With Thanksgiving right around the corner (staring at me and holding a whole turkey, no less), I wake up every day grateful for composers like Rossini, Gounod, Verdi and others for developing an artform that allows the trained human voice to experience all of the greatest of emotions. We opera singers are a lucky breed in that we get to experience some of the most beautiful music and fascinating characters while showcasing our own individual talent. As November is all about being thankful I decided to remind myself why I (and anyone lucky enough to be an opera singer) should be grateful.
1. I am grateful that I have a voice that is suited to opera. It takes a unique timbre and color along with an ability to project that voice into an opera house. After years of training, I can do this!
2. I am grateful for the amazingly talented (and often supportive) colleagues I encounter. In so many of the performing arts, you are allowed an extensive rehearsal period in which to develop the trust that is needed to create great art. But in opera you meet and a few hours later you are embracing lovingly or cursing vehemently all with people you know little about. I am grateful that so many of the folks I work with are so open and willing to “play.”
3. I am grateful for my drive to be an opera singer. Every morning, I find that I am excited about the music I am learning, the emails and calls to make and receive and/or the rehearsal that is to happen. I love the process so much because that is where I truly discover the nuances of the music and the character. I am also grateful for the support system I have that encourages me when I need it and cheers me when I accomplish.
4. I am grateful for being an opera singer who actually LOVES opera. If I am going to invest most of my time and energy in a career, I am happy that I truly enjoy all the aspects. Besides performing, I relish the chance to view the artform live. Nothing excites me more than hearing great singing. Being an opera singer myself, it can be tough to just “listen” without judgment, but I also attempt to focus on the performance and what they bring versus analyzing what they don’t.
5. I am grateful for the opportunities that being an opera singer offers. I get to travel, meet all kinds of people, work in the theatre and (most times) hear some fantastic artists. I also get to work for myself which is a blessing. I get to set my own schedule when it comes to learning roles. On the flip side, I learn a lot about discipline as there are constant deadlines, places to be and business to get done.
6. I am grateful for the challenges of opera. In addition to singing well, we usually have to perform it in a foreign tongue with incredible dramatic intent. I certainly feel a lot smarter when I’ve conquered a role (although do we ever really conquer it?)
7. I am grateful for the joy singing brings me. When I’ve warmed up well and the voice is working, I feel a freedom to tell a story in the most vulnerable, beautiful way. It took me a long time to realize that the audience wants to see the “cracks” in our own armor through the guise of our character. They want to see the freedom, the tears, the anger, the love and all the other emotions that we dare not share in public. When the audience connects to that, I feel like the world is perfect.
8. I am grateful to New York for toughening me up regarding rejection, helping me to build stamina and being in a place ripe with opportunities, resources and auditions.
9. I am grateful for having spent six years on the administrative side of opera. I learned so much about how opera companies run, how each opera house has its own set of standards regarding artists and how all you have control over is your product, not how they view it.
10. Finally I am thankful that opera keeps me on my game. I have learned to love myself more and treat myself so much better because I am devoting so much of myself to my art. Opera encompasses so many of the things I love: music, drama, language, movement, visual arts and live theatre. I am also grateful that when I sing opera it makes me believe in the divine and my way to communicate with that energy is through making beautiful music.
Reminding myself to be thankful, not only in November, but all year long of the privilege of being an opera singer makes every day an exciting adventure that I am so blessed to experience.
Peace,
Eric
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Temperament
I am in St. Louis working on one of the greatest operas in the repertoire: Faust! The story of an old, cynical man who sells his soul to the devil in order to pursue young love combined with Charles Gounod’s sensual music is what opera is all about. It’s always great when you get to sing a dream role and Valentin is one of mine. I am thrilled to be “living the dream” to quote a wonderful tenor colleague. I have also been having some wonderful discussions about what it takes beyond the talent to succeed in opera. The word that seems to keep coming back is “temperament.” According to Merriam-Webster, temperament is defined as the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal. Singers are two people, student and artist. At any given moment we are either learning our craft or sharing our craft and we have to be strong enough to take the criticism of teachers, coaches, directors, conductors and critics and also have the inner-strength to perform as if we are the greatest thing in the world.
Opera singers also have to have a high level of adaptability. We go from city to city singing with artists of all different backgrounds and skill levels. Sometimes we end up staying in the homes of people who may not quite understand the needs of artists to really focus. One has to be a good people person in rehearsals, at donor events and whenever one is presented under the umbrella of the company. And then there is the travel! I have experienced delays, lost luggage, missed pick-ups and trouble getting to rehearsal on time. One must learn to just breathe and keep going knowing that eventually you will get where you are going and get what you need.
Another important thing is that a singer has to be able to be alone…for extended periods of time. Not only because we often spend a lot of time needing to recharge from a full day of rehearsal, but also because there is a necessary discipline needed to be a singer. Sometimes you feel like a monk because as much as you want to go out and about and explore, you have to think about “the voice” and what it needs. I am thankful for the internet and television for being my constant “companions” while I am away from home. As an only child, I like solitude because I get a lot done and since I see singing as my job I put in hours in the morning, take a break, then more hours in the afternoon, early evening. If I have a lot to do, I will work “overtime” to get my daily agenda done.
If I had to make an equation it would be talent + temperament (ability to learn and perform consistently + adaptability+ discipline) + unknown factors that are completely out of our control or x (I consider this the ultimate variable)= a career as an opera singer.
When people say that I am lucky for having work I smile on the inside because I know that luck is a small percentage of why I am fortunate enough to get to perform. I also believe that I am cut out to take the rejection, learn from the critiques and see the career of singing opera as my daily job (and sometimes my life!)
Peace,
Eric
Opera singers also have to have a high level of adaptability. We go from city to city singing with artists of all different backgrounds and skill levels. Sometimes we end up staying in the homes of people who may not quite understand the needs of artists to really focus. One has to be a good people person in rehearsals, at donor events and whenever one is presented under the umbrella of the company. And then there is the travel! I have experienced delays, lost luggage, missed pick-ups and trouble getting to rehearsal on time. One must learn to just breathe and keep going knowing that eventually you will get where you are going and get what you need.
Another important thing is that a singer has to be able to be alone…for extended periods of time. Not only because we often spend a lot of time needing to recharge from a full day of rehearsal, but also because there is a necessary discipline needed to be a singer. Sometimes you feel like a monk because as much as you want to go out and about and explore, you have to think about “the voice” and what it needs. I am thankful for the internet and television for being my constant “companions” while I am away from home. As an only child, I like solitude because I get a lot done and since I see singing as my job I put in hours in the morning, take a break, then more hours in the afternoon, early evening. If I have a lot to do, I will work “overtime” to get my daily agenda done.
If I had to make an equation it would be talent + temperament (ability to learn and perform consistently + adaptability+ discipline) + unknown factors that are completely out of our control or x (I consider this the ultimate variable)= a career as an opera singer.
When people say that I am lucky for having work I smile on the inside because I know that luck is a small percentage of why I am fortunate enough to get to perform. I also believe that I am cut out to take the rejection, learn from the critiques and see the career of singing opera as my daily job (and sometimes my life!)
Peace,
Eric
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
