Mikhail Smigelski the book can also be translated as Russian Theatrical Pronunciation or Russian Stage Pronunciation. 3. Lia Vasilyevna Bondarko, Zvukovoy Stroy Sovremennogo Russkogo Yazyka [Sound Formation in the Modern Russian Language] (Moscow: Prosveshenie, 1977). 4. Velarization (in phonetics), as defined by Encyclopedia Britannica, is secondary articulation in the pronunciation of consonants, in which the tongue is drawn far up and back in the mouth (toward the velum, or soft palate), as if to pronounce a back vowel such as o or u (Encyclopedia Britannica, n. 1). 5. Viktor Ivanovich Sadovnikov, Orfoepia v Penii [Orthoepy in Singing] (Moscow: Muzgiz, 1958), 7. 6. Russian for Singers. “Rimsky-Korsakov “Snow Maiden’s Aria”—RUSSIAN DICTION GUIDE—SLOW—IPA” Filmed January 2019. YouTube Video, Duration 10:41. Posted January 2019. Hailed as “phenomenal” (The Harvard Crimson), “impressively epic” (schwäbische.de), and for his “wine-dark bass ” (The Boston Globe), bass baritone Mikhail Smigelski enjoys a career of vast and various genres, including opera, oratorio, early music, musical theater, and contemporary music. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Mikhail has performed on the world’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall,
Saint Petersburg and Moscow Philharmonics, Berliner Philharmonie, Kölner Philharmonie, and has collaborated with numerous European and American opera and concert companies, such as St. Petersburg Chamber Opera, Theater Aachen, Theater Solingen, Theater Leverkusen, Cohen New Works Festival, New York Ferus Festival, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, Opera Leggera, Opera in the Heights, Miami Lyric Opera, and The Cleveland Opera. Mikhail Smigelski’s repertoire includes more than 30 opera roles and more than 100 art songs. His operatic portrayals include both Figaro and Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Don Alfonoso in Così fan tutte, Alidoro in La cenerentola, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Ferrando in Il trovatore, Nikitich and Varlaam in Boris Godunov, title roles in Falstaff and Eugene Onegin, and others. As a passionate advocate for contemporary classical music, Smigelski performed in a number of world and USA premieres, including Switch by John Aylward with East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, Golden by Michael Zapruder at Cohen New Works Festival, and Orpheus by Evan Lawson with Density 512. Recently, KNS Classical released his first CD album Russian Gems, with rarely performed art songs by P. Chesnokov and A. Grechaninov. Dr. Smigelski began his advanced musical studies at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he received the Bachelor of Music degree and, subsequently, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany, where he completed the Master of Music degree in opera performance. Upon moving to the United States, he earned the Master of Music degree in choral conducting at Sam Houston State University and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in opera performance at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to his performance career, Dr. Smigelski is a Lecturer in Voice at The University of Texas at Austin, a Director of Music Ministries at The Woodlands Christian Church, and a Music Director at the musical theater company Opera Leggera.
Summer for thee, grant I may be When Summer days are flown! Thy music still, when Whipporwill And Oriole—are done! For thee to bloom, I’ll skip the tomb And row my blossoms o’er! Pray gather me— Anemone— Thy flower—forevermore! Emily Dickinson, “Summer, For Thee”
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Journal of Singing