THIS week we chat with the amazing vocalist\/arranger\/composer and producer Gabriel Macura.<\/p>\n
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What initially motivated you to have a go at singing?<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t actually remember a time when I didn\u2019t want to sing. I\u2019ve always had music in me wanting to come out! But my first real attempts at singing on a stage happened when I was about 14 because of my friend and amazingly talented pianist, Jonathan Cox.<\/p>\n He would make me tapes of the new music theatre shows coming out and I would listen over and over until I knew the words to all the songs, then he and I would play and sing. We started doing local concerts like the Dahlia and Arts Festival and Kiwanis concerts together and I was hooked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How would you describe your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n It really depends on what I\u2019m singing. I don\u2019t have one style. I am classically trained so if I\u2019m singing something operatic, for example, I\u2019ll use that voice and technique.<\/p>\n I love singing jazz and soul, so that\u2019s another vocal style, and if I\u2019m singing music theatre I\u2019ll adapt my style to fit the specifications of that genre.<\/p>\n I also really enjoy free-form styles of toning like chanting and scat. The voice is such a fabulously flexible tool for expression. I fundamentally do not believe in locking it into one way of being.<\/p>\n I like to do work around freeing the voice up and dissolving barriers to our innate and unique expression.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What are some highlights you have from your singing journey so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n I honestly wouldn\u2019t know where to start but here are some random singing things I\u2019ve done: I\u2019ve sung Bach mixed with Middle Eastern instrumentation at The Mathaf Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar to hundreds of Sheikhs. When I was in the US, I performed at the Cat Club \u2018All Stars\u2019 nights in Hollywood for a while alongside members of Guns \u2019n\u2019 Roses, White Snake, Iron Maiden, Goo Goo Dolls, Poison, etc, etc.<\/p>\n At one point my husband (who is a brilliant sound craftsman) and I were doing these larger-than-life amplified pop-up outdoor operatic shows in Melbourne and Sydney, which ended up on quite a few TV shows and led to all kinds of crazy adventures!<\/p>\n But honestly, over the past few years the greatest and most rewarding highlights on my singing journey have been seeing my students overcoming obstacles and achieving their goals and dreams on their own terms as their authentic selves. That\u2019s a whole other level of amazing!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n