The section of the human brain that appreciates sopranos is missing a nerve or two in mine. I've never quite gotten to like the soprano experience, probably because the bases for Indian classical music and European music (whose traditions the African-American performers were borrowing off of) are quite different. The difference really manifests itself in the vocal traditions.
The emphasis in European classical music is on "pure" frequency notes. A human singer attempts to mimic the purity of a piano's keys. Hence the soprano insistence on single pitch notes that vary across the octaves.
Indian classical music systems (both Hindustani and Carnatic) both emphasize "richness", like that of a human voice. Typically, you have a frequency, with its harmonics and nearby tones, "gamakas", embedded within a single note. Instruments, then, attempt to mimic the richness of a human voice. A violin played in the Carnatic style sounds very different from the way it sounds in a violin concerto.
To me, attuned to the rich voices of female Carnatic singers, a soprano sounds shrill -- her singing seems like screaming. For what it is worth, I thoroughly enjoyed the baritone half of Saturday's performance.
