Dear Countertenor Colleague:
We are no longer quite the rarefied creatures that we once were. In the past 10 years, many skilled countertenors have come down the pike, including such current world stars as David Daniels, Andreas Scholl and Bejun Mehta. Audiences are no longer as astonished as they once were when we open our mouths and “our” sound comes out. Countertenors are now pushing at the edges of our traditional repertoire, exploring hitherto unknown Baroque and Renaissance repertoire, creating roles in new operas and vocal works worldwide, and even dipping into the works of Mozart, Rossini and Schubert.
Though we are no longer as rare as we were even 10 years ago when I was beginning my career, we still face issues unique to our voice type, including having to explain constantly to audiences and colleagues how we actually make the sound that we do. I once had to assure a Texas politician who had run for president (no, not that one!) that my voice, which he had heard in a private performance, was not a result of surgical interference. Each one of us probably has stories like this to tell. The process of educating our audiences continues. And yet, because we are becoming more a part of the mainstream, we face increased competition in a field in which engagements and consistent employment are, for many of us, more the exception than the rule.
It was my enormous privilege, in my very first engagement as a countertenor, to share the stage with the wonderful Drew Minter. I had admired him for years, in recordings and in live performances, and here we were singing concert performances of Handel’s Alessandro together!
Hearing and watching this singer was a textbook lesson in musical expressiveness, technical control and command of the stage. In our interaction, he was kind, generous and helpful.
In the years that have followed, our friendship deepened, and I have marveled as Drew’s career developed in numerous related fields, even as he has continued an active performing schedule. Drew is a perceptive and adventurous stage director, a skilled and patient teacher, a coach and clinician, and a superb writer. He set the stage for all of us, as did his predecessors, Alfred Deller, Russell Oberlin, James Bowman, Paul Esswood, and others. From my heart I tell you, though not to embarrass him unduly, that as a musician and a person, he is elegance and class personified.
Our friends at Classical Singer have organized a Countertenor Counter Convention as part of the 2005 Classical Singer Convention, set for May 27-29 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Drew will be preparing a series of events expressly for countertenors that will touch upon many of the career issues that are unique to our collective experience. On Thursday, May 26, before the actual convention begins, we will hold a special reception exclusively for countertenors, where we will be able to meet, socialize and discuss career ideas amongst ourselves.
In addition, a special agenda is being prepared for countertenors in attendance that will include a master class especially for countertenors and marketing sessions focusing on strategies to further our careers in more effective and productive ways. Countertenor participants also will be able to take part in the many workshops, classes and breakout sessions that will form part of the larger convention.
Mark Crayton, last year’s grand prize winner of the Classical Singer all-singers competition, will perform in a public concert—and convention organizers are organizing performances for participating countertenors at venues around New York City.
For many of us, the path to finding our true voice may have been an arduous one, and we face an ongoing challenge in creating opportunities for ourselves once we have found and refined that voice. I am currently trying to negotiate a few days’ release from an upcoming contract in Germany to be able to join you in New York. Even if, in the end, I am not able to be there, I heartily encourage you not to miss this unique opportunity.
With best wishes for continued success,
Daniel Gundlach
[See Mr. Gundlach’s article on p.46]
