Let’s Get to Know

Noblesse By Natasha Barbieri

Noblesse is a Christian classical crossover trio hailing from Romania. The members are

(from left to right) Evelina Manea, Lorena Zeiler, and Ramona Ghioalda.

So how did they all meet? "Well, two of

us (Lorena and Evelina) met when

Lorena was born, as we are sisters,"

they joke. "With Ramona, we met when

we were singing in a choir, 'Voces'."

During a break, their former pianist,

Anda, started to play the song "In Christ

Alone." The girls share that, "All three

of us came around the piano and started

to sing. That was the moment when we

clicked with each other and we thought

that we should study that song and sing

it in public. `In Christ Alone` was our

first song and since then we never

stopped singing together."

When searching for their group’s name

Lorena's suggest of "Noblesse" and the

others "immediately agreed". They

explain, "We liked both the meaning (it’s

a French word and it means nobleness)

and the sound of the word."

The girls each have different voice

types. Lorena is the highest as a soprano,

her sister Evelina is a mezzo and

Ramona completes the trio with her alto

range. This allows for some interesting

combinations. "Usually Lorena, as the

soprano, has the melodic line. But there

are some songs (as `No Orphans of

God` or `Yerushalayim`, for example)

when the melodic line is sung by

Ramona or by Evelina because they

have to sing many solo parts in that

song, and Lorena does the harmony with

the other girl. Or we have some songs

when Evelina sings alto and Ramona

mezzo, although the vast majority of the

songs have the natural division of the

voices: Lorena soprano (and the

melodic line), Evelina mezzo-soprano

and Ramona alto."

Their adventures as Noblesse have taken

the girls to the United States as well as

Europe. "We have sung in Germany,

France, Italy, Belgium, and in 2017 we

plan to go in Portugal and Sweeden. We

have also sung in the United States, in

New York, Washington D.C., Florida,

Georgia, California, Pennsylvania,

Nevada, and Arizona."

The trio's first album was entitled "In

Christ Alone", named after the first song

they sang together. "Most of the songs

from this album are in English and it

was recorded mostly with piano (we

were 4 at that time, with Anda) and 3

songs with violin, played by a very good

friend of ours and exceptional violinist,

Leonard Furda." They quickly followed

it up with "Istoria Mantuirii."

"The second album has the vast majority

of the songs in Romanian and it`s a

thematic album. It is called (in

translation) `The Story of Salvation' and

the songs are, chronologically, about the

creation of our world, original sin, the

incarnation of Jesus Christ, His life on

Earth, His death and Resurrection, the

second coming, and Heaven."

Next came the Christmas album entitled

"Sounds of Joy." It splits half of the

songs in English and half in Romanian.

English listeners can start off their

collection with a bonus record called

"Songs from the Heart", which is a

compilation of all the girls recorded

English songs. "It also features a bonus

track, which is a song that we sang with

two great Romanian male voices (Andrei

Barbu and Claudiu Agapie) and that can

be found only on this album. This CD we

made especially for our international

visits, so the people can buy only our

English songs." Luckily for fans, the

girls are already planning their next

recording venture. "We hope to start

working on the songs in 2017 and maybe

finish it in 2018."

Noblesse is clearly a Christian group

but stylistically they appeal to fans of

the classical crossover genre. "Lorena

and Evelina studied a little bit of

classical bel canto so the influence of

this type of music in our voices is

understandable. But we always liked

classical crossover because we

perceived it closer to our souls than the

pure classical music."

They want to continue moving forward

with music videos and have plans to

visit Brazil. When asked what their main

ambition is, they replied, “Above all, we

want to keep singing for the glory of our

God in every project that we do."

The girls were further exposed to the

public through their appearances on

Hope Television. "Our experience with

Hope TV United States is very much

related to our visit in Washington DC

when we sang at the Annual Council of

the Seventh Day Adventist General

Conference. As they are in the same

building, those from Hope TV invited us

to record three of our songs on their

show, 'Let`s Pray! ` It was a beautiful

experience, they are very professional

and we enjoyed working with them."

They have been in talks with the Hope

TV director about future collaborations

but tell us that "we won`t reveal more at

this time. We will come in the future with

further details."

