Can’t Hold Us
Photo Credit: Alexander RiveroA #360ofOpera interview with VOCE NOVA, written by Yutong Yang.
I came across the dynamic classical crossover duo VOCE NOVA during one of my regular strolls down the America’s Got Talent rabbit hole on YouTube. They literally had me at hello, with Natalia’s winning smile and Gilad’s sharp suit. But most importantly, they seemed to possess perfect self-confidence in the unique mash-up they were about to deliver.
When I closed their video, I was sure about two things:
They really knew and enjoyed what they were doing;
I’d have to interview them one day.
And right before their big release this week, I finally got to chat with them about how to put up the greatest show, and all the work and fun behind that.
1. Please tell us something about yourselves. What was your musical upbringing and training like? Do you have any jobs outside of VOCE NOVA?
Natalia: Music was a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I always wanted to be on stage and I would sing everywhere. When I was a teen, I joined the “Neighbors of Chich” youth singing group in Tel Aviv, and with this group I performed covers of classic songs, as well as original musicals, all over Israel and the world. My high school voice teacher told me that my voice was really suited for opera and classical music, so during my army service in Israel I decided to apply to schools in New York and got accepted to the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music.
In the seven years I spent in that school I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in performance and music education, while gaining valuable experience as both a soloist and an educator. I continued singing in productions after graduation, but these days my performing is mostly concentrated on VOCE NOVA.
My work outside of VOCE NOVA includes my online holistic voice studio as well as a correlating career as a VP of sales in a woman-owned electrical company in NYC.
Gilad: I grew up singing covers of classic Israeli pop songs in kids and youth singing groups, similar to the one Natalia was in. Then my family and I relocated to Long Island, New York for three years, and my high school choir was where I first sang classical music. I later returned to Israel to complete my compulsory army service, and half-way through, I decided that I was going to study singing in NYC after being discharged. I knew that I wanted to study classical singing, not because I had dreams of becoming an opera singer, but rather because I wanted to have a solid vocal technique that would help me be the best rock singer I could be!
At the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where I studied and performed opera, I learned to love the art form and started honing my vocal technique. During that time I was also performing in cover bands and original rock bands all over the NYC metro area. I always found the diversity of my singing abilities to be a strength, so it’s no surprise that I was ecstatic to create VOCE NOVA, a musical venture that combines both worlds.
Outside of VOCE NOVA I also perform as an Israeli music specialist for weddings and events, as well as book shows and perform with the Israeli music cover band TLV. I’ve also been working as a residential real estate agent in NYC for over a decade now, and I am a certified mindset & business coach and consultant working mainly with musicians.
2. What does VOCE NOVA mean to you?
VOCE NOVA was conceptualized in the spring of 2018, and is our way of creating something new and unique that caters specifically to corporate events, gala dinners, fundraisers, and high-end private parties. Combining different genres in ways that have never been done before, and breaking the rules, are reflections of who we are as artists.
3. When and how did you meet each other?
We met in February 2018 after a mutual acquaintance connected us and asked that we perform a concert of opera hits at his home in Manhattan. During our conversation to plan this concert we found out that we have a similar background as both people and artists. When we talked about our past crossover projects—Natalia’s classical crossover album, That Is Me, and Gilad’s concert concept, OPROCK—we realized that we both enjoy creating our own musical outlets and are not afraid to be different.
During this successful concert, we were excited to discover that we have great stage chemistry and that we love connecting with an audience in similar ways. That’s when we knew we had to create something together!
Photo Credit: Alexander Rivero4. We know how in sync y’all are in the studio and onstage. But how do you complement each other? What are some differences in personality or outlook that make VOCE NOVA even stronger as a whole?
Gilad: Finding a partner who is both a great opera singer and a top-notch pop singer who knows how to give an audience a high-energy performance is rare, and this is exactly what I found with Natalia. Her personable nature and the way she connects with people are among her greatest strengths, and if you ever walk into a room full of people with her you’ll see what I’m talking about. She is also very spiritual, and in the years that we’ve known each other I have definitely benefited from this part of her personality and outlook in difficult times, for which I am very grateful.
Artistically she thinks outside the box, which is something I love to do as well, and she has come up with some really crazy ideas that we’ve been able to mold into extremely exciting songs for the VOCE NOVA catalog.
Natalia: Gilad is not only my dear friend and business partner, but truly my chosen brother. Even when I can’t articulate what I'm thinking he always understands me, and he complements me perfectly as a performer. His honesty, directness, and passion about what he does, combined with his drive, commitment, and pure heart, are his biggest strengths. In addition, having a partner who also understands that to make music into a money-making venture we must also be good at the business side of it (including being very detail-oriented and always thinking ahead and anticipating any issues before they arise), is invaluable.
