PICTURESQUE GERMANY IS A COUNTRY WITH A NETWORK OF AUTOBAHNS, A PENCHANT FOR PUNCTUALITY, AND A CENTER OF STATE-SUPPORTED OPERA. Not only are the trains on time, but the buses have printed schedules posted at each stop, and the subway stations have automated signs telling which train is coming next and in how many minutes. Space is scarce. The crowded narrow streets are full of pedestrians and cars. Many people are driving an automobile called Smart, a two-seater with limited trunk space, which is ideal for getting into small parking spaces. Inner city parking on the streets and in designated lots has gone beyond parking meters. The length of desired parking time is purchased from computerized vending machines that spit out a printed parking ticket, which is to be displayed on the dashboard. Recycling is a way of life; there are even designated bins for trash on the trains. As in the USA, people are conversing with family and friends on buses, in grocery stores and on walks, using their Handy, which is what the Germans have dubbed the cell phone. However, the dust has not quite settled over the recent conversion from the Mark to the Euro.
The wall that divided the East from the West for over forty years is physically gone, but it still exists in the minds of those who longed for a united Germany but now feel that the union happened too fast. The divided parts were not really prepared to co-exist so quickly. The country is in a state of flux, and many people are not sure where they belong. East Germans now find that their once secure, though restricted, style of living has turned into a chaos of desire to fit into a united Germany and are frustrated with the transition process. Unemployment is growing, and the economy is faltering under the staggering expense of rebuilding a society with outdated facilities and a work force unable to cope with employment in a western system.
German cities with opera houses are less than an hour apart in almost any direction. In the former West Germany, there were over sixty theatres; now the united Germany has close to ninety with the addition of those in the East. Regardless of the number, state supported opera is being threatened, because the trickle-down effect of the cost of reunification is touching the monies that were once used to subsidize opera. The theatres must tighten their belts to find creative ways to continue offering their accustomed program of repertory opera. Some options include reducing the size of the ensembles and the size of the repertory. Instead of hiring three sopranos, a theatre may only have the money to hire two, with the result that singers may have to sing roles outside of their Fach (vocal category). The number of guest contracts is growing as a means of casting difficult roles without hiring a full-time in-house artist. Opera houses are sharing their productions by taking them on the road, thereby saving the visited theatres the cost of one or more productions. In some theatres, the ballet has been eliminated in favor of using students from local dance schools. They have even experimented with fusing two theatres together to save costs, but some fusions are now being dissolved.
ARE AMERICAN SINGERS WELCOME IN GERMANY?
Now that the borders are open, more singers are free to compete for contracts in the fertile operatic fields of Germany. Although American opera singers are respected for their fine training and professionalism, their number in opera ensembles is dwindling, e.g. in the seventies and eighties, the Lübeck theatre had as many as nine Americans among its soloists; today, not one American is on its roster. Instead, Lübeck’s foreign contingency includes singers from Iceland, France, Denmark, Poland, England, and Italy, and that is the trend in other theatres. To add to the mix, there now seems to be an increase of qualified German singers. What has happened? One thought is that many American singers have remained in Germany as teachers, thereby passing on their expertise.
Does this mean Americans can no longer go to Germany to begin their operatic careers? Not necessarily. It means they must hone their skills even more to remain competitive. Fulbright scholarships and German government grants are still available as a means of getting to Germany to study at one of the music schools and to gain a subsidized year to become acclimated to the new culture and to practice speaking German prior to auditioning for an opera engagement. Another alternative is to set up an audition directly with the agents who will hopefully send the auditionee to the various opera houses, which have openings for the coming season.
HOW CAN I PREPARE TO GO TO EUROPE?
Times have changed. Thirty years ago, singers could be hired on Anfängerverträge (beginner’s contracts), with little or no experience. Now, even the smallest theatres prefer singers who have had at least two years of professional experience in opera. Before planning an audition trip, care must be taken to be prepared in every way. Mastering vocal technique, languages and the various singing styles are necessities. One agent stressed the need for auditionees to work with an acting coach to learn the basics of acting and stage movement. The ability to speak fluent German is understandably an integral component of an artist’s competency. Although most agents speak English, the operative language is German when auditioning at the theatres. The Intendant (theatre manager), Regisseur (stage director) and General Musik Direktor (conductor) who will hear the audition will be communicating in the German language. Since operettas are a regular part of the repertory, the singer who speaks accent-free German will be even more marketable.
