There are enough shoes for everyone

When the economy turned south, I was working on the administrative side of opera. I loved my job, but it became very stressful wondering if the company could survive, if we would have to take weeks off without pay or if my job would even still exist. It was around the holidays and I was feeling lost, as if I was not doing what I was meant to do. I ran across a listing for an audition for a National Tour of “Porgy and Bess” and as you may know, I came, I saw and I toured. After that I made the transition to full-time performer. I figured if I was going to be stressed about the stability of work, I should be doing what I loved. Even in the most difficult financial periods, I have managed to work and make great strides. In addition to believing in my talent and having the fire in my belly, I remembered the words of a wonderful baritone named Scott Hogsed with whom I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with as a young singer: “There are enough shoes for everyone.”

It changed how I perceived the opera industry. We all know the odds are not in our favor if you look at the data. Thousands of singers, hundreds of jobs, and yet his belief (and mine) is that if you work harder, sing better and are a great person to work with, you will work. Will you sing leading roles all around the globe? Perhaps. Will you sing supporting roles at regional opera companies? Perhaps. Will you sing at smaller companies making little money, but hoping to get good exposure? Probably. The point is this: We can only see the “industry” from our point of view. If it is our goal to sing at La Scala, then nothing will matter until we get there. That can be a good or bad thing depending on the person. Some would relish the chance to hone their skills in smaller companies so that when they make it to La Scala they are fully prepared and ready. Others see the “steps” to get there as an annoyance because, until that goal is achieved, they don’t believe they are “doing it.”

As I continue to make strides in my career, I am fortunate enough to see that friends are doing the same. It is as if our “time” has arrived. Granted, not all of us are singing at the same level, but the thing is, we are singing, we are getting hired, and we are auditioning with those we are reading about. In her book, Renee Fleming compares making the transition to the next level to swimming across the English Channel. It can be cold, lonely and hard, but once on the other side, there is great reward. But that swim is what tests most of us. Some stop and go back, some drown, some stop and just peddle hoping to be saved and some keep their heads together, keep breathing and no matter the difficulty, keep going as they see the end goal in mind.

We all have a talent (and there are plenty of folks who want to tell you what that is), we all have a work ethic (only we really know how much we want to put in) and we all have a hunger for the career (again, only we know how much we really want it.) Everyday there are auditions; everyday someone gets hired; everyday someone becomes the “next big thing.” Something that has helped me is aiming to be as good as those who are where I want to be and also preparing as if I want to sing at that level. In my mind, I imagined my Bronx Opera debut as my singing for an international audience in a foreign country. It helped up my game.

In essence, anyone who wants a career as a performing artist has a streak of optimism. We believe that we can and deserve to make our living doing what we love and that we should be compensated well for it. However, a lot of the messages that we hear are that the industry is “hard”, that only a small percentage “make it,” or that if you didn’t go to school X, do program Y or know mr./ms. Z, you can forget about it. And yet, Scott’s words align more with my optimistic point of view. I do believe that there is enough work out there. I do believe that hard work, talent and the fire to be one of the best will take you to a level where you can do this for living. Perhaps I am a bit of a Pollyanna , but this attitude has helped me to become a singer who is working so for me, this point of view works.

There will be things we sing for where we are not hired, that is going to happen (and even happens to the greats) so accepting that allows us to be less devastated when we don’t get it (of course, being sensitive artists, there may be a bit of a meltdown—not that I am speaking from ANY sort of experience.) But we need to have the belief deep within us that we could be hired. We need to believe that we SHOULD be hired and that we are so amazing that they HAVE to hire us! I have gone into auditions and psyched myself out and in most cases, I have NOT been hired, but it’s those ones where I walk in and believe I can do this, I deserve this and I am simply singing as a formality that work out much better.

Just like there are thousands of styles of shoes out there, there are plenty of singing jobs of all types. We may have champaign shoe taste (career aspirations), but only Payless money (limited talent, experience, etc...). But just like those who work hard to pay for those $500 kicks, we have to work harder if we want to have our dream career. I see it a lot like my philosophy of happiness. Happiness must come from within, from inside as opposed to waiting for the exterior things to bring us joy. I see the career in the same way. We have to prepare as if we are already at the level in which we hope to perform instead of thinking well when I get to that level, then I'll...It means that we may have to take some bruises to our ego which might be quite comfortable with where we are, but every singer (even the greats) deal with criticism in order to become their best.

I leave you with a bit of wonderful advice from Ms. Leontyne Price. One must love their voice and be willing to share that love with those listening. One must also block out all the noise that comes with a career and simply focus on the work. That is all that matters. And as she says, her career was “not too shabby.”

Peace,

Eric

Refilling the Well

Last night I had the great privilege of seeing the Metropolitan Opera’s “Le Comte Ory” by Rossini. I haven’t been to the Met in years and the last time I was in standing room and while it was cool, last night’s experience was absolutely perfect! Perfect seats, perfect outfit, perfect show…perfect, perfect, perfect!

