tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1236652494278313169.post1610490344821375478..comments2023-04-11T03:02:54.675-07:00Comments on Trying to remain opera-tional: pep talkssestissimohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07329645161822073127noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1236652494278313169.post-12164514955428118422010-03-18T11:23:49.269-07:002010-03-18T11:23:49.269-07:00Hi Fay - sorry it took me so long to respond to yo...Hi Fay - sorry it took me so long to respond to your question. For me, I actually started taking voice lessons very young (9 years old) so I had a pretty solid technique when I started undergrad, although I was singing as a coloratura soprano all through undergrad until the second year of grad school, so I made some pretty big changes at that point. I think that americans tend to make too big a deal of "technique" - it's very important, but artistry is equally important. Working in europe I've experienced some singers that don't have the technique that americans would deem up to par, but who are incredibly interesting artists, and in the end it doesn't matter so much. I mean, you want to be as good as possible at every aspect of what you do, but I really think we are obsessed with technique in a way that can interfere with our development of the artistic side of what we do. My two cents.sestissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07329645161822073127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1236652494278313169.post-31227113331061563252010-03-16T06:29:32.393-07:002010-03-16T06:29:32.393-07:00Thank you for the post, Jennifer. I'm a long-...Thank you for the post, Jennifer. I'm a long-time reader, but I wanted use your blogging-month as an excuse to actually comment and say thanks for the wonderful stories and all the inspiration :-)<br /><br />And Anonymous, thank you for the bit about taking it slow. I'm a young (HA, what a strange businesses we're in where 27 is considered young...) mezzo, and I spent a couple of years hung up on career or lack thereof... but then I realized that don't even have solid technique yet. Now I'm back to the drawing board.<br /><br />Here's a fan question for Jennifer: when did you know your technique was ready to hit the road and really pursue this as a career? Did it solidify in school, or did you have to do further work to bridge the gap? If not yourself, do you know anyone who actually managed to successfully transition between the rat race and the stage? I'm struggling to perfect technique and work a full-time job, so any words of wisdom would be truly appreciated.<br /><br />And one last thing: I LOVE that Black Max song. Kim is indeed awesome, but the funny thing is, I had previously always associated the Bolcom songs with opera singers. I knew a mezzo who rocked Carmen and Black Max in the same recital :-)Fay the Wannabenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1236652494278313169.post-16862108955277022052010-03-16T06:22:31.380-07:002010-03-16T06:22:31.380-07:00I faithfully read your post during my receptionist...I faithfully read your post during my receptionist day job in Paris, in between calls. I have had time to reflect on career paths also, pursuing singing after a degree in harpsichord. I'm personally concerned with the age limitation of YAPs; I'm finally ready to audition for them, but I'm one or two years too old. Of course, I won't let this stop me, but it just made me realize that there are fewer resources for singers that are over the 30 year mark and fresh out of school. Maybe though, in the end, it's a good thing, because it forces you to throw yourself in and take risks, instead of waiting for someone to hand you a job. <br />It's always interesting to read comments from people who work inside the industry. I've noticed lately that there's a common consensus that things need to change in the opera world. Which makes me wonder: what, exactly? I'm curious to know...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1236652494278313169.post-9055702633912810122010-03-15T19:36:56.150-07:002010-03-15T19:36:56.150-07:00It does seem like a lot of young American singers ...It does seem like a lot of young American singers share this notion that the career path you described at the start of your post, or something like it, is the one that defines "success" in opera nowadays. The truth, which you acknowledge, is that very few young singers make that kind of progress in an uninterrupted way. In fact, I think I can count on one hand the number of singers right now who are even close to accomplishing this, and I have some doubt about the wisdom of some of their career paths, honestly. They are getting opportunities which they may not truly be ready for, jobs at high exposure which if not completely triumphant will ultimately represent a fleeting experience which didn't lead to lasting and sustainable success. And it won't be attributable to anything other than their youth and inexperience - they probably just needed more time to develop. Now that's when a career in opera can become frustrating and potentially discouraging, and it's unnecessary. I just want to say that singers who take a bit longer, not performing steadily in the top US and European houses until they have quite a few seasons under their belts, are usually the stronger ones in the final analysis. There are of course exceptions to this rule, but they are rare. Back in the day, young singers were told to take it slow. Now it seems young singers don't want to hear this for some reason, as if they are running out of time before they've even begun. Perhaps people in the field are making them feel this way. No matter how annoying the old time advice may be, though, it's still the truth, so young singers should take heart and enjoy the journey.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com