To keep updated with Noblesse visit

noblessemusic.ro

Let’s Get to Know

Natalia krishtopets

Natalia Krishtopets is a classical

crossover soprano from Russia who

is rapidly gaining an online

following. "I live 20 km from

Moscow in the town of Schelkovo.

It is my hometown and I love it very

much. Moscow is very close so I am

able to visit this beautiful city often,

especially to attend theaters and

concert halls as a spectator. Russia

is a huge country, it has so many

beautiful towns and places but

shame on me I haven't seen much

of it. I dream to visit St Petersburg

one day."

For her "Music has always been in

my blood. I remember how happy I

was when I heard beautiful songs

in my childhood and always tried to

remember and sing it." She sang in

her church choir but never had any

formal musical education. "It has

always been just my hobby. At the

age of 14 one, my friends taught me

to play the guitar a bit, I was

extremely happy that I could sing

and play my favorite songs. Being a

teenager I spent my summer

holidays in the village and those

times will always stay in my

memory when all friends were

gathering around the fire and

listening to my singing." Her

musical tastes changed with age

and Natalia no longer plays guitar,

but her passion for singing

remained.

Her hobby began to blossom under

the attention of Chris Broom. "I

was lucky to be noticed by the great

British composer Chris Broom and

he offered to make the CD of his

songs. I am extremely happy

because of it as his songs are

absolutely magnificent and

exquisite." It was an international

collaboration with the

instrumentals being recorded in

London and vocals in Russia. The

final songs were mixed by sound

engineer Stefano Galante in

Canada! "It is incredible how the

Internet helps to make dreams

come true! We have such a

wonderful international project. I

am so honored to work with such

absolutely talented people!"

Natalia's EP "Dreams

of Tomorrow" is now available but

she promises "We are close to

finishing the whole album." It is

planned for release later this year.

In addition to her musical "hobby",

Natalia is a philologist-linguist. "I

am a teacher of English, Russian

and literature, I graduated from

Moscow Pedagogical University in

2004. I've been giving private

English lessons for many years

already." No doubt her profession

assists her when it comes to singing

in multiple languages. "My album

will contain songs in English and

Italian. I also enjoy singing in

Spanish. I dream to sing songs in

French without an accent one day,

I think it is the most difficult task

for me," she shares good-naturedly.

She advises singers learning new

languages, "only zeal and hard

work will help you to reach great

results.'

Natalia draws aural inspiration

from many different genres of

music but mostly from her own

genre. "I can name some of the

singers: Sarah Brightman (she

influenced me a lot!), Anna

Netrebko, Elina Garanca, Eva

Cassidy, Hayley Westenra, Sissel,

Blackmore's Night, A-HA,

Scorpions, Natasha St-Pier, Josh

Groban, Loreena Mckennitt, Yanni

and many others."

As she looks to the future Natalia

says, "For sure everyone has

dreams, now at the age of 34 I

dream of peace in the world, I

dream of health and happiness for

my family and friends. I dream of

having the opportunity to visit

different places in the world and of

not to being afraid that something

bad will happen." When it comes to

music she is excited for the release

of her debut album. "It will be

indeed an unbelievable event for

me."

At present, she has no plans to

perform in concerts. "I have never

performed for an audience, so this

side of the artist's work is unknown

to me and frightens me a bit but

who knows, maybe one day I'll

have the opportunity to perform for

people in different countries."

Anna Hawkins Bold, Brave and Beautiful

I’ve been a fan of Anna Hawkins

for some time now, so it’s a

privilege to review her new album.

From her first EP, on to her debut

album, and last year’s “Divine,”

Anna has shown a talent for staying

true to her own unique sound.

Listeners enjoy a mix of Celtic,

Christian Contemporary and

Broadway textures. Anna’s

caramel-rich voice stands out even

among some very talented peers,

but it is her careful vision,

arrangements, and songwriting

skills that consistently keep her as

one to watch in the crossover

scene.

