And now for something totally different

As an opera singer, you spend the majority of your time singing music from composers of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. The wealth of roles and composers is extensive and one has to do quite a bit of homework in order to not only understand the pieces musically, but also dramatically and what was actually happening historically in order to understand the composer's intentions. There are vocal coaches and singers who serve as an invaluable resource in helping a singer navigate the terrain of what the composer and librettist intended. Coupled with the singer's intentions and the guidance of the stage director, a singer hopefully creates a fully dimensional character.

At the present, I am singing the world premiere reading of an opera called The Mark of Cain by composer Matthew Harris and librettist Terry Quinn. Because the piece is brand spanking new, it is a luxury to have the composer and the librettist there at the rehearsals offering insight, correcting pitches we might be approximating (some of the intervals-distances from pitch to pitch-are very tricky), and clarifying why a certain passage was set a certain way whether musically or dramatically. It has helped me in creating a character, finding vocal colors and gaining a better understanding of what the composer and librettist had in their ear when they were writing and composing. It's actually very exciting! Imagine being able to tell Verdi and Piave or Mozart and DaPonte that you really love this particular passage or have them give you notes on text and music or, even better, have them tell you that you are fantastic!

One of the other interesting things about working on a 21st century opera is gaining insight into the composer's musical language. The overall piece is filled with some difficult tonality, but is incredibly tonal. It has a wide range (at least my role does) and yet it is highly singable. The librettist's text offers some beautiful moments of operatic language while at the same time is highly fresh and current. I had an opportunity to speak to both of them about their process and was fascinated to know that the composer started with the middle of the opera and worked his way out while the librettist and the composer worked separately and connected via email. This reminded me of the letters betweeen Verdi and Piave and while there has been many years since we've communicated via letters, the practice of working apart is still in practice.

I've worked on two new operas in the past, but this experience is the most special. I think my knowledge as a singer and an actor has allowed me to enjoy the process a lot more. I also think the fact that I am the lead and that the text, music and character seem to fit my voice well makes me want to champion this new opera and hopefully have the chance to sing it again!

Peace,
Eric

What exactly do you do?

Inspired by the rash of posts that aim to explain various professions from the eyes of various parts of society, I decided to clarify what it is that I ACTUALLY do. Even some of my dearest friends think I just wake up, jet off to an exotic locale,sing a few phrases and collect a check. Sometimes this does happen, but it's very rare. The majority of my time is NOT spent in the act of singing, but trying to get singing work. And when there is work, the majority of my time is spent in preparation and finally, there is the work itself which usually lasts about three weeks (sometimes longer if you are lucky.) For those who wonder "what is it that you do all day?" This blog post is for you.

There are four types of days when one is an opera singer: performance day, rehearsal day, audition day and for many, the most common of days: the hustle, practice, email, market, workout, memorize, update, research and work day.

I'll start with Performance Day:

This is the day that I love the most. It's special for two reasons: 1) You get to perform and 2) You get paid to perform--two of my favorite things. I was fortunate to have a very busy fall seasom and am looking forward to a busy spring and summer and it is those performance days that keep you plugging along even in the face of rejection, a bad singing day, expenses such as voice lessons, coachings, travel and photos and resumes and that nagging voice that tells you, you should be MORE successful. Performance days take a lot out of me so I like to rest as much as possible, reamin silent and sometimes eat just enough to get through the show, but no more than that. Sometimes you have to interact with colleagues, possibly sign a poster or meet with VIPs pre-performance, but mostly you just relax, go to the theater, get into make-up and costume, warm-up and go. I will often study the score the day of the show as it makes me feel "settled." Perhaps it's more a way to remain focused without exuding too much energy. It's funny, but I really like being alone with the score (my lover at that time) and immersing myself. Finally once I get to the theater I can feel the energy of the performance and if the elements allign, then the show can be magical!

