Interview with Phillip Webb


As part of our new site, we will have occasional interviews with some of Seth's better known students. For our first interview, we are very lucky to have the tenor Phillip Webb. More information about Mr Webb may also be found at his website .

Q. How and when did you become aware of the Seth Riggs method and meet Seth?

A. I met Seth in December of 2004 while singing at Grace Community Church. I was introduced to him by one of his students. After he heard me sing, I wanted to know what he thought of my vocal technique, this way I could tell how he was approaching the voice.

Q. How do you feel working with Seth has changed your voice and your overall attitude towards singing?

A. Seth has helped remove the grabbing and tension that began to take over my voice due the fact that I began to sing heavier and bigger operatic roles. Seth's approach has given my voice freedom and with this confidence, singing has become more of a joy.

Q. You have a very exciting opportunity coming up. Would you like to share your feelings about that with us?

A. Since I started working with Seth, all sorts of doors begin to open up. Contracts from the Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera the Metropolitan Opera and other opportunities started coming my way. At that point I knew that the changes I had begun at Seth's encouraging, were being heard and appreciated by others.

Q. What classical voices have influenced you the most?

A. I appreciate so many voices for different things:

Carlo Bergonzi - I spent several months studying with this gentle man in Italy and I appreciate his solid technique and phrasing. The range of roles he could sing is simply astounding, from the lyric to the lyric spin-to, he traversed them all.

Lucianno Pavarotti - In the right rep, his natural, easy and beautiful voice just grabs your ears and won't let go. No one sang La Boheme like he did.

Richard Tucker - An astounding voice that seemed to be able to go on forever. He has a reputation of not having a high C, but this is not at all true and his top was one of the greatest. There is a quote from Riccardo Muti when doing a production of La Forza del Destino at La Scala, the tenor was marking and r e fusing to sing the dress rehearsal. He said to Muti, "Maestro, if you will allow me to mark I will give you the greatest Don Alvaro you have ever heard at the opening performance". Muti is said to have responded, "No thank you, I have already heard Richard Tucker sing Don Alvaro".

Franco Corelli - When you want to hear the most Nessun Dorma, put in Corelli's recording. His voice was a gift from God that will take your breath away. There is a recording of him singing Turandot from La Scala, and halfway through the orchestra inadvertently takes the tuning up a half step. So the Cs in the duet with Turandot was a C# and Nessun Dorma was a C.

Fritz Wunderlich - He died much too soon, a young man. Simply put, one of the most beautiful lyric tenor voices you will ever hear. He sang so easily, it causes you great disappointment to know we didn't hear enough of him.

Q. Tell us about your recent trip to Belgium. Seth has told us many great things about your r e cording performance, and we'd like to hear it from your perspective.

A. For a few years I have had a nice relationship with the Flemish National Radio Symphony. They have been getting a lot of attention, especially since their Grammy Award from the film, "Aviator". I enjoy singing with them and over time, we are getting to know each other musically. I will have another wonderful opportunity to do a concert with them in Rotterdam this August.