Several years ago I spent a particularly hot and humid summer in beautiful Verona, Italy. The nights were often as warm as the days, and in desperate hopes of generating some small breeze, my roommate and I tried opening the screenless windows in our little apartment. After turning out the lights and climbing into bed, we suddenly realized our mistake. Mosquitoes had infested the room and once the lights were out, those tiny little bugs found their way straight into our ears! The intensely loud buzzing destroyed any hope of sleep.
For the next half hour, after promptly closing the windows, we dashed around the room, armed with the only swatting devices handy: two hymnals. Again and again, we squashed mosquitoes, splattering mosquito guts on the white walls. Just when we thought we were safe, we turned the lights off and climbed back into bed, only to have some errant mosquito buzz in our ear. Back on came the light and the hunt continued until we had killed every last one.
I was reminded of this experience recently when I came across the following African Proverb: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.” Having actually attempted the feat, the saying caused me not only to chuckle but also to reflect on the power of the individual.
In a profession with so many singers competing for seemingly limited opportunities, you can easily feel lost among the masses. In an industry where general directors, agents, and adjudicators seem to decide your fate and determine your success, you can feel powerless. You can feel too small to make a difference.
One singer had a host of reasons to decide she couldn’t make it in this business. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Solange Sior immigrated to the United States in 1988 barely speaking English and without any family to assist her, no employment, and no connections in the music industry.
Determined to succeed and armed with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Sior eventually found small teaching and singing jobs, auditioned for the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists in Chicago and was accepted into their program in 1991. In 1994, she launched her own teaching studio and booking agency, doing dinner concerts and hiring other musicians for various events. Her studio, Enchanted Voices, Inc., quickly grew to over 100 students—more than she could handle, so she hired several additional teachers to help manage the load.
Sior continued to create opportunities and jobs by starting her own opera company in Elgin, Illinois. In just five short years since its inception, the company now has a budget of over $40,000 and pays every singer, orchestra member, and crewmember. The first small scenes production of years ago has blossomed into the recent sold out and full production of La traviata, double cast with full orchestra.
Solange Sior is not alone. Many other singers are finding their own voice and making their own musical pathway. They are successful examples of the advice career counselor Angela Beeching offers in her book, Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music, reviewed in this issue.
Mezzo-soprano Imelda Franklin Bogue, for example, combined her writing and musical skills with her humor and wit to write a one-woman comedy about the secret lives of opera singers. Not only does her show make people laugh, it introduces them to the world of opera. Singer-composer Susan Stoderl’s first opera is performed weekly in New York City and her second opera, which she’s currently writing, is already slated for a Fall 2007 premiere. Two singers whose personal lives led them away from the traditional operatic path have found an outlet for their creative energy: Voce Divina. Read the step-by-step process of creating and marketing Voce Divina and use it as a template for your own creative ideas.
In an industry where singers outnumber jobs, singers are taking the bull by the horns and making their own opportunities. Like those pesky mosquitoes, they are creating their own buzz and enjoying the benefit of their efforts. As you read this issue, contemplate the power you have to make a difference in your own life and in the lives of others.
