Vocal Works

Who Is Vocal Works?

A personal word from Dick Frantzreb:

I have established Vocal Works initially as a vehicle for my own creative output.  I've published 3 CDs (whose content is freely available on this site), and provided resources to church soloists.  Most significant perhaps is the "Solo Bank," consisting of over 500 recordings of church solos.  Initially, they were all of my singing; lately I've begun including the recordings of other singers.  Where it will all lead is not precisely mapped out at this point.

I come to this venture from a background in publishing:  my firm, Advanced Personnel Systems, provided publications to HR managers for over 25 years.  Going back a little further, I am a graduate of Amherst College, and I have business and law degrees from Stanford University.  I spent the early years of my career as a personnel manager at the Bank of America and at Bechtel Corporation, both in San Francisco.

Over the years, I sang in choruses and heard people compliment me on my speaking voice, all the time yearning to find a way to make a career out of music and the spoken word.  Instead, I honed my skills in writing, editing, publishing, computer systems, audio systems, and Web design – all experience that I'm now grateful for and able to apply to Vocal Works.

In 1996, the first Mastersingers USA tour (www.mastersingersusa.org) got me singing again after a brief lapse.  In 2000, playing the lead in the "Tsar's Bride" with the Russian American Music Academy made me feel that I could be a solo singer.  And starting later that year, my own church in Roseville and other Christian Science churches in the greater Sacramento area gave me the opportunity to solo.  With the help of Louise Maynard at Solo-Finder, I began to discover the wonderful repertoire of sacred solos.

Vocal Works is now the primary vehicle for my work product.  The ideas are coming rapidly, and I'm listening and ready to act on them.  Thanks for your interest:  I hope to be make Vocal Works an increasingly useful resource as time goes on.