Manolito Mystiq

Dear all,
It has been a while that I have visited this forum. I have been very busy with my studies—having completed my BA in Musicology and currently finalising my MA in Applied Musicology. I did keep on working on my singing, however. Yesterday, “The Music of the Night,” a song that I auditioned with at the Conservatory of Rotterdam over a decade ago and that I had used for my singing lessons with many different teachers, was one I had never actually performed—until now!
Indeed, there appears to be balancing issues with volume between me and the piano. On the other hand, I asked several attendees whether they felt there were problems with it, but they all did not notice them live. While I do think we could work on balancing our instruments, I believe the recording is augmenting the issue quite a bit.  
I am really satisfied with the performance—especially my acting abilities, intonation, enunciation, and stage presence. I could be more confident with the fermata notes just doing them as long as I want, rather than thinking I might do them too long (I think the “soul”-note [2:32] is great, the “be”-note [3:44] is just about right, the ”night”-note [5:20] is executed pretty well, but could easily be five seconds longer). I could also definitely stabilise and pronounce my “ring” more.
Manolito Mystiq

This can only make it harder. Your vocal folds along with your false folds and your glottis regulate both the airflow and airpressure; your lungs (and thus diaphragmatic breathing) is important for the capacity of air and the consistency of flow.
You especially don't need so much airflow on strong, connected sounds, but you do need air pressure. This means that you don't need to take so much air for high notes in a connected setting. Singing in falsetto for instance, requires a lot of air, because the airflow is so high and so you lose air quickly.
I suggest you don't think about your diaphragmatic breathing. For now, only pay attention to keep your voice open:
Retract your false vocal folds: practice inhaling and exhaling WITHOUT making any sound; you might notice that you're opening up your voice in order to stay silent. Then try to sing a scale with the same sensation. Use a more simple scale: C-D-E-D-C and up and up. Use the "Mum-Mum" sound to keep it warm and round. Use the "Nay-Nay" sound to make it sharp and compressed. Go back and forth between the two sounds to find a balance that could work. Good luck.

This can only make it harder. Your vocal folds along with your false folds and your glottis regulate both the airflow and airpressure; your lungs (and thus diaphragmatic breathing) is important for the capacity of air and the consistency of flow.
You especially don't need so much airflow on strong, connected sounds, but you do need air pressure. This means that you don't need to take so much air for high notes in a connected setting. Singing in falsetto for instance, requires a lot of air, because the airflow is so high and so you lose air quickly.
I suggest you don't think about your diaphragmatic breathing. For now, only pay attention to keep your voice open:
Retract your false vocal folds: practice inhaling and exhaling WITHOUT making any sound; you might notice that you're opening up your voice in order to stay silent. Then try to sing a scale with the same sensation. Use a more simple scale: C-D-E-D-C and up and up. Use the "Mum-Mum" sound to keep it warm and round. Use the "Nay-Nay" sound to make it sharp and compressed. Go back and forth between the two sounds to find a balance that could work. Good luck.

Note: This was recorded with a phone and it was placed behind me, so the quality is not good and the position is not so good either.
As I mentioned in my other thread¹:
“Today, I had a singing lesson, and the teacher (specialized in Estill Voice Training and musical theatre) was baffled at how good I could manage rock material—I sang Dream Theater’s “To Live Forever”—which is so different from belting material in musicals. Often when I sing musical material I get commented how blended it sounds, but that I’m not belting my parts. This is not necessarily wrong, unless I want to audition for a musical role, where it is required. It’s a bit like “Who Wants to Live Forever”, but then the musical version. The first time I heard it, I felt, man, what is that guy doing? It’s like he needs so much effort to reach those high notes, which sound so loud and massive, compared to Freddie’s more flexible approach.”
I am satisfied with the performance. It’s a little pitchy here and there, but I especially like the ‘live’ in ‘to live forever’ part and the final note.

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1. http://www.themodernvocalistworld.com/topic/10289-being-“ready”-as-a-singer-while-still-not-believing-it/
EDIT: Something went wrong. I swear I opened up the Review My Singing page. I probably clicked on the wrong ‘Submit Topic’ button (other page). Feel free to move it to the right folder. Sorry guys and gals.