HOW WAS IT? Write to me! The good, the bad, and the ugly! December’s issue will feature your comments. I will withhold your name if you like, but I need to know who you are so I can contact you for questions: cjw@classicalsinger.com or Ms. CJ Williamson, Classical Singer magazine, P.O. Box 95490, South Jordan, UT 84095.
I have to say it now: I love Stephanie Blythe’s interview, and I’m sure you will, too. Coming off the Education Issue last month, which contained a section on voice teacher abuse, it was so refreshing to read her very first words in the interview where she condemns that destructive approach to teaching. Her attitude in the article is summed up in the first paragraph: “I’ve been there, I managed to make it, and so can you.”
A Sad Tale This Month
Along with those words of encouragement, we are also presenting you with a sad story. Mezzo Susan Larson was the delightful Cherubino and Dorabella you can see on the videos (London label) directed by Peter Sellars. Susan was a wonderful singer with wonderful technique, yet you will read on these pages that she did real damage to her voice! She is letting us publish this—complete with pictures of her damaged vocal cords—because I had asked for singers who had dealt with vocal trouble to share their experiences, and she was brave enough to share. It wasn’t quite the story I was expecting, because her vocal trouble wasn’t caused by a mistake in technique but by another problem entirely. But this culprit—acid reflux—has been creeping into questions to Dr. Jahn, into our “letters” and onto the forum so often lately that we thought it was worth a very intensive look.
Susan Larson’s story should be seen as a warning to not take this ailment lightly. She is now a successful—and very compassionate—voice teacher but is very anxious that singers pay attention to their symptoms early so they don’t end up in real trouble. As you will see from reading this issue, singers are often not aware of the difference between reflux and vocal trouble. On the web version of this month’s magazine, I’ve included posts from the Classical Singer forum where singers talk about their experiences with reflux and singing, as well as an article from Dr. Jahn with references for further reading.
We’re grateful too for Connie Barnett taking time out of her busy schedule to talk about management. Connie was a manager at CAMI (Columbia Artists Management) for seven years and is now in the business of advising singers and helping them get in a position to take the next step—which can be to obtain management. The article should help demystify the whole process.
Next Month:
You will be reading Cristina Necula’s long-awaited interview with Joseph Volpe, General Director of the Metropolitan Opera. Those of you who are on our Internet mailing list will remember that I sent you an e-mail asking for your questions prior to the interview. [If you are not on the mailing list, please sign up so you can be part of the planning of CS issues. Go to our home page and enter your e-mail address: www.classicalsinger.com.] You came up with excellent questions, and Cristina asked as many as she had time for. (Well, that’s not quite true. There were a few questions turned in which we, ahem, wouldn’t have asked him if we had had all the time in the world!)
Is Germany Still the Place to Launch an Operatic Career? Mary M. Hagopian, a soprano and college professor who sang in Europe for many years, has done some wonderful research for you and will present her work in next month’s issue. Germany used to be the place to go for singers wanting to get their careers going, but is it that still true? The article presents a variety of options for starting your career, along with many addresses, phone numbers and websites for agents and language schools in Europe.