Rehearsal day:

The company meets and you sing through the show with the other cast members with the conductor and stage the show with the director. One of the big differences between the opera world and the musical theatre and theatre worlds is that you show up with the role completely memorized and already with a strong point of view of your character. While there is a chance to work with the conductor and director to shape these things, the singer must already have it very well engrained and what I like to call "in the body." What I love most about rehearsal is finding the chemistry with my colleagues. Sometimes it's like finding a long-lost friend, other times, it develops slowly into something really warm and easy and sometimes you just go in and do your job and do your best to create the illusion that the singer you must be in love with will keep their "crazy" bottled up enough to get through the day. It can be a crap shoot, but it's never dull!


Audition day:

This is the day when you go before the firing squad also known as the audition panel. In truth, many singers HATE auditioning. I have grown to like it, but some days you are amazing and other days you walk out wondering whose voice that was coming out of your body. A lot of my non-singing friends think this must be the easiest thing in the world, but unlike shows like American Idol and the Voice, the judges don't offer feedback (sometimes they will, but it is rare) and if you are singing for mainstage, you may have to wait days, weeks, months (or even years) before you hear anything!

Opera auditions are a lot like taking an oral Nationalized Standard Test. You have to show a high level of vocal beauty, power, nuance and drama. On top of that you must show that you not only can pronounce the text well (sometimes for native speakers) but also that you understand not only the literal meaning of the text, but also the subtext. Finally you must show that you understand the context in which your aria is happening through action and movement. A servant role from a Mozart opera will move and react differently than a noble character from a Verdi opera. The preparation that goes into an audition is usually many long hours of memorizing, practicing, researching and mental focus all for five to ten minutes of an audition. It's a crazy process, but without the audition, one can't get work.

The hustle, practice, email, market, workout, memorize, update, research and work day:

This day may begin at 8am with reading emails, responding to emails and writing emails. The emails are all about past work (thank you's), current work (clarification of rehearsal notes etc...) and future work (auditions, travel arrangements, cuts to the score etc...) Then there is the part of the day that I call the "hustle." This is all about getting work for the future. This includes researching auditions, getting auditions and following up after auditions. This takes up a good deal of time, but is neccessary! Then I might move to the marketing portion of my day-this involves emailing places where you've worked to let them know what you are doing now, contacting people who could hire you in an area where you will be working to come hear a performance or sending info to the press to cover a recital you are given. (Note: You and your agent will work on this together and the higher you are on the operatic rung, the less you have to do yourself.) Next we go to the workout. Opera Singers are now being shown in HD and the expectation is that you are an amazing singer, fabulous actor and look like someone who one would want to, as Eddie Murphy said in "Coming to America": "put on a plate and sop up with a biscuit." Men in opera may have to go shirtless and if you are a great singing actor and you're very good-looking and in shape, you will move up to the front of the pack. After the workout, one goes into practice mode (which sometimes comes before the workout depending on the day). This is where you not only practice the music for the upcoming opera, but work on technical things you and your teacher want to improve. This may also include a voice lesson or a vocal coaching where you work on technique, dramatic interpretation and language. This can take any where from an hour to several hours. The final part is memorization. It takes a long time to learn the text, notes, stories, characters, historical context and nuances of an opera. Most singers are cast six months to several years ahead so as to give the singer enough time to learn all of these things.

The final thing is that a singer must work (unless they are singing constantly at the world's greatest opera houses) to maintain the expenses of this career (lessons, coachings, travel etc...) By the time one does all of this, it's usually six pm or later and another day comes to an end. This takes incredible DISCIPLINE and some days you don't feel like doing it, but this business is too competitive to "not feel like it."

I have been very fortunate that I am able to do this as my career. I am also very fortunate that I have a wonderful support system of family, friends and colleagues and that I absolutely LOVE what I am doing.

What they don't tell you in school is that not everyone has an easy time of this career, but if you love it beyond belief, are disciplined, willing to deal with rejection and the uncertainty of the business, then you just might make it. While it's always good to remember the immortal words of DJay from the movie "Hustle and Flow" It's hard out there for a pimp, it's more important to follow the advice of recent Screen Actors Guild winner for Best Actress, Viola Davis "Dream Big. Dream Fierce."

Peace,

Eric