As of this month, I have been writing for Classical Singer magazine for 10 years. It hardly seems possible! My late friend and colleague CJ Williamson, founder, editor, and publisher, recruited me as a writer when she found me threatening to start my own magazine and detailing my criticisms of what was then The New York Opera Newsletter on an online bulletin board.
“I agree with everything you said,” she told me. “Come write for us. Help us make it better.” So I did.
This column made its debut in February 2002, with questions about the impact of 9/11 on the arts and how an unmanaged singer can land auditions. Since my first appearance in the magazine, I’ve written more than 80 articles and answered hundreds of singers’ questions, both in print and in private. I’ve received exactly one letter of complaint (someone didn’t like the title of my column) and several complimentary ones, and I’ve had general directors, conductors, and singers at all levels of the profession greet me with, “You’re ‘Ask Erda,’ aren’t you? I always read your column!”
This always disconcerts me slightly—I think of myself as a singer first and a writer second—but ultimately, I’m just happy to be recognized, and happy that, for the most part, people seem to find my writings helpful.
Frequently, in searching for the right words or the right answers, I’ve found myself learning a thing or two. Now, in honor of Classical Singer’s 20 years in publication, I’d like to offer my top 20 pieces of wisdom for any singer. That’s a lot of advice—but don’t worry. Erda has plenty more for the next 20 years!
1. Own it. Own your voice, your art, your business. Take responsibility for your education and your success—don’t just defer blindly to your teachers, coaches, conductors, and general directors. You want to be respectful of those on your team, of course, and of those doing the hiring. You certainly want to listen to them and take their opinions under serious consideration—but you should have an informed opinion, too, and you have the power of the veto. You are, after all, the CEO of your singing business.
2. Don’t take abuse and don’t stay in a bad situation. This is a bit of a corollary to No. 1. Many singers allow persons in authority to mistreat them, out of confusion and fear. But there is no excuse for abuse. Offer and ask for respect with dignity, and if it is refused, decline to continue to be treated with anything less than professionalism. Get out, and don’t look back.
3. Do your homework. Whether you’re looking for a new teacher, a school, a Young Artist Program, auditions, or a manager, it’s critical to do a lot of research. You’re investing a great deal of time and money and soul in your career. Make sure you’re making your plans based on good information.
4. Develop self-perspective. So many singers who write me or engage my services as a consultant are talented, creative people who aren’t getting where they want to go because they don’t understand where they fit into the singing business right now. If you want to be successful, know your strengths and weaknesses, know what you are marketable for, and know at which level you are ready to be hired to sing.
5. Have a plan. Too many singers treat their careers like something that happens as the result of luck, not hard work and planning. Treat your career like a small business, because that is what it is. Know and understand your resources, your commodities, and your markets. Do real research into the companies and people you want to sing for, and make a plan for your career success. For help with this, see my article “Planning for Success” on the Resource page of my website at www.thebusinessofsinging.com.
6. Appearances count. I’m not just talking about looks. Yes, image has become increasingly important in the opera world, and the unpleasant truth is that we all need to be as fit, and put-together, and attractive as we are capable of being, but I’m also talking about how you present yourself in general. The state of your résumé, bio, and headshot; your ability to write and speak like an educated person; basic good manners—we are all judged on these things, so it pays to pay attention to detail. Run a spell-check. Polish your shoes. Take the time to learn how to pronounce the conductor’s name.
7. If you don’t fit the part, make the part fit you. Due to the increasing importance of image—and people’s weird insistence that only thin, good-looking people are “realistic” in any role involving love or sex—singers are becoming increasingly paranoid about “looking the Fach.” I’ve heard from singers who want to change Fachs because they don’t look like a soubrette or whatever. Indeed, an agent once asked me to re-audition for him as a dramatic soprano because he thought I looked more like a soprano than a mezzo!
Your voice is your voice, and while it’s true that you have to sing the roles you’re marketable for, it’s up to you to find the balance between sound and look. If you’re a physical mismatch for the traditional casting of your roles, find a way to portray them that suits your talents, personality, and looks. It’s fine to be different, especially if you’re different and fabulous.
8. If you have to wonder much about whether you can pull it off, it isn’t right for you. Many singers work very hard to manufacture a professional persona. Gimmicks usually indicate that the right stuff isn’t . . . well, isn’t quite right. Be your best self, and leave the tricks to magicians.
9. Talk to the right people. Whether you’re approaching a company for an audition, applying for a university position, or writing a grant, take the time to discover the person to whom your request should be addressed. You will save yourself time, your request has a much greater chance of being heard, and you will make a better impression.
10. Schmooze or lose. Networking is an unavoidable, incredibly important skill. A well-respected contact who is willing to put in a good word for you can open doors and help you advance your career. Sadly, many singers are scared to death of networking, but you don’t have to be. It’s nothing more than talking to people, showing genuine interest, and staying in touch.
11. Be available. It’s truly amazing to me, in this age of e-mail, cell phones, faxes, text messaging, instant messaging, Blackberrys and who knows what new technology, how difficult some singers can be to contact. Make it easy for people to find you. Print your name and contact information on every piece of material you send out. Check your voicemail and your e-mail regularly and respond promptly, even if the answer is “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and get back to you as soon as possible.” It’s just good business, folks.
