Learn Czech lyric diction with Dr. Bree Nichols, Czech music specialist and Fulbright grantee to the Czech Republic.
Chcete zpívat česky? Singing in Czech may appear intimidating at first, but once you've learned the ropes, you'll find it to be a very singable, energetic, and expressive language that you will want to keep singing for years to come. Czech diction coachings with Bree will demystify the phonetics to help you hear the music in this beautiful Western Slavic language. Sessions will cover not only the mechanics of Czech articulation, but also stress and intonation, expressivity through the text, and the unique features of dialects that can help you sound “truly Czech!” Bree can assist you in preparing Czech opera arias or roles, in navigating art songs, or in repertoire selection.
Sing in the language of Janáček, Dvořák, and Smetana.
Bedřich Smetana walked along the Vltava River in his native Prague as he composed melodies to the famous Czech opera Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride).
Some of the greatest composers of Czech vocal works are rarely heard today.
Bree Nichols received the Presser Award in commendation of her research and performance of Czech repertoire in 2020, an event which led to the release of her debut all-Czech album, Pure Morning. Her dissertation, Czech Opera Arias: An Anthology for Soprano, was the catalyst for her year-long research and performance project in the Czech Republic, “Czech Art Songs: An Anthology and Recital Series ‘From the Page to the Stage,’” funded by a Fulbright research grant in 2021–22. She has performed in more than ten cities throughout the Czech Republic, including Prague, Brno, Olomouc, Ostrava, and Pilsen.
Bree has taken courses in linguistics at the University of North Texas Department of Linguistics, with a special focus on phonetics. There she worked closely with the legendary linguist Dr. Haj Ross. She has coached singers not only in Czech lyric diction, but also Italian, German, French, Spanish, and English.