A wonderful colleague of mine had an extra ticket to the production so I jumped at the chance to see this cheerful opera starring Juan Diego Florez in the title role. I would have been quite happy, but then I found out that South African soprano Pretty Yende would be making her MET debut that very night. A great tenor + a Rossini opera + a highly-anticipated MET debut only heightened my excitement.

I arrived early and took a few shots before meeting up with mezzo-soprano Juli Borst who so kindly allowed me to accompany her.

We took a few photos before the opera started and met a lovely woman who offered to take our photo together. She couldn’t quite figure out how to do it from my IPod so we just let her take one with Juli’s IPhone (insert comedy routine.) She asked if we were from New York and we said yes. Keeping the conversation going she told us she was from California and was with a group that came out to NY to come to the MET. “Are you a Juan Diego Florez fan?” I asked. Without missing a beat she responded “I love the San Diego Chargers.” I decided that I would end the conversation there, get in position for the photo and get myself prepared for the opera. Thinking of her response, I certainly didn’t have any trouble smiling as she took the picture.

The seats belonged to Juli’s friend’s father who was unable to attend. Here is a shot of the stage from our wonderful seats.

The production began and we were off, the director opted to stage the overture and give the audience more detail on what would lead up to the opening of the opera. Soprano Pretty Yende fell as she was leaving the stage during the overture and an audible gasp was heard throughout the house. Of course, by the time she came in to sing her opening aria, she had clearly resolved to throw caution to the wind and lit the house on fire. She and Juan Diego had a palpable chemistry and were able to milk all the humor while tossing off long lyric lines, runs and high notes like they were nothing. I also have to say that mezzo Karine DeShayes (a voice new to me) showed herself to be a lovely singing actress as Isolier, the male page of Ory, with a beautiful, rich voice and fantastic coloratura!

During the intermission, Juli and I made our way down to the lowest level to see the MET’s wall of fame. It’s actually quite large and includes singers of yesterday and today and was inspired by the photos that hung at the old MET. It was quite stimulating to see so many great artists including a photo of young Jessye Norman that must be seen. Here is a shot of just a segment of the wall.

Act II seemed to fly by and when this international cast (Pretty Yende, South Africa; Juan Diego Florez, Peru; Karine Deshayes, France; Nathan Gunn, USA; Nicola Uliveri, Italy; Susanne Resmark, Sweden and conductor Maurizio Benini, Italy) took their bows, the crowd went wild. Soprano Pretty Yende generated the kind of applause that seems to guarantee that she is on the road to superstardom!

I am always looking for inspiration in the music, text and stories of the characters I am singing. I also find it necessary to seek out inspiration from other sources including listening to other singers so when a free ticket to MET comes my way, I know I have to go. As an artist we are asked to give and give and give. Our well of inspiration does run pretty deep, but we must refill it with experiences that move us, challenge us and ultimately fill us. Last night’s performance gave me more drive, more joy and more excitement about my career path. I see amazing, wonderful talent everywhere around me and am grateful to be performing alongside them. I am also grateful when I see great art in front of me and am able to just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Peace,
Eric

The calm before the Rossini storm

Rossini is one of my favorite composers because his operas make me smile and challenge me to be a better singer. I have enjoyed performing Figaro, Dandini and Taddeo, and tonight will add the role of Fernando in La Gazza Ladra to my list. I have always had a great love of Bel Canto operas especially ones that explore how to create a character through the repetition of text, cadenzas and vocal colors. It is a big challenge to keep this music fresh and interesting, not because it is “boring,” but that it takes a great deal of concentration, imagination and study to find the nuances. Rossini was very clear about accents, coloratura phrases, dynamics and tempi, but there is still the matter of the cadenzas (a series of notes that allow the singer to “improvise” in order to enhance the character.) And after all of that, the singer must address what the text is all about.

I love doing the work of fusing the musical and the dramatic and have truly enjoyed getting under the skin of Fernando Villabella. He is a soldier on the run, a father trying to protect his daughter and in disguise as a beggar. It makes for fantastic theater and a world of dramatic choices. I have to say I love his music and his character and look forward to bringing him to the stage.

One of the first things I learned as a young singer (even when I didn’t have control over my technique) was that coloratura was not just a way to showcase how fast you can sing a series of notes, but an expression of the character’s emotional state at that moment. It took a while to learn how to sing and act together and even longer to understand how to color text, especially in coloratura passages. Musically Fernando combines lyricism and dramatic moments. It feels like a Verdi character plopped in the middle of a Rossini opera. The role is a complete musical adventure with a heavy Bel Canto flair. Act I provides lyric and dramatic singing, some great cadenzas and wonderful drama. Act II is even more challenging with his aria that alternates between a breathless fear and powerful determination, then is immediately followed by a long and exciting (did I mention “long”) Quintet with chorus that has Fernando going from lyric to dramatic to full-on coloratura and back. Finally the Act II finale demands coloratura brilliance and ends on a fun and light note (actually a lot of notes.) The tone of the opera is comedic to serious to light and offers each character plenty of show-stopping moments.

If you know any Rossini pretty well, you’ll also enjoy hearing snatches of melodies from other Rossini operas and marvel at how they fit perfectly into this piece.
Peace,

Eric