Her latest release follows the

inspirational theme of her previous

albums with a title track that could

easily be a commercial hit. While

there are many feel-good anthems

about following your dreams, what

seems to make “Bold, Brave and

Beautiful” stand out is the honesty

of the lyrics. It’s not just trite

positive affirmations but a true

glimpse into her struggle as an

artist. It instantly makes you

inspired and places the listener

firmly in her corner.

The album explores new territory

than what we’ve heard from Anna

but none that are beyond her grasp.

The guitar in “I Will Rise” is

reminiscent of the ‘Nashville’

theme song. I have always thought

country repertoire is underused in

classical. Anna proves that there is

always room for a cover well sung

with ‘Let it Go’ and the same is

true of the other covers including a

beautiful version of “Sound of

Silence” with her sister (Lisa

Grace). She paces them well in

between her original songs so the

listener has the right mix of

something new and the comfort of

the familiar. “What if” is one of the

original standouts.

Joanna Forest Stars are rising

Joanna Forest is the kind of artist

whose persona makes audience

members root for her success. Her

debut album, “Stars are Rising”

features the City of Prague

Philharmonic Orchestra and is one

of the stronger debuts I have heard.

Joanna could have easily put out a

pretty but forgettable collection of

standard crossover repertoire but

instead, she and her team have

created a truly interesting offering

and should be proud of the results.

The album gets off to a dramatic

start with “Sposa Son Disprezzata,”

a lesser utilized Italian aria. Joanna

has a sweet tone and the clarity of

her musical theater background that

will appeal to the crossover

audience.

The arrangers do a very admirable

job of staying true to their

cinematic theme, even including a

version of David Bowie’s, “Life on

Mars.” “How does it feel,” is

reminiscent of Joseph and the

Technicolor Dreamcoat somehow

to me. It is followed by “My

Everything” just as the listener is

craving a more relaxed tempo and

the soothing track is exactly what is

needed. Her cover of “Pure

Imagination” is also lovely.

“In my life” is a pleasant surprise.

The absence of orchestra prevents

unnecessary fluff and the inclusion

of nature sounds is unique.

Joanna’s vocals are just perfect for

an introspective approach. The

final track “Pathways” creates a

beautiful moment with Joanna

blending with the choir.

If you need yet another reason to

support Joanna, a portion of

proceeds from the album will be

donated to the “Coppa Feel”

charity for breast cancer for whom

Joanna is a proud “Boobette”

ambassador.

Ad astra per aspera

To the stars through difficulties By Chantelle Constable

When Shirin Asgari, Nasrin Asgari,

and Nazanin Ezazi stepped onto the

stage of “Supertalent” in 2012,

about to give their debut

performance of “Nella Fantasia,”

they were ushered in to the sound

of Adele's “Skyfall.” The drama

and energy of the song inspired

them as they held hands and

stepped up to the microphones. The

words “we will stand tall and face

it all together” stuck with them –

and led them directly into the

repertoire of James Bond film

songs.

The popular appeal of the sexy

secret agent and the dramatic,

lyrical content of the songs

composed for films throughout the

years were a magic fit for this

classical-crossover trio.

After their immediate and

resounding success on Supertalent,

the women were approached by

Universal Music, whom they had

been previously courting through

their ex-manager with little

success. A seemingly overnight

Cinderella story.

But such a triumph was hard-

earned.

Growing up in Tehran, the girls'

families listened to classical music

in the home and encouraged them

in their instrumental studies, but for

religious reasons (by the law of the

country) it was not possible for

them to pursue their dreams of

being professional singers.

According to Nazanin, women

were only allowed to sing in a

choral setting, and even then there

were few teachers of vocal music.

The girls grew up admiring singers

such as Edita Gruberova and Yma

Sumac and Nazanin recall feeling

frustrated, as though she was

singing “wrong,” with tension and

pain in her throat, and yearned to

learn the correct technique for

singing classical music.

In a fairy-tale twist of fate, one of

her school teachers overheard her

hiding in a classroom and

practicing singing by herself. The

professor was stunned by her voice

and arranged an invitation for her

to perform at the residence of the

German ambassador to Iran.