HOW CAN I LEARN THE LANGUAGE?
There are a number of fine language schools throughout Germany (Goethe Institutes, Berlitz Schools and the Hartnack School in Berlin) that specialize in teaching conversational German to foreigners, with the advantage that teachers are native born. (A list of language schools may be found at the end of this article.) Students are tested and placed in classes accordingly. To reach the desired proficiency, the classes can run from one to three months at a cost of up to $1,500 plus the cost of food and lodging. This investment will pay great dividends.
WHERE DO I FIND A MANAGER?
Through the eighties, there were about fifteen to twenty licensed artist managements in Germany, and the rumor was that no new agent licenses would be issued. The trend was for theatre engagements to be handled through a government agency called ZBF (Zentrale Bühnen-, Fernseh-, und Filmvermittlung) with offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich which charged neither the artist nor the theatre a commission. For whatever reason, now there are over sixty agencies located in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary with the ZBF still in operation. Among them is James Dietsch, who is the first American to be granted an agent’s license, and an Englishman, Neill Thornborrow, who works for the Heissler-Remy Agency in Düsseldorf. A sampling of agents is given on page 40. A complete list of agents may be found in the yearbook of the German theatrical union, GDBA, (Genossenschaft Deutscher Bühnen-Angehörige) which is located in Hamburg, telephone numbers: (040) 44 51 85 and 44 38 70. Contrary to the USA, in Germany, a singer may work freely with more than one agent without having to sign an exclusive contract. The agent who first arranges the audition resulting in an engagement ultimately gets the commission. This payment is then split between the artist and the theatre with each party contributing half. When auditioning for the agents, a professional photo and a résumé are good to have, but sending a recording is not necessary. Most agents have cabinets full of cassettes and CDs, but they do not have time to listen to them. However, one agent cautioned that if a recording is sent, it should be excellent in vocal and recording quality; otherwise an audition may be denied. Another agent commented that he gets as many as 300 audition requests a month, and he only invites twelve to audition. This is not the norm, however. Most agents have regular auditions weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, and an accompanist is provided.
WHEN TO GO
Timing is a very important factor. October 15th is the date when the theatres send pink slips to the singers whose contracts are not going to be renewed for the following season. The performers then have until the end of the month to contest this action. Agents advise those seeking engagements to come to Germany toward the end of October, with plans to stay about two months, to be ready when the vacancies are announced and the auditions for the following theatre season begin. Others advise singers to return to the States and wait for the call to audition on the premise that the living expenses of remaining in Germany could add up to more than the cost of the current, cheaper overseas flights.
Actually, the theatres are only beginning their seasons in September and probably do not yet know exactly what their repertoire for the coming season will be. Therefore, the high time for auditioning might be more from January to April. Excellent voices in all categories will be hired, but the voices which are most sought after are jugendlich (young) dramatic sopranos, tenors of all types and basses.
Twenty years ago, the smaller and middle-sized houses performed operas in German translations; now these theatres are performing works in their original languages with projected German subtitles for the audience.
WHAT ABOUT THE AUDITION?
Auditioning singers should prepare four contrasting arias from the standard repertoire in the major languages, including at least one in German. Choosing an obscure aria could invite trouble when the accompanist is forced to sight-read unfamiliar music.
The auditionee should state clearly the titles of the prepared arias and then invite the agent to make a choice. If the agent does not have a preference, the singer should choose to perform the selection which is most comfortable in order to get over the initial nervousness. Two selections will probably be heard.
Find a way to warm-up the voice before going to the audition; singing a few scales in a restroom somewhere may be a last ditch solution. Some cities may have music studios for rent.
Since the audition will be the agent’s first impression of the singer, it is very important that appropriate clothing be chosen. Showing up in jeans or other casual attire could jeopardize the audition before a single note is sung. Women should wear an attractive dress, preferably not red, with appropriate shoes; men should wear a suit and tie or a sports jacket and pants. Audition selections should be sung expressively with full knowledge of the meaning of the text and its relevance to the action of the opera. Excessive gestures can easily detract from the overall presentation.
SHOULD I TAKE A JOB IN THE OPERA CHORUS?
