I am so happy, as a seventy year old retired amateur singer, to have found you Joyce. Thank you Medici tv. I wish I had met you years ago. When my voice cracked for the first time in a oratorio, I began to be afraid of solo singing. Tight throated fear. I was around fifty and I also was not vocalizing as I should have to prepare. I will follow you and hope I can hear you live.

I'm dancing at the Sydney Opera House in about a week. Lately I have been so incredibly stressed and anxious, more than I ever have been. And watching this video has helped so much. Thank you, you are a wonderful woman xxxx

The thing I find most amazing about your advice, Joyce, is that it is applicable to anyone who performs, or indeed, anyone who is an Artist. I have a background in music, though that is not what I have ended up doing for a living (for myriad reasons). And perhaps because of that, I am more easily able to apply the things you say, the advice you give, to other things I do. For example, I used to be a trombonist. And, while I don't need to remember text when playing, I do need to keep in mind notes, tempi, dynamics, articulation, etc., the mechanics, the basics. But I also need to keep in my mind the emotions that I feel, or that I wish to portray, as music, no matter the form, is about communication. Communicating your thoughts and emotions as the performer, or the "interpreter" of the piece is paramount. So whether one is singing or dragging a bow across strings, or blowing a brass tube, it's all the same underneath. It's about how we convert the soul of the piece to the audience. And now that I am a writer, which is not live performance, I find that, in some ways, I am doing the very same things. And, in many ways, though the nerves play a much different part, they are still ever present! When I sit down at my keyboard and try to convey thoughts, emotions, concepts, feelings, soul and spirit through the words I choose, believe me, there is still a great deal of nervousness involved. (And I thank god for the backspace key!!!) And while there is not the drama of a live performance, and all the things that may or may not "go wrong," there is, in a way, a greater challenge to it because you cannot judge immediately if your choice is reaching people. When telling a story I might choose to take a character one way to get to the desired destination, and have her say this word, versus that one. But what if the audience just isn't getting it that way? What if it might have been more clear to have had her take the right turn instead of the left, or to say it with these words and not those? There just isn't that kind of immediate reaction, so the indecision can last much longer. And hearing what you have to say usually allows me to stop and take a step back, BREATHE, and then, perhaps, ask my character what she would do or say, rather than trying to put words into her mouth, or whatever it is that I am trying to do. Ultimately, you're right. Whatever the art form, it's ultimately about doing justice to the piece, about being honest with the emotion conveyed. Even if the story is fiction, completely made up, the emotion behind it should be honest, and real, should never feel contrived. And as the artist, it is up to us to make that happen. So this, perhaps, truly is the best piece of advice that I've ever heard on the subject: it's not about me, the artist, or you, or whoever the "artist" might be. I truly hope that people who are not singers, or not even musicians will hear your advice in these vlogs, and will find ways to apply it to their own art. For my part, thanks! And I hope that maybe someone might read my comment and take it to heart. Because the more we understand about the artist, the more we are able to understand as the audience, and the more relevant any art becomes. Thanks!

Again, Joyce! Thank you very much for taking time to film this video full of great advises! :)

"Smoking crack" is definitely not a good thing. You're hilarious. Fantastic advice. Thank you.

Thank you so much . You brought me back to love the opera . You made opera living again . I wish that I could learn sing opera from You . Thank you again ! You are the master of opera !

You are not only a great singer, you are a great person! Thank you.

i just love her and the way she is talking it helps me a lot too thanks dearest Joyce!

Thank you so much for your VLOG'S! You're such an inspiration, even when I met you after Le Comte Ory you were kind enough to ask me about my studies. You taking the time to ask me that made me feel so special, I practiced in my hotel room when I got back!!! I hope one day I'll get to sing on stage with you! Keep up the great work in your career as well as in your internet-inspirations. I hope to see you perform again soon!!!!