Fast forward a few years later, and

Nazanin was auditioning for a

professor at a music conservatory

in Germany. The professor failed

her in the entrance exam, stating

that Nazanin had not had enough

previous vocal training. In spite of

this blow to her aspirations,

Nazanin then applied to school in

Vienna and was accepted. The

same German professor who

rejected her was to be a judge in the

Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing

Competition, in which Nazanin was

a winner. The professor was

speechless -- nearly moved to tears

-- when Nazanin introduced

herself!

Sticklers and snobs of vocal purity

may rest assured -- the women of

Sedonia have serious cred in the

world of legitimate opera. After

their studies in Vienna and Graz,

each has been honored to perform

leading roles and premieres at

major opera houses in Europe, in

addition to winning prestigious

classical singing competitions.

Some highlights are,

Shirin: The Queen of the Night in

"The Magic Flute" ("I can perform

it already while sleeping.") and

world premieres of contemporary

operas with Klangforum Wien.

"[In] 2006 I received a scholarship

from AIMS and qualified for a

concert tour with the orchestra of

St. Johns/Oxford) and the Holland

Festival."

Nasrin: "I already performed in

Opera houses in Kiew and Tiflis

and joined the Steirischer Herbst, a

festival of contemporary music."

"While studying I joined the Arnold

Schönberg Chor which gave me the

possibility to work with famous

conductors like Seiji Ozawa or

Nikolaus Harnoncourt. I am

grateful for that experience."

Nazanin: A contracted soloist with

the opera house in Gratz (a process

she describes as very different from

the American opera singer's ability

to freelance with whichever opera

company they choose) gave her the

chance to perform in Le Nozze de

Figaro, The Magic Flute, L'elisir

d'amore, and Falstaff, among others

(including operetta and musicals).

In addition to winning the

Belvedere competition, she also

found success in Operalia and was

even offered a two-year young

artist development contract by

Placido Domingo himself.

However, it conflicted with her

contract with Graz Opera and she

chose the path of stability in

Europe.

Always, even as young girls, the

members of Sedonia had their

hearts set on modern, classical

music. Shirin and Nasrin's brother

is a professional musician in

Vancouver (CA) where he teaches

violin, and their father is a violinist

who has arranged many traditional

Iranian tunes for the violin.

Nazanin's father played the piano

and a traditional percussion

instrument, and her mother was a

very good dancer. Their love of the

performing arts was "in their

blood."

Although they heard the native

music of Iran in their homes, were

exposed to traditional Persian

music, and learned to play

traditional instruments in school,

all three agree that they had a

passion for classical music early

on. They do not play their

instruments very much anymore,

except to learn a song or to teach,

but Nazanin shared that in the role

she is currently playing at the

National Theatre of Mannheim --

Juliet in a modern adaptation of

Romeo and Juliet -- the directors

incorporated her skill on the daf, a

traditional Iranian percussion

instrument, into her character on

stage, as Juliet is portrayed as an

"oriental girl," and Romeo as a

German boy.

Nazanin also shares that learning

the unique oriental scales and

tunings of traditional Persian music

has helped her become an excellent

singer of baroque music.

A pressing question was how all

three of them found their way into

a popular music career (or even

careers as operatic soloists) from a

country so restrictive to women as

Iran. The resounding answer from

all three, when asked in turn to

advise those who might be in a

similar situation to themselves,

was: "Leave the environment and

follow your dreams" (Shirin)"And

do not give up." (Nasrin)

Nazanin was practical in her

response: "My advice would be that

if you think you can live with it, and

if you think that you can forget

your dreams and live there, just do

it." However, she continued, with

building passion, "But if you think

that you really want to live your

dreams if you really want to reach

your dreams and make them come

true, then stand up... ... if I could do

this, you can do it too!

Everything that exists in our world

was one day just a thought. So,

THINK about what you want.

Because only like this will you

reach it and bring it to reality.

If you cannot reach your dreams in

the country that you are [in], the

only possibility is to find your way

out.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE IN

THIS LIFE so dream your dreams

and really believe, and know that if

you want it, it will happen."

