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
