Richard Lissemore unpacks his own dissertation research on what sopranos actually do between D5 and F5 — with ultrasound tongue imaging and hard acoustic data.

What is a soprano really doing when she navigates the second passaggio? In this session Richard Lissemore walks you through his own research on classical female voices between D5 and F5. You'll learn the crucial difference between resonances and formants (and why the field is renaming F1/F2 to R1/R2), how a trained singer shifts from tuning the second resonance to the second harmonic over to first-resonance/fundamental tuning, and how the A1-A2 amplitude measure captures that change. He compares technique versus deliberately "un-technique" singing, shows the telltale crossover pattern, examines vibrato's role, and reveals ultrasound tongue contours of what the tongue actually does. For teachers who want evidence, not opinion.