Zwischenfach, Royal Court Theatre

Stuck in the Middle with You - Shades of Grey in a Black-and-White Industry – Rosie Clifford (mezzo), accompanied by Natalie Burch.

The term zwischenfach is a hard to pronounce and frequently misused one; literally “between fachs”, the meaning of it only becomes clear when we gain a greater understanding of the German fach system of categorising voices. Yet this system is itself a relatively recent invention, and as with any method of labelling, we are faced with the enduring question: what happens to the voices that fall between? 

Rosie Clifford is herself a zwischenfach, and in this lecture will explore what that means in today’s increasingly rigid industry, in which singers are expected to “tick boxes” and not to venture too far outside one’s comfort zone. From Mozart’s day, in which almost all female voices were simply labelled ‘soprano’, to today, when the single word soprano can encompass at least five and perhaps as many as seven vocal types, the process of voice categorisation has developed hugely, and yet still manages to leave a few behind. From the most basic (what do I sing for this audition?!) to the most profound (what does the future hold for me?), she will explore the pitfalls – and the joys – that abound for a voice that is neither wholly one thing, nor the other, but somewhere halfway between.

Tuesday 20th February, 10.30 – 12.30
Tickets £30