If you’ve already taken a moment to explore this website, you may have stumbled upon Operaversity’s store. If you haven’t, go ahead and do that now. Don’t worry, I’ll wait!

More familiar now? Great! So as you probably noticed in the store, there’s a wide selection of books for singers and teachers, as well as various supplies you may find helpful throughout your career. However, you may have noticed the absence of one vital resource to singers and teachers alike – vocal scores.

It seems crazy – a website about opera and singing with a store for singers and teachers without any vocal scores. That sentence alone sounds crazy! So what’s the deal?

The deal is this: Operaversity’s store does not and will not feature vocal scores because there is a waaaay better place to buy them. Classical Vocal Reprints.

If you are unfamiliar with Classical Vocal Reprints and the magical vocal score wizard that is Glendower Jones, please let me enlighten you. This online retailer sells pretty much every classical vocal score you could possibly need in your life at affordable prices with unbeatable customer service.

My most recent experience purchasing music from CVR serves as an excellent example of what I mean. As I was searching CVR for music for my recital, I found myself uncertain of which French anthologies contained Fauré’s Cinq mélodies de Venise in the original key (since the anthologies tend to be in “low” or “high” rather than “original”). Even though I was purchasing music for my own solo recital, I wanted an anthology for teaching purposes.

Glendower to the rescue! I had mistakenly believed that the original key would be in the “high” anthology, whereas he informed me that the original key was in fact in the “low” one. Furthermore, he recommended a fabulous Fauré anthology to me, which unfortunately I found myself unable to purchase due to its release date. However, he also knew why I was purchasing an anthology rather than a stand-alone copy of the Cinq mélodies. So when I received my order, there was an extra score in my box: a stand-alone copy of the Cinq mélodies in its original key. Placed upon it was a small note with one word written on it – “Complimentary”. I still have it on my keyboard as a reminder of how kindness and compassion do much more for us as musicians then cutthroat business tactics ever will.

Now, I’m ashamed to admit that in my much younger years, I assumed that CVR’s prices simply couldn’t match Amazon’s and other big retailers. I need you to know that I was wrong. Completely wrong. If you are working under the same mistaken assumption, I need to correct you right now. So if you have any vocal scores you’ve been thinking about purchasing, any at all, head over there now. If you have trouble finding what you’re looking for, give him a call or send him a message and he’ll make it happen.

Singers, we need Classical Vocal Reprints. We need Glendower Jones.

I’d love to hear from those who have done business with Glendower Jones. What was your experience like? What did you learn from him? What would you tell others who are new to Classical Vocal Reprints? Please share below!

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