DOMENICO PRODUCTS
How it all began:
Having dual interests, professional singer and voice teacher, Domenico Products, Inc. was started in 1999 with the goal of helping singers become better singers and performers. After teaching many years, I noticed that singers were struggling with their daily warm-ups and weren’t warming up correctly. This is when the Winning Warm-ups series was born. Not only did my own students benefit, but thousands of other singers have been very happy with their own progress. As a result of the success of “Winning Warm-ups,” a second CD was requested by both students and teachers, so More Winning Warm-ups for the Voice was created. A Systematic Approach to the Voice was then added to our line of vocal projects to give a teachers and students a large variety of exercises that work on every aspect of technique.
So why the name Domenico?
The company was named after Domenico Scarlatti, a composer from the Baroque period. We LOVE Baroque music—it’s fun, the rhythms are interesting and the harmony rich. So why not?
The other reason that this name was chosen is that we perform a lot of Baroque music. My husband and I wanted to perform together, but as a soprano and bass duo, it was difficult to find appropriate repertoire. What soprano/bass duets are even available? Our goal was to find fun pieces to perform and we discovered a pretty unfamiliar genre known as an “intermezzo.” These intermezzi (plural for intermezzo) were really popular in their day—and were written for soprano and bass voices. After researching in libraries in Europe and the United States, we ended up with a great library of music—that hasn’t been published! It’s so fun, we needed to share it with other singers so they can have just as much enjoyment. We’ve sung them in North and Central America, Europe and Asia.
About The President
Kathleen Van De Graaff has taught all levels and ages of students in her private studio, at high schools and in universities. She has also directed opera workshops and musical theater revues. Kathleen’s solo performances have taken her to 30 states in the United States as well as in Europe, Asia and Central America. She and her husband, Peter, have traveled throughout Europe obtaining scores of early 18th century chamber operas called “intermezzi.” They have gained notoriety as specialists in this area and have given the modern premieres of many intermezzi by Johann Adolph Hasse, Domenico Sarri, Leonardo Leo, Giuseppe Orlandini, Giovanni Bononcini among others. Two of these intermezzi, Mirena e Floro and Moschetta e Grullo, were released in 2007 on Naxos International Record Label. A third opera, Miride e Damari can be heard on the Naxos website.
Peter Van De Graaff
Hailed by the critics as possessing a “resplendent voice” and “rich, burnished sound” with “formidable skill” and a “commanding grace and strength”, bass-baritone Peter van de Graaff has sung to great throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Central America. His recordings include Menotti’s The Medium, Vorisek’s Mass in D and arias and duets from Mozart’s time, all on the Cedille label plus the above mentioned intermezzi.
Peter is also the host of the Beethoven Satellite Network which is a nationally syndicated classical radio show. Recently, he was awarded the sixth “Karl Haas Award for Musical Education” from Public Radio International, joining other winners Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Peter Schickele, Bill McGlaughlin and Martin Bookspan.
About The Staff
Deanne Ohman is a pianist, organist, and arranger who has accompanied performances of opera and musical theater and church and civic productions throughout the United States and Europe. She has taught private piano since 1990. Mrs. Ohman attended Brigham Young University and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
Vision
Our goal is to help singers become the best singer they can possibly be. Our secondary goal is to reintroduce people to a fun type of chamber music: intermezzi!