When the group made the decision

to appear on Supertalent, it was a

"to be or not to be" (Nazanin)

moment for them. They had not

met with large success in their

crossover career thus far and were

eager to put themselves into the

public eye, to receive the honest

opinion of a large audience and a

panel of judges. While agreeing

that they were very nervous, and

stating that a live talent show may

not be the best option for those who

aren't ready to hear an honest

critique of their performance,

Sedonia is grateful for their talent

show experience in giving them

exposure to an audience of millions

and ultimately drawing the

attention of their record label,

Universal.

Yet another portentous twist of fate

in their fairy tale, because the

singers of Sedonia had already

decided that they wanted their

group name to include the word

"universe." The word represented

their vision: presenting themselves

"to the universe" as three Iranian

women who... "couldn't really

dream of that -- coming to the

world with an international

career." (Nazanin) Upon realizing

that the terms universe/universal

were, pardon the pun, universal...

the women decided to pay tribute to

their heritage by using the Persian /

Farsi words "se" (three) and

"donia" (universe) to compose their

name. Se-donia. Three universes.

For three such talented, determined

women, it may seem as if the world

truly is not enough. It may take

three universes, or even more, to

contain the stellar career of

Sedonia.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

If you could give a gift or a message to

young people in your home country,

what would it be?

Nasrin: Iran is a beautiful country, but

if the soil does not let your talents

flourish - there are always other places.

Shirin: And maybe in the future we will

see flowers of all colors growing in Iran

again.

Shirin, are you still an active painter?

Sure. I am regularly on exhibitions with

my paintings and usually open my

exhibitions with singing. For me,

Painting is like singing with colors.

What would you say has been the

hardest obstacle for you to overcome

in pursuing your musical dreams?

Nasrin: The hardest thing is to leave

your family and country where you were

born.

Nazanin: If you are kept down as a

woman your country that can be

overcome, but personal crises [such as

an illness in the family or splitting with a

long-term partner] can be even harder to

get over, but anyone can get over them

and we can get stronger.

As residents of Vienna and Graz,

what are some of your favorite

memories of the towns? What were

some of your favorite places to visit,

and restaurants to eat at?

Nazanin: In Graz "Schlossberg" is a

very, very nice place, every tourist

should go and see it. The opera house in

Graz is, even from the outside, more

beautiful than opera house in Vienna. In

Vienna, you really have to taste the

sachertorte in the Hotel Sacher.

[I] love Austrian food; Hühnerstreifen --

chicken slices baked with salad, with

very special traditional oil Kürbiskernöl.

Nasrin: Well you know the sweet dishes

are famous in Austria - visit the Cafe

Central in Vienna

Shirin: Or [if you] need a Tafelspitz

(beef) you should try Plachutta in

Vienna, too

Sedonia.at

Viktoria Tocca By Natasha Barbieri

Viktoria Tocca is a shining

example of a strong woman making

waves in the genre of classical

crossover music. She began her

craft early on and claims, "I can't

remember not singing! I was

always making up my own songs

and putting on shows in the house,

forcing everyone to watch!"

At the tender age of 10, she was

accepted to the Adolf Fredriks

School of Music in Stockholm.

Viktoria explains that while it is

similar to a regular school, music is

a part of their everyday classes. "A

lot of Sweden's musical talent

stems from this school and I had

six wonderful years there where I

was often the soloist at concerts.

Then I did a three-year musical

theatre program and since

graduating, in 1998, I've been

working professionally as a singer

and actress."

Viktoria performed the title roles of

Christine in Phantom of the Opera

as well as Evita, in the musical of

the same name. Her career's

expansion into the classical

crossover genre "came rather

naturally for me," Viktoria says.

"I've always liked to write music

and lyrics but never really pursued

it until I got pregnant with my

daughter. I couldn't do musical

theatre during the pregnancy and

for a while after having the baby,

so that's when I started working on

my first album which was in

Swedish. Then, of course, I was

hooked and have to date released

four albums, a Christmas EP that

I'm working on extending to a full

album, and lots of singles."

Both creating roles on stage and

performing as a solo artist "requires

me to be very honest on stage.

When creating a character I have to

highlight certain parts that are more

prominent in that other person. I

usually do quite a lot of work when

creating a character, lots of writing

and figuring out who this person is,

but ultimately it will all stem from

myself and my own experience

and bringing that out in the most

honest way possible."

