Dear Erda:
I know times are hard, but I’m not getting even my usual number of auditions this season, even from people who’ve encouraged me to sing for them in the future. To top it off, temp jobs are also drying up. I’m broke, I’m depressed, and I can’t get my career moving if no one will even listen to me. What can I do?
Hard-Knock Life
Dear Friend,
My dear, you need to regroup. When the economy gets bad, it’s hardest on the wage slaves, and money woes are one of the No. 1 causes of stress. Stress, depression, and self-doubt bleed over into your singing, so perhaps it’s time to pull back a little and address your basic needs first. Get yourself on more solid ground financially, make sure you’ve got some balance in your life (in other words, your every decision is not based on how it will affect your singing career), find some breathing space, and refill the well, so to speak. Once you are solvent again and balanced again, you will be able to approach your singing career with new strength and resolve.
All this is easier said that done, and will require some difficult decisions on your part. Take some time to really think things out, and whatever you do, don’t act from desperation or fear. Singers get really caught up in this mindset. We’re so afraid that one false move will ruin our careers forever; but the successful among us are bold and persistent.
What will it take to get back on your feet financially? Do you need to take a full-time job or a second job for a while? Do you need to move back home or to a smaller city where the job market might be better? Would it be best for you to stay put and drop out of or cut down on the audition/voice lesson/coaching rounds for a while in order to economize?
What about those auditions you’re not getting? There could be any number of reasons. Opera companies are tightening their belts just like the rest of us; they’re even less interested than usual in taking chances on relative unknowns. Maybe you wowed them last time but you’re just not what they’re looking for this season. Maybe a bunch of people with a lot more experience than you applied for the same auditions. I walked out of an audition the other day and was appalled to see a colleague there who sings the exact same repertoire, but at least two-three levels higher than I. I’ve covered her, for heaven’s sake. Even though I’d given a fabulous audition, my first thought was, “Why should they hire me when they could get HER?”
You have no way of knowing exactly why you’re not getting the auditions. The only thing you can do—and this is tough under any circumstances, but especially when you’re feeling down anyway—is take a hard look at yourself and try to figure out whether:
• You really are singing as well as you think you are.
• Your resume really does reflect the experience you need for the companies you’re approaching.
• You really put across in auditions what you do in a performance.
Go over your list of contacts. See who you know who could recommend you personally for auditions. Look at your resume and see what’s missing and how you could go about filling the gaps. For instance, if you only have one or two full roles, maybe it’s time to learn some new ones. If you’ve been knocking yourself out auditioning for YAPs with no response, maybe you should try small opera companies or competitions.
Make sure your life isn’t ALL about singing. If you’ve got everything set up to orbit around a singing career that just isn’t happening right now, and hasn’t been for a while, maybe you need to pull back and head in another direction temporarily. That doesn’t mean you have to give up singing and auditioning entirely. It just means that for the time being, you change focus—to making more money, to finding or improving a loving relationship, to finding what really makes you happy. And singing should not be the only thing that makes you happy, my friend.
Here’s one final idea. Writers have support groups that meet regularly. They talk about their problems with plot, characters, getting published, and so forth. I think it’s time singers had the same. I am working on establishing a Singer’s Circle for professionals in my own home town, a gathering where we can perform new arias before we audition with them, brainstorm, kvetch, and offer encouragement and support. I urge you to do the same. Singers are championship complainers but we are also amazingly creative and talented people. There’s no telling what could result from such a gathering!
Dear Erda:
I am living in New York City for two months. I need singing work. I read music very well. What can I do?
Baritone for Hire
Dear Baritone,
It sounds from your letter as if you’re already in New York. Without any advance planning, it’s going to be pretty hard to find singing work. The types of work available include church choirs, various types of choruses, ad jingles/voiceovers, and of course, opera at all levels. There may be a few singing waiter gigs here and there. Out of all of those, it is unlikely you’d be able to pick anything up except perhaps some sub work as a church soloist or chorister.
To qualify for that job, you must be a good musician and sightreader and be able to sing straight tone on request. Contact Martin Doner and Jacquie Pierce, (718) 875-5784. You may be asked to contact Phyllis Farmer first for an audition. (212) 942-0916.
Next time you plan on spending time in New York, try to plan ahead. Send your audition requests to opera companies for auditions early (no later than September). If you’re interested in chorus work, you can also request auditions for the New York City Opera Chorus and the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, both of which hire extra choristers on a show-by-show basis; of course, you’d have to plan to be in town for the extended rehearsal/performance periods. You could also check to see whether the professional choruses, such as the National Chorale, hire on a per-project or per-season basis.
If possible, plan your trip for an active time of year. Most auditions take place in the fall (October-December) and spring (April-May). There’s not much happening on the music scene in the summer (everybody’s attending festivals and workshops in remote locations).
But back to the issue at hand. You’re in New York, and you need to know what you can do NOW. If I were you, I would concentrate on coaching with connected people, establishing contacts with the singer-coach-teacher community, and doing as many auditions as you can.
Other singers will be your best resource for information, especially for any pick-up work that might be available. You can meet up with some of them at Caffe Taci on 110th and Broadway on weekend evenings (and some weeknights) when there is a sort of “open mike” opera going on.
Also, if you keep your ear to the ground and talk to the coaches, you might be able to find out about some auditions. Just ask, “Who’s in town this week? Who are you playing for?” If you’re not managed, you can contact the companies directly and request for them to squeeze you in if they have a cancellation; or you can crash. But you must do that very carefully. Show up later in the day (not first thing in the morning when things are likely to be running smoothly) and very, VERY politely ask the monitor if you can possibly be heard. Be prepared to wait, and have a pianist with you.
Be gracious if it turns out they can’t accommodate you. Also, choose the companies you approach wisely. It doesn’t help to throw yourself at places where you really aren’t ready to sing. It’s not enough just to be technically ready; your resume has to support that you have the necessary experience.
Finally, don’t overlook the many small opera companies in NYC and its environs: Di Capo, Bronx, NY Chamber Opera, NY Grand Opera, Amato, and others. There’s a whole list of them here: http://operabase.com/en/links/usa_ne/. They may be willing to hear you while you’re in town.
