Top 10 Classical Songs You Know, but You Don't Know?

I recently read an article called, "The Top 10 Classical Songs you Know, but You Don't Know." It was very interesting, and it fits perfectly with my project. The article summarized how, often times, people can recognize a classical tune or even hum along to one, but they will have NO IDEA who wrote it, when it was written, or who composed it. Classical music is also very prominent in the media, including movies and television. After hundreds of years, we still hear, recognize, and use classical music in everyday life.

Here are the top 10. Go listen and see if you recognize the tune!

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNWpZ-Y_KvU

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goeOUTRy2es

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf42IP__ipw

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U40xBSz6Dc

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVjDP0vlem4

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqaARDsiJv4

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VATmgtmR5o4

8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo3k2N3A1IQ

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AlEvy0fJto

10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAMLCDnCLzs


http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalmusic101/a/aa021906_2.htm

News

I just scheduled an interview with Janai Brugger, one of the winne's of last year's Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. She makes her debut at the Met at the end of October. I am going up November 1 to interview her! I plan on asking her about her education including undergrad and graduate degrees, apprenticeships, contests etc.

Final Performance at NYU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8uPNJTPL9o&feature=youtu.be

Here is a link to my final performance at New York University's summer classical voice program from this past summer.

Background

I thought I would give some more background about me and my interest in opera. I have always loved performing, in any avenue I saw fit. Be it dancing on the table at family reunions or performing in a school play, I was doing it. I first fell in love with theater though when I was in the fifth grade. I landed a part in the school musical, "Tom Sawyer," and from then on, my passion for performance has completely proliferated. That was the genesis for my love of acting, but one summer I participated in an acting camp at Footlight Players. After completing the camp and putting on the show, the director asked to speak with me. He told me I could really have a future in theater, if I could learn to sing. And from then on out, I have been studying voice with a teacher. I studied a little bit of basic classical repertoire as well as a basis in musical theater. However, last summer, I applied for the Oklahoma City University summer classical voice program, and I was accepted. After attending the program I fell completely and utterly in love with classical music and opera in particular. Since then I have been trying to master classical technique and learn as much as I can about the realities of a career as an opera singer. My senior project plays directly into those things. I have decided to focus on the singer and the career. I have planned to interview both local and national opera singers, opera singer hopefuls, or past opera singers. I want to take all of their advice on living as an opera singer in the real world, and apply it to my life. I also want to focus on their advice for technique and repertoire, which will ameliorate me as a singer. All of this will help with my final performance at the end of the year, culminating all of their words of wisdom.

Mission

Hi! My name is Alexa Weeks, and I am thrilled to have a senior project with Ashley Hall School. My project is called, "Opera for the Ages," and it will focus on classical singing for all ages. This year I will  interview as many opera singers or hopefuls as I can, both on the local and national level. From there I will take their advice and knowledge and apply it to my own studies, which will culminate in a performance at the end of the year. However, I want to give back the knowledge I garner to others, who may have never even heard of classical music. Through the Miss South Carolina Organization I have a platform that involves me visiting schools and sharing my love of opera. I want to encourage as many young people as possible to at least integrate a little bit of classical music into their everyday lives. I will strive to do that more and more as the year goes on. This was just a quick overview, but stay posted to see where this year will take me!