Our friendship is the biggest gift, and this also includes his wife and our co-producer, Lisa. She has become a truly irreplaceable member of the VOCE NOVA team and deserves much credit for everything she brings to the table, from production knowledge to brand management to great artistic ideas and insights.
5. The original arrangements of the songs in your catalog are definitely an indispensable part of your charm. Who is this mysterious producer?
Finding the right music producer for a project that is singular and has no previous references was no easy feat, but Assaf Averbuch fit our needs perfectly! He and Gilad have known each other since 2002 when they served together in the Israeli Army’s Armored Corps Entertainment Group, and Assaf’s experience as both a performer himself, and as a brilliant and in-demand music producer, has allowed us to come up with the craziest and most out-of-the-box ideas, which he skillfully translates into our custom orchestrated tracks.
6. “It’s like a party!!! As soon as you started singing I was in party mood.” —— Terry Crews, host, America’s Got Talent
Does this quote capture the essence of your music?
This is definitely true to some extent. Yes, we do LOVE having fun on stage and bringing the audience the kind of classical crossover show that allows them to actually clap along and dance to some of the songs, but it is also important for us to connect with them in different ways. To this end, when choosing the repertoire for our catalog, we choose songs and classical pieces that are universally known, that the audience will recognize immediately, and about which they’ll get really excited.
7. There’re so many classical arias and pop/rock hits out there—how do you choose which ones to remix?
At this point we love to throw a wrench in the familiar and add an unexpected twist that makes the listeners go “WOW! I didn’t expect that!” Our co-producer, Lisa Katz-Paz, really comes in handy here, as she is very attuned to what would connect with a wide audience. Lisa has a music background and has been around both rock and classical music for the past couple of decades, but not being a professional musician allows her to look at the product from a different perspective and help us shape the songs and the show in a way that will speak to listeners on different levels.
Some examples of our unique mashups include the “Habanera” from Carmen combined with Santana’s “Smooth,” “Take On Me” mashed-up with “Die hölle rache” (the Queen of the Night’s aria from The Magic Flute), and “Nessun dorma” alongside “We Are the Champions.”
8. Which VOCE NOVA show is your favorite thus far?
It’s hard to choose a favorite because we have such a fun time together on stage and with the audience, and each show is customized to the specific event, which makes it special, but there is one that comes to mind as extreme and totally different than anything else we’ve done so far.
We were invited to perform an opera flash mob during a top secret wedding celebration of a very wealthy couple. Dressed as waiters, we were asked to surprise the guests and start singing in the middle of their dinner! Everyone lost it when they heard the “waiters” sing “Libiamo” (with our Moroccan twist) and other operatic favorites, and the whole energy shifted. People took out their phones and started filming, clapping, and dancing along, and we had a great time entertaining that wonderful crowd.
9. How do you curate a perfect show that flows well and is comfortable to sing?
When it comes to creating the set list for a VOCE NOVA performance, there are a number of things we always consider. We think about the musical arc of the show, and the journey on which we want to take the audience. One thing that’s really important to us is grabbing the audience right from the start and then leaving them wanting more at the end!
In addition, singing different genres in the same show, and sometimes in the same song, takes vocal planning, too. We think about the vocal demands each song calls for, and then program the songs in a way that would make sense for the flow of the show, while also ensuring that we stay in top vocal form from start to finish.
Photo Credit: Alexander Rivero10. Have you ever incorporated some elements of Israeli traditional music into your catalog? Is classical crossover a big thing in Israel?
Incorporating music that we grew up listening to in Israel is part of what got us on America’s Got Talent!
Though classical musicians do branch out into popular music in Israel in order to get more work, the genre that we refer to as classical crossover is not really big there. However, when we perform for Jewish organizations in the United States, we definitely incorporate popular Israeli and Jewish songs into our show, which appeals to that clientele.
We both feel that as crossover musicians, we have the freedom to draw from so many different sources, and for us that includes bringing in some Israeli culture (which itself is a melting pot of traditions and cultures). Adding a Moroccan beat, which is very popular in Israeli pop music, to a classic piece like Verdi’s “Libiamo” from La Traviata, really gets the crowd going every time we perform it. They start dancing in their seats, and clapping along, in a way that may seem counterintuitive, but truly brings the party vibe of the original work to the 21st century.
11. What has been the toughest part of putting your concept out there? What has been the most rewarding?
When you try to do something new, it’s not always easy for people to accept, because they want to be able to label and categorize you as something familiar that they already know.
With that said, we are truly grateful for the reception that we’ve received from audiences who have been to our shows, watched us on TV, and heard our music online. After every performance, folks have come up to us to share their favorite moments from the show, and fans have written to us from around the world to let us know that our music has touched them. This has definitely been the most rewarding part of this journey so far, and motivates us to keep pushing the envelope and expanding our musical limits.
