{"id":55,"date":"2022-06-09T03:59:15","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T03:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opera.education\/?p=55"},"modified":"2023-07-30T11:17:02","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T11:17:02","slug":"1-life-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opera.education\/it\/2022\/06\/09\/1-vita-decisioni\/","title":{"rendered":"1. Decisioni di vita"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is the beginning of a discussion I ended up fleshing out from some comments I made at a NATS Master Class many moons ago. I wanted to talk (a little) about all the things I wished someone had told me when I was in school. And it ballooned into my Young Artists\u2019 Corner\u2026<\/em><\/address>\n

I hope I don\u2019t sound too much like a know-it-all, because I definitely don\u2019t know it all. However, I think I\u2019ve learned a few things so far. I think there are way too many romantic notions and a lack of sheer common sense about what you\u2019re going to do after music schools these days, and no one ever talks to you about these sort of things \u2013 \u2013 business and life decisions. All of you are trying to get somewhere really fast, but do you even know where? Start at the beginning.<\/p>\n

LIFE DECISIONS \u2013 \u201cI WANT TO BE FAMOUS!\u201d<\/h2>\n

PERCHE' CANTI?<\/h3>\n

I hope your answer is not \u201cit\u2019s the only thing I know how to do!\u201d That\u2019s a really lame answer, and it doesn\u2019t have the required passion to truly do anything with a career in music. Nobody wants to listen to just another empty, badly sung Italian art song. \u201cPretty\u201d is not enough, either. You must have an overwhelming need to sing or perform or make music, and SAY something with it. If you\u2019ve ever seen Cecilia Bartoli live, you will know that it\u2019s not just her technique that sets audiences afire \u2013 it\u2019s her continual communication with the public through every note of music, and the joy singing gives her that one feels flowing from her. No one besides Pavarotti gets world-famous from this job. (Even Netrebko and Fleming are only well-known to operaphiles.) And it sure as heck isn\u2019t glamourous. So if fame and glamour are your objectives, find them elsewhere \u2013 you\u2019ll just be frustrated in this career!<\/p>\n

I sing because I want to make people feel something bigger than their lives, to transport someone to somewhere else with my voice, to move someone with what I\u2019ve given them, if possible. So much can (and SHOULD!) be said in every kind of art, and I\u2019d like to say something. Singing gives me a joy and outlet that I can\u2019t even describe. It also allows me the forum to experience new theatre, new people, and new ideas all the time.<\/p>\n

Singers that only surround themselves with opera, singing and \u201ccareers\u201d are probably some of the most boring and boorish people I have met. Enrich yourself and your art form by getting out to see straight theatre, reading, and trying to develop yourself as a person spiritually and emotionally, in addition to as a singer! Help people out along the way.<\/p>\n

There is SO much work involved to \u201csuccess\u201d (whatever that is) as a professional opera singer, that if you can do anything else in your life and be happy with it \u2013 \u2013 DO IT INSTEAD!! Seriously. There is no easy road to great singing. Even great \u201cnatural\u201d singers had to figure out some day what it was they were doing so naturally, study music really seriously, work on their acting, etc. etc\u2026<\/p>\n

There are some singers I know who knew they wanted to make music, but started out on an instrument before discovering that the instrument that was their calling was already inside them! I don\u2019t see why it could not go the other way, too. If you are making NO headway whatsoever with singing, and feel the need to make music, why not explore other ways to make music? There are so many other ways to make music!! Some people get fixated on \u201chaving a singing career,\u201d when actually that\u2019s not what they really want nor what will eventually make them happy.<\/p>\n

QUALI ASPETTI DI UNA CARRIERA NELL'OPERA TI ATTRAGGONO ESATTAMENTE?<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • \u00c8 la *performance* che ti eccita?<\/li>\n
  • Essere di fronte a un pubblico?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 la sensazione di cantare?<\/li>\n
  • Sono i complimenti?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 il bisogno di esprimersi con la musica?<\/li>\n
  • Ne fa parte il teatro?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 lo sfarzo dell'opera?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 l'idea di uno stile di vita vorticoso?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 il viaggio?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 il suo fascino snob?<\/li>\n
  • \u00c8 essere al centro dell'attenzione?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Pensi che il canto sia il tuo unico talento per darti questo?<\/p>\n

    Most of us start singing because we like to sing. \u00a0Let that sink in a bit. \u00a0Le altre cose legate all'essere un vero cantante d'opera potrebbero davvero non essere adatte a te!!<\/strong> \u00a0It is not enough\u00a0just to SING beautifully. \u201cBeing an opera singer\u201d is a multi-faceted talent, and you have to have ALL those facets to make it work. \u00a0If you suck at one of the major things involved or you can\u2019t put up with one major part of the business, don\u2019t imagine that you can make this career. \u00a0(And be happy…)<\/p>\n

