New York City cab drivers come in a variety of flavors. You meet all kinds: from those who talk on their cell phones non stop as they zip through the crowded city streets, to those who sit in absolute silence once you tell them where you’re going, to those who talk non-stop from pick up to drop off. On a recent bitter cold December morning, I climbed into the backseat of a cab to find in the front seat a driver of the latter variety—a talker. He changed subjects as often as he changed lanes, and his mouth moved nearly as fast as his car sped through the traffic.
Among a host of interesting topics he covered during our ten-minute race through Manhattan, he stopped for a moment on the difficulties of the cab-driving business. He said that fighting New York City traffic day in and day out was the most grueling part of the job. Some days it was hard to muster up the courage to get in his cab and head out into the crowded city streets. The influx of people during the busy holiday season added even more congestion to the already teeming streets.
As singers, we also have to navigate in a teeming profession, overcrowded with a seemingly endless supply of talented people. Over the last seven years, Chautauqua Opera has averaged 545 applicants each year for around 26 apprentice and studio artist positions. Of these applicants, the yearly averages of voice parts break down like this: 226 sopranos, 78 mezzos, 50 tenors, 45 baritones, 9 bass-baritones, and 6 basses. The streets are a little more crowded, and the scene a little more daunting, for some voice types than others.
With so many elements of this business beyond our control, we must look for those things that we can control. The subjective nature of the singing business makes it impossible to control how much someone else likes what we have to offer and whether or not they want to hire us. We do control, however, what we have to offer. We determine with our training, study, and daily preparation just how good our skills are. In this uncertain profession, we must make certain that we are as prepared as possible for the opportunities we want.
Summer programs offer a viable and valuable way to hone, sharpen and develop needed skills in the never-ending process of singer self-improvement. In this, our yearly summer program issue, we’ve worked hard to compile information to help you wade through the plethora of available programs and find a good fit for you. Use the table in this issue to see the programs from our online Summer Program Directory at a glance. Also, check the online directory periodically for any recent updates and additions. Read readers’ reviews of the programs they attended last summer, and visit the Classical Singer Forum for complete reviews. Check out our online archives to look at January issues of past years for even more summer program information. We want to help you get the most out of your summer program experience.
Another audition season gone and the rolling in of a brand new year provide the perfect opportunity to evaluate and improve those things we can control in our lives. As we take control and become better prepared, we have fewer reasons to fear. Just like my taxi cab driver friend finds the courage each day to head out into busy New York City streets, we too can find the courage to step out into the sea of fellow singers, armed with our own personal preparation.