In the past, opera choruses were made up of mostly German singers, but it is interesting to note that now forty to forty-five percent of the chorus members are foreigners, mostly from the USA, England, and the east block countries1. To quote Albert Limbach, chorus director of the Cologne Opera, “In their own countries there are only a handful of opera houses. It follows that there is little demand for opera chorus singers. Naturally many foreigners come to Germany in the hope of finding a solo engagement, but in my opinion, they do not feel inferior when they end up with a contract for the chorus.” One needs to know that traditionally, during their vocal studies, German students are trained either as soloists or as choral singers. The curriculum of the latter is geared toward the study of opera choruses so that, upon graduation, the students already have some repertoire under their belts and are ready to seek a choral engagement. These positions are well paid; in a middle-sized opera house, the salary is $35,000 a year with full benefits. Chorus members are also well protected by the standard contract; the rehearsal and performance times are regulated to allow adequate rest periods between rehearsals and or performances. Male voices, especially tenors, can literally walk into a chorus position. However, one should be careful in choosing the chorus as a stepping-stone toward a solo career. Since there is the division between soloists and chorus members, it is rare for a chorus member to advance to the ranks of a soloist, unless thinking changes since there are so many possible soloists in the choral ensembles.
WHAT ABOUT THE NUDITY ON STAGE IN EUROPE?
It seems that this is the era of the stage directors, and the ultimate decision as to who is offered a contract may be in their hands. They will be looking for attractive, slimmer performers who can act. Perhaps, due to limited funds and the desire to bring a new approach to Mozart, Puccini or Verdi, directors are resorting to the inclusion of nudity in their productions. People have walked out of a performance of Don Giovanni for that reason, and nudity was present in a production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail. One agent commented that he did not understand why singers were not protesting. It is certainly a delicate matter, one that must be handled very carefully between director and performer. Due to these newer trends, many people are canceling their opera subscriptions. Some feel the modern productions are so ugly that they leave the theatre unfulfilled, without the sense of being lifted up into another world through the music and the traditional costuming and sets for which the operas were composed. The question remains: If financial support for the opera is being cut, how can the theatres afford to risk losing their audience with such practices? It is hoped that when operas are performed with their accustomed grandeur, audiences will return.
WHAT BENEFITS ARE AVAILABLE?
It is to the credit of the German theatres that they hire the best available talent, regardless of national origin. Aspiring young artists have a golden opportunity to be a part of the German tradition of state-supported repertory opera where full-time employment is possible. A one-year contract includes thirteen months pay (one-third of the thirteenth paycheck is a Christmas bonus and the other two-thirds serves as a vacation bonus.) The benefits include six weeks of paid vacation, health insurance for everyone, and a pension plan. An additional amount for each dependent child (Kinder geld) is added to the paycheck.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF TRADITIONS I WOULD HAVE TO LEARN?
Living in Germany means getting used to traditions. A handshake is used as a greeting and used again when saying goodbye. Also, there is the definite division between the polite and the familiar “you.” When conversing with strangers and acquaintances, the Sie form is used along with the person’s last name preceded by Herr, Frau, or Fräulein until a closer relationship is established. Du is reserved for family, close friends, and children. There is a strong sense of politeness; the word bitte can mean “you are welcome” or “please” or as an invitation to do something. It is said that a foreigner could travel through Germany and get by using only this word.
To accommodate the working man, theatres juggle the starting times of their performances so that the working man can go home and get enough sleep for the next workday. Wagner operas can begin as early as 1730 hours (5:30 p.m.) and shorter Puccini works can begin at 20 hours (8:00 p.m.).
Experiencing another culture and language can be very exhilarating. Non-German-speaking spouses need not be concerned about fitting in; Germans enjoy developing friendships with Americans, and most have had enough English to communicate until a German proficiency has been achieved. German grocery stores have a surprising number of American products. Kitchens are becoming more modernized, but washing dishes or taking a shower can require a delicate regulation of the gas boiler which heats the water spontaneously when the hot water faucet is turned on. A mix of cold water has to be facilitated, but too much can deactivate the boiler and result in cold water again. Some of the newer homes and apartments have more modernized water heating systems. Taxes are high, and the cost of gasoline is about three times that in the States. Distance is measured in kilometers, weight is in kilos, and Celsius is used for temperature instead of Fahrenheit. All considered, the opportunity of working full-time as a professional opera singer in a state-supported system far outweighs the small inconveniences of life in Germany. Is Germany still the place to launch an operatic career? The answer is yes!
