If you are thinking about going overseas to launch your singing career, then you probably have many questions that you want answered before going abroad. It would be helpful to talk to a guide, someone who has successfully done what you are thinking about doing. Bill Killmeier and Nada Radakovich are singers who are living in Germany and have carved two different, but thriving, careers. Here are excerpts from conversations with them about their experiences in Germany.
BK: First of all, let me say that if I had to do it all over again—at 24 years old, I would pack up my bag, go to Germany, and get a job in an opera chorus. People say, “You’ll never be a soloist if you get in the opera chorus.” Well, I don’t believe that, because you become who you want to become. The wonderful thing about going at 24 is that your brain is not yet mush—you can learn the language, and you’re able to learn and get established in the system. Another benefit of being a chorus singer is that after two years, it’s possible for you to have “tenure.” In other words, you can’t get fired.
CS: Is it difficult making the transition from chorister to soloist?
BK: No. I’ve had several colleagues to do exactly what I’m about to tell you. When you’re a chorus singer, you have to give the theater so many weeks’ advance notice of your intention to leave. Then, you start auditioning for agents to become a soloist, just like you would anyway. Let’s say you don’t find a job by the time your term is up as a chorister. Well, the wonderful thing about singing in Germany and this whole arrangement is that because you’ve worked in the system, you’re now eligible for unemployment. You can live off unemployment compensation while you’re searching for a job. Not only do you receive unemployment, the unemployment office itself pays your travel expenses to audition from house to house.
What if you’re a singer with a family?
BK: Being an opera chorus singer in Germany is the most “family-friendly” profession you could have. Just to give you a concrete example: in Germany, the kids go to school from 7:30 in the morning until 12:30 in the afternoon. There’s no lunch, so they come home at 12:30 p.m. Now, if I’m an opera chorus singer, I can see my kids off to school because I never go to the theater before 9:30 a.m., usually 10:00 a.m. The kids come home between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., depending on their after school care. I will be in rehearsal, at the latest, until 1:00 p.m. I will go back to the theater that evening and start rehearsing anywhere between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
So, you would have had the afternoon with your kids and then maybe have gotten a babysitter for that night.
BK: That’s correct. I think that’s a wonderful family-friendly atmosphere.
What is a fest singer?
NR: A fest singer is someone who has a salaried position with a theater. I was a fest singer for four seasons and have been freelancing for the past five years, primarily singing concert and oratorio engagements and doing operetta tours. Being fest is wonderful; it’s great. It’s like being in college again but getting paid for it. You have health insurance, and you know when your next gigs are coming up. But, you’re married to that house; they have an account of every minute of your time.
Can you sing for another house when you are a fest singer?
BK: Yes, of course, you can sing for other houses as a guest. But you may not have more than one fest contract. With a fest contract, being salaried means you’re insured: you have health insurance, social security, a 401K plan. If you’re a fest singer, they can keep you awfully busy, so it’s very important to negotiate a “limitation of performances/productions” in your contract.
What is a reasonable salary expectation?
BK: That’s kind of tough to explain in just a few words. Because of all the taxes that are deducted, I think a singer’s first paycheck, the net pay, is a surprise if you don’t know what to expect. For example, there is the income tax, an agent fee, the singer’s four and one-half percent match for the Bayerisher Versorgungskammer (a tax that is required of all artists), payments to both the retirement pension and the old age pension, health insurance, and the Solidaritätszuschlag (that’s a special tax to help rebuild what used to be East Germany). And then there’s the church tax if you’re a member of a German-registered church. By the time all those deductions are taken, what’s left is a surprise! It’s best to get a good tax advisor as soon as you start working to help you with all the tax rules and exemptions so you can maximize your take-home pay.
NR: Let me add that while you won’t get rich working in Germany, it’s still possible to make a very decent living over there doing what you love. Of course, the rate of exchange between the Euro and the dollar has to be considered whenever the actual calculations are made.
Is the Fach arrangement still used?
