A recent article in Back Stage caught my attention: a ballet dancer had been told that she was too heavy to be in the ballet company. She became obsessive about her weight and ended up dying from anorexia nervosa. After her death, her mother sued the ballet company—unsuccessfully. The courts decided that the company had nothing to do with the dancer’s fatal condition.
It made me think again about the lengths performers will go to have a chance to practice their art. It also reminded me that people outside the business have no idea about the increasing pressure performers feel from companies to be thin, to be young, to be beautiful.
Weight is an interesting issue all by itself. Singers, unlike dancers, aren’t told they have to lose weight; they simply are often not hired if they are overweight. At least the dancer knew it wasn’t her dancing that was the problem. Singers aren’t told anything. It is hard to know which is worse.
I recently spoke with a singer who was very anxious to get her career going and was seeking advice about management and other matters. She had a pleasant voice but an unhealthy weight. Frankly, I didn’t know what to say to her. I have seen careers happen with large-sized people—but it takes a magnificent voice to overcome a less than beautiful physique, and this singer, to my ears, didn’t have that kind of voice at this stage of her career.
In this issue, Nick Limansky quotes contemporaries of large singers of years past describing them as stentorian, regal, queenlike. But perhaps this is because we are talking about contraltos (mother-figures) and the fact that he is talking about the age of radio and recordings as opposed to this age of PBS close-ups. Conversely, in the biography of Maria Malibran (1808-1836) her tiny size and great beauty are mentioned by reviewers throughout her short career. It is clear that looks have always been a selling point, but the focus today on looks has become pathological—and sometimes fatal.
My question for the month is this: What would you say to the singer above if this were your student, your friend or your spouse? It will make for an interesting discussion I think. Write an email to cjw@classicalsinger.com or join the forum at classicalsinger.com and let singers know your opinions.
On to other matters: You will notice in this issue our first article by Alan Gordon, the Executive National Secretary of the singers’ union, AGMA. Whether you are a member of AGMA yet or not, the agreements forged by AGMA have a trickle-down effect on all singer jobs so I hope you’ll take time to read his ideas about New Unionism. The new AGMA is working hard to become the union singers want, and CS supports their recent efforts wholeheartedly.
We are again sending out monthly notices to help keep you up-to-date on opera broadcasts and other special events. If you have not received the last two, you are not on our e-mail list. (It is possible the list has deleted you because your mailbox was full too often.) To sign up, just go to our home page at http://www.classicalsinger.com, scroll down to the bottom and click on “Mailing List”.
I hope you are having a wonderful summer! —CJ Williamson
Note: Our last issue was about Opera Orchestra of New York’s 30th anniversary. It featured an article by Carla Wood talking about the Young Artist Program at OONY. We have received some criticism for this article and thought it might be helpful to explain. For those who don’t know, Carla Wood is my married name and the name I use as a singer. CJ Williamson is the name I had while growing up—a nickname for Carla Jean Williamson. My father was CJ after his father (and his father) and he named all four daughters with the same initials. (Being called “CJ” was somewhat of a joke in my family.) My manager, Michael Rosen at Lombardo Associates, advised me years ago to use a “nom de plume” for the magazine so as to not confuse presenters as I was building my singing career. There isn’t much need for that now but I have kept it for continuity and will probably continue to do so.
But back to the OONY story, some see it as a personal attempt to gain favor with OONY in exchange for jobs. The true history is this: Ms. Queler’s publicist called CS Managing Editor, Freeman Günter, for an interview with Ms. Queler to celebrate the 30th anniversary. We were happy to oblige because we think she is highly underrated as a conductor. Also, I know from personal experience that she has much to offer singers. We were disappointed when the publicist told us rather late in the game that Ms. Queler wouldn’t be able to do the interview. We were instead instructed to give the questions to the publicist. We did so but were then told Ms. Queler would be unable to do the interview at all. This was very near our deadline and we had already built the issue around OONY. It was then that we went to the article by “Carla Wood.” I wrongly assumed that since the speech was given to OONY’s Board of Directors in 1994 that no one would think it was done to curry favor in 2001. I have already sung many times with OONY and Ms. Queler knows me and my work very well. While the feature was not what we originally intended to present, we felt it was worth printing as it gives insights into what Ms. Queler looks for in singers and how she works with and nurtures them. I hope this explanation can put any further speculation to rest and let us all get back to the business of singing.
