You know that feeling when you have absolutely nothing to wear? Sometimes it gets so bad that you start to avoid going out! You can have that same feeling about your singing—nothing you are singing seems right. Auditioning and performing are painful and you think about quitting. It can happen at any stage of the career. What’s wrong?
The problem starts with expectations set up when singers are in training. We hand them a wardrobe full of “their” leading roles and perfectly crafted recitals. They get the subtle message that all they have to do is wear these roles for the rest of their lives and stardom is theirs. But singers who are still hanging on to this plan after graduation are not going to be happy for very long because the career just doesn’t work that way. Just like closets have to constantly evolve and change with life, so does the career.
Since it’s September and you are getting ready to put away your summer clothes, it might be interesting to take a look at what is still hanging in your career closet. A recent magazine article used the following questions to help in the clothes project and I thought they might just apply to our business.
“Does it fit?”
This question would seem to apply in three ways.
1. Should your voice really be singing your current repertoire? I often hear singers pushing to sing louder and louder, almost like trying to squeeze into the wrong size jeans. Stop trying to sing like someone else and find your own unique voice. Maybe your voice has changed over time. Get rid of repertoire that is too big, too small, too high, too low or too anything! Adjust to who you are today. Think what the world lost because Callas refused to adjust to lower roles!
2. Does your weight and height match that of your Fach? For example, if you are auditioning for pants roles, are you reasonably slim? If not, why not get comfortable! Learn some new roles which match your physique until (and if) you slim down. This weight issue can be the biggest excuse for not singing or auditioning. Stop being paralyzed and find repertoire or performance opportunities that don’t depend on a certain weight so you can get out there and sing. If your height is a problem for your Fach—such as my friend who is a six-foot tall lyric soprano—do as she did. She stopped making herself miserable by auditioning for roles she never got and instead made her own niche. She used her gift of humor to create and market her own very funny recitals and also turned to oratorio.
3. Does your age fit your roles? While there is a lot of leeway on this in opera, there comes a time when you should begin to feel uncomfortable in certain roles, the way you began to feel you’d outgrown your old college clothes. You know how strange people look when they are still wearing the styles they wore in college? Don’t wait for someone to have to tell you this, but be asking your coaches these questions and be sensitive to your own feelings. Besides, who wants to be half of a lovesick couple forever? You have so much more to say when you get older, and it may be time to let your own voice be heard in recitals and in some of the wonderful roles for older singers.
“Is it in style?”
Look at the arias and roles you have in that career closet. Are you singing arias no one knows? While they may be wonderful on a recital, stick with arias the auditioners know. They are better able to compare singers if they know the work. You don’t want to be a museum piece; you want to be hired!
“Does it make you look great?”
Whatever you sing should make you sound wonderful. It should show off what you do best, not what you have not yet mastered. Just like your favorite outfit, it should conceal your flaws and show off your virtues. If it doesn’t, get rid of it.
“Do you feel that it represents who you are?”
Over time, our clothing styles change. Maybe when you were in college you followed the latest fashions—but somewhere along the way, you lost the need and found other ways to express your creativity. The same thing may have happened to your career. Perhaps you used to think of yourself as a budding diva/divo, but gradually home and family or a stable income or another job has become more important to you. Should you stop singing and just toss everything out of the career closet? I’ve seen singers do that. They lose a very important part of their identities and the loss is great to their family as well as the community. Don’t ever think that your talents aren’t needed. You just have to find other ways to express your music. Some singers keep their careers going locally while raising a family. Others choose to sing in churches, oratorio and recitals. Some teach or do volunteer singing for hospitals and schools. Some put on operas for schools. The point is to find a way to keep singing!
“Is it in need of repair?”
We all know the feeling of wearing a piece of clothing with a rip we are trying to hide! Some of us walk around with voices like that. Then we choose arias and songs that showcase the problems! No wonder we dread singing! How much better it would be on the ego get the voice repaired first. This is the hardest part of cleaning out the career closet because so many singers honestly don’t seem to know the state of their voices. Recently, I heard an audition tape which had been made in a professional studio and sent to several top houses. The singer was obviously very talented but what she was showing to the world was a ripped and torn voice. You could hear that the lower part of her voice was beautiful but pushed, but the upper notes were disastrous—shattered, pinched, shrill and unsustainable. There was no way to hide this because she was singing Tosca! I imagine her teacher told her she was ready. That is rather like asking the tailor if the dress he sewed for you is beautiful. Don’t ask the tailor! I’m not sure you can always trust your own ears either because we want so badly to believe we are ready. If you want to know for sure, go to a few of the best coaches you can find and ask for their feedback. When you start to hear consistent reports, you’ll know the truth, even if it is hard. It may be that you need to find another teacher. But do it! Get your voice fixed so you can find the joy in singing again! And in the meantime, put the proverbial Tosca aside and work with a coach to find repertoire you can sing easily.
So that’s it! Your closet is cleaned out. All the old, unworkable repertoire is gone and everything there can be used right now…not when you lose weight, not when you get better high notes, not when you find a 6’6” tenor! Your repertoire is something you feel great about. You’re ready for a great 2001-2002 season of singing. Have a wonderful September!