Does she have a favorite onstage

moment? "There are many,"

Viktoria shares. "Right now I'm in

the middle of working on a

character that I really love,

Francesca in The Bridges of

Madison County and we're doing a

couple of songs from the show in

the musical theatre concert tour

"Från Broadway till Duvemåla"

that I'm currently in and that's one

of my favorite moments on stage

every night, because you can feel

the character taking form right

there and then in the moment and

that's a really great feeling. Another

favorite is obviously playing

Christine in Phantom of the Opera,

which had been my dream for so

long!"

Viktoria created the role of Sissi in

the world premiere of "Ludwig II."

She calls the experience "really

special" as well as challenging. "I

had never worked in Germany, so

the language was new and I had

never worked on such a huge stage

before. The theatre was more than

2000 seats and the stage was huge!

We had real horses on stage as well

as a huge pool where Ludwig

drowned himself in the end. It was

also such an honor to play such an

iconic historical figure as Empress

Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria. You

could hear the audience whisper

her name every night at my first

entrance, "Sissi, Sissi, look it's

Sissi", that was very humbling."

I ask Viktoria if there are any plays

she would like to see made into

musicals. Her response is

enthusiastic, "Oh wow, that's a

great question. When I come up

with something really great I'll let

you know because I might want to

write my first musical myself!"

Viktoria is very supportive of new

music. "I think there are plenty of

good singers out there who want to

do classical crossover, but most of

them sing and record the same stuff

that has been done before. I think

that it's very important to write,

create and sing new material for the

genre to move forward! I think

Jennifer Thomas is doing a lot for

the instrumental CC genre and

Mary-Jess is one of my

favorite singers in the CC genre,

both writing a lot of new material

and doing a great job!"

When I asked if there's one song

from the classical crossover

repertoire that Viktoria thinks

should be retired she replies, "Oh I

don't know. I love a lot of this

repertoire, but I don't think we need

any more recordings of Time to Say

Goodbye and Nella Fantasia unless

someone is going to spice it up and

do something really different!" Fair

enough.

Viktoria is currently involved in a

tour of Broadway music in Sweden

called Från Broadway till

Duvemåla. "I'm actually producing

this tour myself. I've worked

mostly internationally in my career

and moving back to Sweden, for

family reasons, I realized that it's

not so easy to break into the

musical theatre scene in Sweden."

Still, Viktoria remains undaunted.

"Instead of sitting at home moping

about, I decided to produce

something myself. I had no idea

that it would grow so big so

quickly, but we're booking shows

left and right, getting spectacular

reviews and I'm honestly getting

more work than I can handle at the

moment, but I'm not complaining!"

Of course, creating new music and

producing shows is expensive and

difficult especially for the

independent artist. Platforms like

Pledge Music and Patreon,

however, are allowing fans to

finance the projects they believe

in. "For me, it's absolutely

necessary! I try to offer as much as

possible to my patrons and fans

because they're really the people

who support all the creative ideas I

have. I still spend a lot of my own

money that I make at concerts etc.,

on new recordings, music videos

etc, but my Patreons are very

important!"

Viktoria continues to train her

voice under the tutelage of Douglas

Yates. "I've had the same teacher

for a long time. Douglas Yates is

basically classical, but he works

with all genres since the basic

technique is very much the same.

I've been with him since 2001. I

work with him very intensely 4-5

times a year when he comes to

Sweden or I have the time to go see

him (he lives in Germany). But

usually we work for 4-5 days, very

intensely and that's enough at the

level I'm at. The rest of the time I

work on my own."

On her time off Viktoria enjoys

reading. "Finding a good book and

spending time is like a vacation. I

also love watching great films and

TV series. I really love all the new

online options where I can watch

TV when I have time. Binge

watching series on any of the online

services is such a treat! Other than

that I love walking my dogs in the

woods or going out on our boat.

Nature and quiet creates such a

perfect balance to my rather hectic

life, I love it! And food, yes, I love

food! Who doesn't?!"

viktoriatocca.com