Had a great conversation with my teacher the other day regarding how she is trying to warn, I mean prepare, her students for a classical singing career. The topic spurred me to consider this truly extraordinary (was that redundant? I just learned that saying something is “so unique” is grammatically incorrect due to its redundancy-can’t believe I, the Grammar Queen, never knew that!!) cast with whom I’ve been working the last five weeks. Despite the odds, all eight of us are actually doing this–we are making livings as professional singers. So what are the commonalities? Why is probability favoring us? These are some of the characteristics I’ve observed:
- My colleagues work hard-they come prepared, they are always trying to do better, they practice often, they have strong techniques.
- They practice humility.
- They are very proficient musicians.
- They are fantastic on stage.
- They have excellent linguistic skill.
- They are driven.
- They are fun human beings and terrific colleagues.
Maybe this seems a bit, I don’t know, “Pollyanna” to you? And of course, in the interest of realism, yes, there are exceptions to the above. Though, thinking back on this last season, I can say without a shred of dishonesty that the above criteria absolutely applied to the majority of the people with whom I worked. And so, at the risk of seeming preachy, I guess I’m using this as a “word to the wise” to any students out there who might be reading this (not that anybody reads this, but well…) and are dreaming of a career in singing. It is not enough to be talented–simply to possess a stimme, although one does have to have the raw materials, without a doubt. The singers I work with are artists. Really and truly. They are not interested in vocalizing on stage. They’re interested in honest, connected, and dare I say, transcendent communication, either through story-telling or through poetry. This is why we do what we do. If you aren’t passionate about these things, if you aren’t willing to work, hell, if you aren’t willing to play, in order to achieve the highest level of art-making, then this career might not be the best fit for you.