12. There seems to be a lot of intentionality in everything you do. Have you always had a clear target audience? How do you reach them?
The way we created VOCE NOVA was kind of like reverse engineering. While many artists start by creating a show and then thinking about how to market it to potential audiences, we decided to do it the opposite way and started by thinking about who our audiences would be, and who would be booking the show. In our research, we found that the corporate entertainment world was missing a fun and exciting classical crossover act that would bring something different to the table than what has been traditionally offered, and we decided that we were the ones to fill that gap.
In order to connect with our ideal clients, we research all of our potential collaborators (agencies, production companies, event planners, etc.) and reach out to them in various ways. We also make sure to interact with our audience and potential clients directly through social media, and by releasing new music and videos.
Getting the attention of potential collaborators and clients is not unlike getting noticed in the classical world, so our experience from years of auditioning, and the inevitable rejections that come with it, has actually helped us keep going.
Photo Credit: Alexander Rivero13. How did you adapt during the pandemic?
During the first months of the pandemic we started going live on social media to engage and connect with our audience. We did this to offer a welcome relief for them, and as a way for us to keep doing what we could without knowing when performances would come back.
After a few months we were asked to perform in some outdoor shows, which was wonderful, but it also made us think about how we could serve audiences who were lacking access to in-person performances in a meaningful way. We started offering virtual performances, the highlight of which was taping a virtual Hanukkah celebration that was customized and sent to several different communities from the eastern seaboard all the way to Southern California.
This endeavor led to Natalia’s idea to record our version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in 14 languages (plus American Sign Language) and to release it on YouTube in December 2020. The notion behind the song was to share our global connection as humans, and to inspire hope while the world battled the height of the pandemic together.
Our experience with virtual performances has taught us that this process is just as hard as—and in some aspects actually harder than—putting on a live show. There’s a lot involved in this process—pre-production, logistics, scheduling video and audio people, booking a venue, running a full day schedule for the shoot itself, many hours of video editing and sound mixing, etc.—so it’s not for the faint of heart.
14. And what’s here to stay now that you’re landing live gigs again?
What we’ve kept when things opened up, and still continue to do, is live video chats on Instagram and YouTube. The pandemic has made our already small world even smaller, and we love utilizing this technology to bond with our fellow musicians and with audiences from around the world.
15. How have you supported other artists through your experience?
One way in which we support our colleagues is through our series of posts and interviews called #CrossoverCrew. In this series we feature classical crossover singers and acts from around the world, shining a spotlight on their careers and achievements, and introducing our audience to them. The live chats we’ve had with these wonderful artists have created some very cool connections that we look forward to turning into collaborations when things finally, and truly, open up again!
Another way in which we feel we support our fellow musicians is that we consider VOCE NOVA what we jokingly call “a gateway drug.“ Combining the biggest hits of opera and classical music with the excitement and energy of pop and rock music hits, has allowed us to bring this music to audiences who otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to it, and we hope that hearing these pieces in an accessible way will inspire them to explore the rich world of classical music.
Natalia supports singers professionally through her holistic online voice studio, where she combines mindset, spirituality, and healthy vocal technique, to unlock her students‘ true voices and their confidence. Modern-day classical singers need to be able to stand out by being vocally flexible and versatile, which opens up more opportunities for them to perform various genres without sacrificing their technique.
Another way of supporting singers and other musicians is by helping them shift their mindset in a way that will help them navigate the treacherous music industry, and by teaching them business skills that are essential to their success as freelance business owners (inside and outside the music realm). This is exactly what Gilad does through his coaching platform, The Marketable Musician, where he encourages fearless performance in all areas of life, which in turn, creates financial empowerment that then leads to the artistic freedom so many musicians desire!
16. You just released your first ever global streaming song “O Holy Night.” What’s next?
After the success of our first ever global streaming release, “O Holy Night,” which was featured on 360° of Opera’s holiday playlist, we are excited for our newest release!
“Time to Say Goodbye”, the beautiful duet by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, was one of the first songs that we chose for our catalog. It’s a classical crossover anthem, and one of its biggest and most beloved hits of all time, so the choice was clear. However, we had to make it our own and give it the VOCE NOVA treatment, so with the help of Assaf and input from Lisa, we added some modern electronic touches to it, and a rock edge.
When we cover a famous and universally-loved song, we feel that the only way for it to be different and to connect with the listener, is by having something new to say and expressing it in a way that has not been done previously. We can’t wait for everyone to hear this release!
Photo Credit: Roy RochlinChance encounters are often the start of magical things, but too often, we just let them slip. It takes passion and preparation to not just recognize an opportunity but truly seize it, and VOCE NOVA has never lacked either. And after all, who doesn’t love a fizzy cocktail of a song with an elaborate aftertaste?
- written by Yutong Yang