    Most singers I know (you may be the exception)\u00a0don\u2019t start singing because we want to be an opera singer. \u00a0We\u00a0start singing for more banal reasons, like: our mom put us in choir, it was the only time we felt like we belonged in a group, or we wanted to get in the high school musical with the false hope that it would make us one of the popular kids. \u00a0Ok, all those banal reasons were Mio<\/strong> reasons for starting to sing! \u00a0And none of them had to do with being an opera star. \u00a0I didn\u2019t even like to act!! \u00a0I thought the opera I went to see in 4th grade sung in English was unintelligible and super stupid. I enrolled\u00a0myself in the Thespians Club in high school because I hoped doing\u00a0so\u00a0would help my chances at getting a lead in the high school musical. \u00a0Fat luck. \u00a0But people liked it when I sang and I won competitions and this helped my self-esteem. \u00a0So I studied all the things you needed to do to get ahead in singing to show my choir teacher he\u2019d made a big mistake in not casting me, and one thing led to the next, all my interests (languages, travel) melted together, and here I am an opera singer. \u00a0 I withstood the study and torture (for a shy girl) of years of acting lessons in order to have the opportunity\u00a0to sing on stage; only later did I learn to enjoy acting.<\/p>\n

    OTHER WAYS TO \u201cSING\u201d<\/h3>\n

    Maybe if you make no headway in opera, you could better fill your own personal needs in another venue. Ask yourself these questions, and see why you want to do this career, and if there\u2019s any other way to make you happy.<\/p>\n

    I know singers who are fixated on an operatic career, when they could be the greatest sensation on Broadway if they\u2019d only put their mind to it. Others are great actors, not singers, but won\u2019t allow themselves to realize their potential on the stage if they\u2019re not singing. I know at least three great performers who travel the world\u2019s greatest stages, doing small, highlighted comprimario roles. They realized early on that either their acting talents were great and the competition in their voice category was too huge to surmount, or that they would rather shine in small roles and be highly respected by great conductors and directors alike than struggle and end up working with mediocrity for the rest of their lives in lead roles. They travel the world doing spotlighted small roles, and are very much needed in the opera world.<\/p>\n

    Due dei miei agenti a New York erano cantanti professionisti, ma hanno deciso che non avrebbero mai raggiunto le vette di una carriera di alto livello cantando, che \u00e8 quello che vorrebbero se cantassero. Invece, hanno deciso di essere coinvolti con la gestione. Entrambi hanno GESTITO il livello pi\u00f9 alto di cantanti nel settore; la loro intuizione come cantante per sapere come trattare con le persone, oltre a conoscere il casting e il repertorio, ha dato loro un vantaggio nel business.<\/p>\n

    CORO!<\/h3>\n

    I have received some wonderful thoughts from a chorister I got to know while he was in Houston Grand Opera\u2019s Chorus. He is now singing at Chicago Lyric Opera \u2013 in the chorus. Singing in the Chorus is an actual career, not a job you do until you \u201cmake it big!\u201d It is a shame that voice teachers don\u2019t let their students know that this is a viable and satisfying career. It is not only musically satisfying, it is a great career with many benefits. The majority of AGMA members are professional choristers. \u00a0Why do you need to be the soloist just because you have studied voice? \u00a0This is a ridiculous assumption. You may be better suited to sing in a chorus. Its lifestyle and requirements may suit you better. WHY BE A CHORISTER? CHECK OUT MY CHORUS PAGE TO HEAR A CHICAGO LYRIC OPERA CHORISTER\u2019S INPUT. \u00a0It is not a cop-out nor should it be a let-down. \u00a0It is a viable, worthy and artistically satisfying job – if you let go of your preconceived ideas of what you think you have to be!<\/p>\n

    \u00a0GOL VS. LE TUE POSSIBILIT\u00c0 REALISTICHE<\/h2>\n

    Credo che tu possa realizzare qualsiasi cosa se lavori abbastanza duramente e abbastanza bene, e lo vuoi abbastanza (VEDI LA MIA PAGINA SULLA PRATICA DELIBERATA!). Tuttavia, devi prima realizzare i tuoi limiti, carattere e bisogni personali ed essere onesto con te stesso riguardo alle tue possibilit\u00e0 e ai tuoi obiettivi. Corrispondono?<\/p>\n

    Some of the greatest singers of yesteryear (Birgitt Nilson, etc..) were told they were not made out to be singers. Nevertheless, some voices require so much work that I doubt if the singer could get his\/her act together in time for even retirement, so why bother? Unless, of course, it\u2019s just a personal goal to sing well\u2026 I\u2019d never want to be the one to tell someone he\/she should quit; but the many singers who are pouring their energy and money and lives into what is a difficult instrument, with insurmountable technical, interpretive and musical difficulties, hoping to have an operatic career make my heart hurt. Schools and teachers only encourage them unjustly, in their own interests. Horrible feedback from everyone *JUST MIGHT* mean that you should consider doing something else with your life!! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