Joyce! You're such a radiant person!so wise, so talented! you give us a lot! You're my support and inspiration! THANK YOU!!!

i like very much the idea of questioning the "being true to the emotion...Thank you for all your ideas!

Yay, new video from my favorite American singer! :D Thanks for the great tips.

WOW you have done it again. Brillliant!!!

You're amazing Mrs. Joyce!

Brilllliant!!! So glad you are back to the Vlogosphere. Thank you Warm Regards

how could i thank you? I have a HUGE barrel racing on friday and i was so nervous. I wouldnt pay attention in class because i was thinking about it. thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! even though this isnt about barrel racing, it helped so much. Now I can finally feel conident and only a little bit of nerves when im ready to take off in the ally way. I mean this video is being helpful thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks so much, this is just great! Joyce, you're not only an exceptionally gifted singer but also a fantastic entertainer. I sit and watch and listen to your vlogs and almost forget to breath because it's so thrilling ... "ach, ich fühl's" :-) Silvia

What a fantastic video! I have my first solo performance in a few hours and I was hardcore freaking out. This video helped a lot!

This helped me a lot. I love you.

As always, fabulous words of wisdom, and so down to earth! Will share with all my students, Joyce! Hugs from Philadelphia, Paulo :-)

Thank you. I had to face my nerves singing for the jury. They were not difficult music, but I wasn't prepared enough. I have to work on them until they become as natural as I am talking to you now.

Hey Joyce! Thanks so much for this post; i'm currently mugging for my mid-year exams and this has been really great advice (if a bit indirect since i'm not going onstage but rather into an exam hall) in how to deal with nerves. (That, and how Diva/Divo has been playing on loop in the background :P ) Thanks so much, and good luck for Cendrillon! :D Dilys.

Thank you, you helped me a lot❤️👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Thank you sso much!!!!!! I wanted to ask you about this after your master class last week in lincoln center, and you had to leave early so I didn't get to ask you this.. BUT I just found out about this(I often forgot that we livin' in the 21st century).. Thank you sso much.. realized again..that 'The greatest singer' is not just pop up from nowhere.. You are the best!! God bless you with extra love haha

Thank you !!!! I hope one day you come to Australia :)

I've really got to thank you for clearing up the whole smoking crack thing, gotta keep that in mind for next time... LOL I love this, you kill me, and you have wonderful advice. As stated by everyone else; thank you!

You are wonderful !!! :) Hope to meet You some day really soon....

Oh, this advice can carry over beautifully into any of the performing arts. I am a retiring piano and Theory teacher who, to this day, has to deal with nerves any time I go on stage, either as a solo performer or as a collaborative musician to a singer or instrumentalist. I do much of what you've suggested but I WILL try the 'smiling' technique going forward. BTW, a dear musician friend of mine introduced me to your career just a couple of years ago and just saw your performance of Les Troyens in Strasbourg a cpl of days ago - he thought you were sublime. Anyway, I'm subscribing and look forward to seeing you in person some day (it's on my bucket list) during retirement (whatever the heck that means!) When are you coming back to sing in Canada? You've quite a following here.

From MASTER CLASS by Terrence McNally: Maria Callas. "Hello, welcome. Are you nervous?" First Soprano, "Yes, a little."Maria, "Only a little? You should be nervous a lot, all these people looking at you., waiting to hear what you sound like, all ready to judge you, I'd be terrified." ..Soprano, "I am I am." Maria, "Well, stop it. You can't sing if your nervous. Nerves have destroyed more singers than a bad teacher ever did."

Anyone who experiences performance anxiety in any form should watch this video.

(I have no idea if this is where I should ask questions, but I'm going for it.) I'd like to know how you feel about watching/listening to recordings of yourself? I'm finding more and more that I REALLY hate listening to myself and hate watching even more. I was wondering if this is something I should just get over or if it's normal. XD

Joyce can you sing Cendrillon again so I can get a chance to see it?

Madam l love you