12. Don’t go into an audition asking for something; go in offering something. This refers back to singers who too often operate and make decisions out of confusion and fear. You can’t go into auditions with a beggar mentality, holding out your hand for the alm of a job. You must be there to share the wonderful gift of your singing, with confidence, as opposed to arrogance. You must know what you have to offer, and offer the best of it to the panel. If you don’t know that you deserve and are capable of doing the job you’re asking for, you shouldn’t be doing that audition.
13. Sing your best piece first every time. I’ve had the opportunity to be on both sides of the audition table, and I’m here to tell you that it’s absolutely true that the panel hears what it needs to hear in the first 30 seconds of your singing. The panelists may want to hear more than that to confirm, or to delve deeper, but they know as soon as you open your mouth whether you have the goods they’re looking for. So don’t try to be tricky when you’re planning audition repertoire. Sing your very best aria first. Basta. Punto. Fini.
14. Sometimes the problem is . . . well . . . you. This sounds very harsh, and it’s an unpopular sentiment in this age of blamelessness. But the difficult truth is, if you aren’t getting hired, or aren’t getting auditions, it is highly likely that the
problem is little ol’ you. You aren’t singing the right repertoire. You aren’t approaching the right people. You have technical, dramatic, or marketing issues that you need to fix before you can move to the next level. If you aren’t getting the feedback you need from your current team, it’s time to step outside and do a little work with people who have no investment in you and will be brutally honest.
15. The audition isn’t over just because you got the job. Have you heard about “farewell debuts”? I have, and I’ve seen them happen, too. A “farewell debut” is what happens when a singer behaves (or performs) so badly that their debut with a company is also their farewell performance. When you’re on the job, you are auditioning for the next gig with the same company—and perhaps other companies, when the current personnel eventually move on.
16. Never work without a contract. Many singers, when they are starting out, find themselves working with small organizations (and in some cases, dis-organizations) that don’t have the personnel or sometimes the experience to do things by the book. Contracts protect both you and the employer. They outline expectations and detail compensation. If a problem arises over whether you are doing your job or whether the organization is fulfilling its side of the bargain, you can refer back to the contract. Working on a handshake is, unfortunately, simply asking for trouble. If the group you’re working with doesn’t offer you a written contract, write one yourself and ask them to sign it. You can find a free sample on the Resources page of my website at www.thebusinessofsinging.com.
17. Never stop singing. Sometimes, life interferes with your singing career, or you decide not to pursue it any longer. If there is any chance whatsoever that you’ll want to return to the serious pursuit of a singing career at some point, the best thing you can do to help yourself is to continue to study, train, and add roles to your résumé, even if you never perform them. Keep performing, too, even if it’s nothing more than solos in church or recitals you give for pleasure. If you decide to come back, it will help you immensely to be able to show that you were singing and studying during your hiatus.
And if you do have a long gap on your résumé and are trying to return to a professional career, start by working with some people who are not only wonderful, but connected. Start adding roles and getting some performance experience ASAP, and find champions who will make phone calls on your behalf.
18. “Analyze, don’t criticize.” This is a very competitive business, and you should be aware of who your competition is and what they might have that you don’t. Still, singers spend an inordinate amount of time worrying, gossiping, and obsessing about the successes and failures of others. As the Met assistant conductor and master coach Joan Dornemann says, “Analyze, don’t criticize.” Look at other singers to see what they do that works or doesn’t work, and how you can apply that to your own situation. Don’t waste time on pettiness when you could be in the practice room, ramping up your résumé, or on the phone nailing down your next audition.
19. It’s not only OK to be selfish, it’s downright necessary. Artists are self-employed, and usually wear all the hats in their own small business office. We need to be jealous of our time, resources, and personal space. We need downtime to let learning gel and creativity mull around in the subconscious until it’s ready to surface as a brilliant idea. On a very practical level, we are in an extremely difficult and competitive industry, and sometimes we need to keep our secrets to ourselves. We can be good and generous colleagues without sharing the research we worked so hard to do; or without giving up our last dregs of energy, which we really need for performing, to a psychic-vampire colleague whose well of neediness will never be filled; or without taking up the slack for someone who isn’t performing well. If you have extra to give, by all means give it and make the world a better place, but take care of yourself first. That’s not really selfishness; it’s good common sense.
20. Balance is critical. This is perhaps the most important thing I have to say to my fellow singers, based on my own experience in this very trying business. We often have to put work first, ahead of birthdays, vacations, or school plays. Singing is a huge and important part of who we are, but we can’t afford to make it all we are. You must have other things in your life that give you pleasure, that feed you, that are worthy of your interest and time.
If we give all to the art, we have nothing left for ourselves, because the art will take it all. Then we atrophy as artists and as people.
Artists must continually refill the well of creativity with meaningful thoughts, sounds, smells, experiences, and tastes. Those things come from other people and things that we love. To serve music, we must first serve ourselves and those we love. Only then can we be complete artists.
