I'm currently listening to Sutherland sing Lakme, and also finishing up the last few pages of "Le Marriage de Loti", the travel historical novel that the Lakme libretto was based on. Nevermind that it takes place in Tahiti and is told from the point of view of Loti, the British sailor, who falls in love with the native savage. There are still beautiful descriptions of first love, whimsical childishness, lush forests, and the fickle yet innocent fear of love and the unknown.
This B.o.S. (Business of Singing) post is for all of the sopranos who have not gotten auditions this year even though their resumes have grown over the past year and they feel as if they have made very good vocal, technical, and dramatic strides and are absolutely ready to begin their fulltime year round mid-high level YAP and regional opera careers.
Perhaps they are currently in a smaller year-round residency. Perhaps they have sung leading roles there for two years. Perhaps they already have a Master's Degree and have completed a high-level pay-to-sing in Italy or Germany. Perhaps they are on the young side to have completed all of the previous accomplishments and this is the first year they're sending out all of their materials.
I have heard from so many soprano friends this year that they are simply not getting heard. Whether they have sung for a summer or residency previously or not, they just can't even get in to get a time in New York. One would think that if your resume just grew to include Musetta, Juliette, Widow, Pamina, Marguerite or other leading roles over the past year and a half, that many companies would at least give you the chance to sing for them for the first time.
Or is it that tough for lyrics and lyric coloraturas to get heard? Or any other soprano for that matter?
So, after hearing of friends with 22 applications sent, and three auditions granted, I'm deciding to write about other paths you can take to continue a performing career that are not necessarily through summer young artist programs.
note- there are all just my opinions on the fly, as I like to keep a record of what my general thoughts are regarding this career and look back on them and compare them to my path so far....
The Yap chain of events seems to be: get into a summer Yap, create a buzz for year-long young artist programs, get in there, have a decent chance of being hired back as a professional artist in later years..and voila- you've "made" it...on some level---and if you get lucky enough to have management hear you while you're at the Yap, even better.
YAPs are not the only way to have a career, obviously, and I would venture to say that most singers are actually not involved in them.
Many singers move to NY or other large metropolitan areas after graduating, continue to study voice, perhaps participate in a famous workshop or two, get a church job, start singing with the local and very small community or regional opera companies, and can sometimes work their way up to comprimario roles without management in the larger regional houses in their state or tri-state area. Once they've gotten that far, it MAY only be a matter of time before a comprimario role at a good regional house leads to a chance at a larger role.
At the same time, whether in a big city or not, you have the following options at some point after you have had enough stage and vocal experience:
Cold letters to management and to regional houses for mainstage auditions.
I've written about management recently in the "ladies who lunch" post. I don't know much about it yet, and have always been told that the right time to get management is when THEY approach you, but you also have to be in a position to be seen and heard. And singing at very small, but still paying, opera houses, may not afford you that opportunity. So I think at a point when you're ready but may not have the big credits, why NOT send the letters out?
Sending out cold materials (of course hopefully aided by SOME contact that you have- a coach, teacher, director who may be familiar with someone on their staff, someone on their roster, etc) including cover letter, resume, recording (or website with recording), headshot, reviews and offering to come to NYC to arrange a time to sing for them I think is good idea #1 IF you are prepared to move to NYC for however many months a year it takes to do the actual auditions, should you get signed.
Sending out cold materials to regional houses (again with a contact name if possible) seems also a decent way to get heard, IF the house hears unmanaged singers. I'm excited about FWO's unmanaged auditions this year, because, b'way style or not, it's a chance to sing for a company for a leading role that I otherwise would not have had.
Now, how to narrow all of the names down?
Well, where are you located? And do you want to stay there?
When I was in Boston and not sure what I was going to do the year after I finished undergrad, I mapped out and googled every opera house or musical solo/orchestra opportunity in MA, NH, VT, CT, ME and RI, and was printing out the letters to them all (when of course the whole first yap/grad school thing came up for me)- explaining that I was a young singer that has done such and such in school and the local regional opera scene, and I hope to be considered for an audition with their company for the upcoming season.
Europe. Well, there is just so much to be said about the opportunities here if you find the right way to get there. Grants, grants, grants is what I have to say. The money is out there from the American Berlin Foundation to the Huntington Beebe Awards, to Fulbright, Rotary---if you can write those great essays and really put together a plan of audition and cultural immersion, you could really get a fully funded year of study and audition in Europe.
I won't begin to step on the toes of nfcs poster nem1962 who has most recently posted an amazing guide entitled "what the fach"!! to German audition trip planning, but this information, whether you are funded or not, is out there. People are doing it right now. You can ask for advice, follow in their footsteps, and if you're willing to commit a number of years abroad, I think it's a great way to be a working singer.
Concert Work and how else can you market your voice?
Messiahs, Requiems, Cantatas and new works. Depending on what area you're in, don't overlook the fact that you can get concert work and it's MONEY. Yes, the stuff that makes sure we have a roof over our head and food in our bellies! I know, we want to sing opera (or DO we? Some people, don't!!), but you get your name out there. One conductor likes you. Maybe next year he gets to conduct a concert version of Traviata, and he remembers how you nailed those high notes in Carmina and voila- you're hired. Maybe there's a director in the audience that is thinking about mounting a production of Traviata. And there you are, sparkly and darling in your concert dress, and jus the perfect Violetta even before he does a search.
A few friends I know also have CDs of their own music, their own NEW music, arias, anything--that if you have a large enough base of contacts, once you engineer and publish yourself, you are pretty much assured a certain number of buyers for. And it's just a good way of getting your voice out there as well.
In closing since this is getting long and I am obviously not the oracle of information, ---I'm just offering some thoughts about what I would personally do were I in the situation of two or three specific friends who could take any of these routes in the coming year,--- I'll say that from what I have experienced, this IS indeed a business. And singers who don't realize that I think are at a disadvantage. It's not just about your package of 5. It's about keeping track of all musical coaches, directors, teachers, colleagues, and authorities who you have ever worked with, keeping them in the loop with what you're doing, asking what they are doing. Being in the know about upcoming repertoire in houses you're interested in singing in. Devoting a certain amount of time each day or week to researching online what other singers in your fach are doing- whether they are at your level, above, or below. Tracking where they came from, where they are going, and seeing if there is any opportunity for you that you can make happen.
Too long.
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