound, but she can also blossom out into a light soprano. The soprano part of her voice can go up to an E natural above high C. She doesn’t sing it full out, but it is there. Of course, she has to dance while she is singing some of the time, so it’s all the more extraordinary."[4]
She sometimes deploys both her pop and classical voices in the same song. "Anytime, Anywhere" from Eden is among one of the songs, which is based on Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G minor. In that song, she starts out in classical voice, switches to pop voice temporarily, and finishes with her classical voice.[24]
Brightman's music is generally classified as classical crossover. Brightman, in a 2000 interview with People, dismissed the label as "horrible" but stated she understood the need for categorization.[25] Her music influences include 60s and 70s musicians and artists such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd.[1] Her music alternates in style from pop/rock to classical and contemporary. The material on her albums ranges from versions of opera arias from composers such as Puccini (on Harem, Eden, and Timeless), to pop songs by artists such as Kansas ("Dust in the Wind" on Eden), Dido ("Here with Me" on La Luna), and Procol Harum ("A Whiter Shade of Pale" on La Luna).
Sarah Brightman (born August 14, 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano, actress and dancer.
Brightman debuted as a dancer in troupes such as Hot Gossip and later released a string of disco singles. She achieved greater fame as a musical theatre performer and partner of theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, originating several roles, including Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Her 1984 marriage to Lloyd Webber attracted active tabloid coverage. The couple divorced in 1990, effectively ending her musical theatre career.
After her divorce, Brightman established a position as a crossover artist with former Enigma producer Frank Peterson. Her style, a blend of classical vocals and pop-inspired instrumentation and arrangement, earned her further success. To date, Brightman has received over 150 Gold and Platinum awards in 34 countries[1] and is the only artist to hold #1 spots on the Billboard Classical and Dance charts simultaneously.
Stage Career
In 1981, Brightman auditioned for a role in the new musical Cats and received the role of Jemima. It was there that she met her future husband, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber; the two married in 1984. Brightman starred in several of his musicals, including Song and Dance and the mass Requiem, the latter expressly written for her voice. With Requiem she earned her first Grammy nomination.[1]
-The Original Christine in Phantom of the Opera
Brightman achieved greater success with her starring role as Christine Daaé in Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. The role of Christine, like Requiem before it, was specifically written for her.[1] Lloyd Webber refused to open The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway unless Brightman originated the role of Christine. Initially, the American Actors' Equity Association balked, due to their policy of hiring only Americans. Lloyd Webber had to agree to cast an American in a leading role in his next West End musical before the Equity would allow Brightman to appear (a promise he kept later in the casting for Aspects of Love).[5]
After leaving Phantom, Brightman pursued several projects. Immediately after her departure, she performed in a tour of Lloyd Webber's music throughout England, Canada, and the United States, and performed Requiem in the Soviet Union. She also released some studio recordings. These releases included the single "Anything But Lonely" from Aspects of Love and two solo albums: the 1988 album The Trees They Grow So High, a compilation of traditional folk songs accompanied by piano, and the 1989 album The Songs That Got Away, a musical theatre compilation of songs which were cut from shows by composers such as Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim. By 1990, Brightman and Lloyd Webber separated. After the official divorce, Brightman was given a lead role in Lloyd Webber's Aspects in London opposite Michael Praed, before transferring to Broadway. It would be her last theatre role.[4]
Her VOICE!
Brightman has undergone vocal training first with Elizabeth Hawes, head of the Trinity Music College in London, and later with Ellen Faul of Juilliard. She has a three-octave vocal range[23] that extends to an E above Soprano C.[4]
David Caddick, a conductor of Phantom, has stated:
"What is amazing about Sarah is that she has two voices, really. She can produce a pop, contemporary sound, but she can also blossom out into a light soprano. The soprano part of her voice can go up to an E natural above high C. She doesn’t sing it full out, but it is there. Of course, she has to dance while she is singing some of the time, so it’s all the more extraordinary."[4]
She sometimes deploys both her pop and classical voices in the same song. "Anytime, Anywhere" from Eden is among one of the songs, which is based on Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G minor. In that song, she starts out in classical voice, switches to pop voice temporarily, and finishes with her classical voice.[24]
Brightman's music is generally classified as classical crossover. Brightman, in a 2000 interview with People, dismissed the label as "horrible" but stated she understood the need for categorization.[25] Her music influences include 60s and 70s musicians and artists such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd.[1] Her music alternates in style from pop/rock to classical and contemporary. The material on her albums ranges from versions of opera arias from composers such as Puccini (on Harem, Eden, and Timeless), to pop songs by artists such as Kansas ("Dust in the Wind" on Eden), Dido ("Here with Me" on La Luna), and Procol Harum ("A Whiter Shade of Pale" on La Luna).