    LET ME REPEAT FOR THOSE IN THE BACK: \u00a0Just because you studied voice in college does not mean you have to have a career as an international opera star!! If you are getting negative or just ho-hum feedback from everyone who doesn\u2019t have a vested interest in you continuing to pay them to study, perhaps your voice is not the caliber to do the kind of career of which you\u2019re dreaming. See where you stand with your peers (competitions, etc\u2026), and judge from there. Just because singing gives YOU a rush doesn\u2019t mean that YOUR SINGING gives THE AUDIENCE a rush! Your talents and energies may be better spent elsewhere. It takes at least 7500-10,000 hours of DELIBERATE practice to become an expert in your field. Are you patient enough to put in the hours (and find the creative resilience) to work on the PROBLEMATIC parts of your art and iron out the problems, or do you just like to sing through things?<\/p>\n

    SEI DISPOSTO A SACRIFICARTI PER ARRIVARE A CANTARE?<\/h3>\n

    IS IT THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU? AND WHAT CONSTITUTES \u201cMAKING IT\u201d TO YOU?<\/h3>\n

    Fame should NEVER be a goal, because it ain\u2019t gonna happen unless you decide to sing pop music. Even Madonna has busted her behind to get where she is! \u00a0You\u2019re probably reading this because you want to be a big famous opera star. However\u2026<\/p>\n

    The majority of professional musicians hold down more than one job: they perform in a few ensembles or groups and supplement that with a studio of students they teach. Only a tiny sliver of aspiring opera singers will go on to have international careers. The other lucky ones (another tiny sliver of aspirants) may do less gigs, but have a teaching job on the side that supplements their income. The other GRAND MAJORITY of aspiring opera singers will not be able to make much headway at all in the grand operatic scheme of things. There are three scenarios: either be disillusioned and forever pouring money into more lessons, coachings and auditions; forever grumbling that nobody appreciates their great talent; or find other ways to fulfill their lives either using their musical talents or not. \u00a0Plan C sounds really great to me! \u00a0 My blog here is concerned with the grand operatic career and seeing if it\u2019s for you. \u00a0But what I do not go into in detail are the THOUSANDS of other things you can do with your music and make money from it. \u00a0Just because you studied singing doesn\u2019t mean you need to be a full-time opera singer. How many times do I need to stress this?<\/p>\n

    REQUISITI DI CARATTERE PER QUESTO LAVORO<\/h2>\n

    Devi avere un certo tipo di carattere per fare questa carriera. Devi essere accomodante, in grado di rotolare con i pugni, flessibile e non facilmente agitato. Questo lavoro porta continuamente molte nuove situazioni, oltre a un'elevata quantit\u00e0 di stress, quindi se sei contrario al cambiamento, questo non \u00e8 il lavoro che fa per te.<\/p>\n

    WORK ETHIC \u2013 LOVE THE PRACTICE<\/h3>\n

    You must be willing to work like a dog. You must LIKE to work like a dog on your singing. I\u2019m the laziest person when it comes to most things, but when I get into the thick of my work, I could work for hours. I LIKE the minutiae of trying to iron out something in my technique. I like the challenge of learning something new; I make a game out of getting a phrase right and repeating it a million times in a row. You have to be willing to put in the hours required and do the research required and LIKE it. Otherwise, this is not the job for you.<\/p>\n

    LE LINGUE<\/h3>\n

    You MUST be good with languages, because you will not only be singing in different languages, you will be dealing with foreigners and most likely, foreign countries as well. Side-note: even my Dad, who has problems pronouncing \u201cBuongiorno\u201d or \u201cBuenos dias\u201d could pick out the singers in competitions that had bad diction! Even to the inexpert ear, your language skills (or lack thereof) come across to an audience in one way or another. If you really have no ear for languages and are not willing to spend a good 7500 hours on that one aspect of your singing, you have no business being in this business.<\/p>\n

    SOLITUDINE<\/h3>\n

    You must enjoy being on your own. You must know, like or learn to like being by yourself. When you are on the road, you are ALONE. No matter how wonderful your colleagues are, how wonderful your boyfriend\/girlfriend\/wife\/husband is, you will most likely be on your own every night. Is this ok with you? Are you good at communicating long distance? Do you need daily physical contact with your family and friends? If you can\u2019t hack being far away from loved ones MOST of the time, this is not the career for you.<\/p>\n

    FELICIT\u00c0<\/h3>\n

    You do not owe it to your talent to make this career. You only owe it to yourself to be happy with your life. Know yourself and pick the best career path to make you HAPPY. And that can mean you study music and voice for 6-8 years in college and then you DO NOT USE IT to make an international career as an opera star. This is perfectly ok. It was not a waste of your time. You have every right to go on to be a real estate agent, a car salesman, a housewife, a pre-school music teacher, a piano and voice teacher of high school students out of your home, etc\u2026 It is your life, and your musical studies will have only enriched your life experience. If, after all your studies, you don\u2019t have the drive and passion nor talent to make a career, do something else! It is not failure, it is great insight to realize that your energies are better spent elsewhere.<\/p>\n

    ASPETTATIVE<\/h2>\n