BK: Many fest singers believe that the Fach system no longer exists. Some think that the government’s reduction in funding for the theaters has eliminated it. Others think it isn’t used because casting directors don’t know the difference between a Lyrischertenor and a Heldentenor. Singers should at least understand the concept of Fach and have some idea as to what theirs is. Advice from your coach and/or voice teacher will help you decide what your Fach is. Fach is also partially determined by your language skills, physical appearance, and personality.
How difficult is it to get an audition with an agent?
NR: It’s not as hard as you might think, because there are so many you can see. Ten years ago, there were only about eight or ten agents for whom singers could audition; now, there are nearly 50. You should try to sing for as many of them as possible.
What’s the best way to contact an agent?
NR: Your first contact should be by mail only. Send the standard materials: a recent photo (preferably postcard-size), résumé, biography, repertoire list and any reviews you may have. Your résumé, repertoire list and biography should be in German. Unless your German is very good and your cover letter is written perfectly, then it’s better to send a three-sentence letter, in English, asking for a Vorsingtermin (audition time).
I’ve heard that the fall is the best time to plan an audition tour. Is that still accurate?
BK: You can contact agents throughout the year, but certain times are better than others. We’ve found that the best time to contact them is no later than June as the theaters’ seasons usually end in June or July. Nothing happens during August, as that is generally a vacation month. You should ask for a September or October audition. That’s because most theaters know by October which singers they will be keeping and which they will be letting go.
Let me tell you about what happened to a tenor friend of ours who came over a few years ago for three weeks during November. He only got one house audition during that time. You can guess what happened: After he returned to the States, three more houses wanted to hear him. So, now we tell singers to plan on staying six to 10 weeks when they are arranging an audition tour.
Can a singer contact a house directly?
NR: Yes, but you have to be careful about doing it. Bill and I know several singers who have mailed or faxed their materials to the house and gotten a contract. You shouldn’t call the Künstlerisches Betriebsbüro (the theater’s artistic administrator) directly unless you are doing so by request or confirming an audition’s date and time.
Could you talk a little bit about building a freelance career?
NR: Freelancing is wonderful. Concert engagements, for any voice type, are very doable. You need to spend about a year getting established. Then, you can start by aligning yourself with an agent or contacting musical societies. Each town has a musikverein or community musical society. They will sponsor a concert that you present. I know singers in Switzerland that do concert series. Period. They do them in churches; they do them in halls that have music festivals….But you really have to be a business person about this.
Do you have to be agented to work with the musikvereins?
NR: No, you don’t.
Is this how oratorio work comes, too?
NR: Generally…yes. Oratorio work also comes from singing in an opera house and having the conductor say to you, “We’re doing the Bach Magnificat and are you available on this date?” Those jobs usually lead to other jobs. Also, contacting conductors who specialize in Bach or Mozart or Handel and asking to sing for them will lead to jobs.
What’s the most important or helpful thing you’ve learned about how to establish a successful career in Germany?
NR: Learn German. That’s really, really important. Opera is growing in the United States—it’s wonderful that we do pieces in English and everyone in our country can understand them. It’s kind of a slap in the face to Europeans, though, when we go over there and just mimic their language—whether it’s German, Italian or French—and expect them to buy it. It’s vital to study your languages and know them. Please, please, do your homework. Know your translations; know what you’re saying. Put in that extra effort because it’s going to show in your performance.”
Is there anything else that you want Classical Singer’s readers to know?
NR: Keep after it; keep trying for it. Don’t listen to anyone who says it can’t be done. March to your own drumbeat.
Bill Killmeier has lived in Germany since 1991. He has been a fest Kavalierbariton with three different theaters and has been a guest performer in many others. He has performed over 50 roles in nearly every baritone Fach.
Nada Radakovich has lived in Germany for nine years. A fest-employed lyric coloratura soprano for the first four seasons, she has been freelancing for the past five years, singing in concert and oratorio engagements and with operetta tours.
Mr. Killmeier and Ms. Radakovich have written a book—Auditioning in the 21st Century—about auditioning and working in Germany. The book is available on the Internet at amazon.com.
