Singing with Rolfe D.

San Francisco native, Filipino-American Baritone Rolfe D’s performance highlights include Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Achilla (Giulio Cesare), and Claudio (Agrippina). Rolfe is a graduate of the Vocal Arts Program at Bard College (New York) where he worked with Sanford Sylvan and Dawn Upshaw. Rolfe is a recent graduate of the Dutch National Opera Academy (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and was a recipient of the Holland Scholarship and the Non-EU Talent Grant. The foundation of my vocal teaching philosophy is rooted in the sensitivity to what is beyond the voice in front of me. How can this person become a more complete and whole person in order to discover their individual timbre and voice in the musical world? Through my study and experience, this process consists of careful attention and detail to text and words; being in tune and connected with the whole body; tuning carefully my ear to not only what sounds good but also feels good; observing if the singing was done with enough poise, ease, and elegance; yield my students to release any unnecessary and extra efforts while inviting a type freedom that is calm, collected and dynamic; guide my students to learn how to become their own teacher. This is what I hope to impart to my students. I look forward to passing on my own knowledge but furthermore learning from my future students to become an even better teacher.