Remember the popular lines in Fiddler on the Roof about Anatevka? There, “everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do” (Joseph Stein, Fiddler on the Roof [1964]). There would be such peace in the singer world if we too had that same assurance. Unfortunately, the world of classical singing keeps most of us wondering on both counts!
I love working with our Classical Singer International Student Council and feeling their bright hope for the future. Each seems to have a good sense of identity and knows what is expected. To read their descriptions of how wonderful it feels to perform is to relive the reasons we all got into singing in the first place. However, there was a recent thread on their private forum where some of them were wondering why it is that some older singers try to discourage them.
Why do so many singers lose that brightness, that hope? What happens between school and this cankering bitterness that eats at so many in the field of classical singing? It is easiest to see this change in singers who have graduated from school but have still not achieved their goals. Their school debts have piled up; they are auditioning, temping, and spending every cent on lessons, etc. There comes a point when some can’t take it anymore. One example is the very angry former singer I met by chance in Florida. He filled a prescription for me and talked angrily about what a waste his education as a singer was. I can think of two fifty-ish church sopranos I know who make life miserable for aspiring singers with their bitterness and discouraging words.
Many singers with full-time careers in Europe also seem to want to discourage the young singer. Singers working in Europe used to have the most peace of any of us because they were able to make a life in one place, become a part of a community, and even raise stable families. Now with American taxes taking about 50% of a singer’s earnings in Germany and elsewhere, that security is gone. France recently came after singers years after the fact, demanding tens of thousands of dollars because of a change in laws! Also, Eastern Europeans have taken many jobs Americans used to take both in Europe and America. American singers have come back to the States to try to make a living…only to find there are fewer jobs.
But stability and a good salary aren’t the keys to singer happiness either. I was talking with some choristers at the Met. They have good benefits and a good salary but I didn’t see much contentment. Every one of them trained to be a soloist and expected at this stage of their lives to be singing lead roles. There was not a lot of career satisfaction, but there was a lot of bitterness.
Successful soloists in America aren’t much different. One soloist at the Met who is making six figures told me if he had to give advice to young singers, he’d tell them to get out of the business because it had been so hard on his family and psyche. Another singer said: “They should put a disclaimer on your degree from music school—WARNING: THIS CAREER MAY DO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO YOUR HEART.”
So what can you do? Should you quit doing what you’ve spent your entire life pursuing? Should you make it your personal crusade to steal the dreams of young singers?
I believe that being “a singer” is a calling that you just can’t walk away from without serious repercussions to your mental health. You can always add another dimension to your life—like being a pharmacist if you choose—but if you cut out “singer” from who you are, you’ll always have a gaping hole in your soul.
Not everyone is unhappy—in fact, one singer interviewed for this editorial said “I get to do what I love with people that I love.” Probably, however, every singer can see ways in which this business could become more positive. I’d like to hear your suggestions on what could be done to make the life of a singer work better. You can e-mail me at cjw@classicalsinger.com or write to P.O. Box 278, Maplewood, NJ 07040.
