These days, the competition for a young artist position with a regional opera company is fierce. Even Superstar Renée Fleming was not accepted into a young artist program in the early stages of her career, says Helena Matheopoulos in her book, Diva: The New Generation. This is not surprising, since there are more sopranos applying to these programs than any other type of singer. Many directors from regional opera companies reveal that typically less than half of the sopranos who apply are invited to a live audition.
“Sopranos face much stiffer competition than other voice parts,” says Kim Stowers, Artistic Coordinator of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Not only is the competition for a young artist position stiffer for a soprano, but just obtaining the audition is a more competitive process. In 2002, reports Stowers, 788 singers applied for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ 2003 Young Artist Program—423 were sopranos. Out of the 357 singers heard,175 were sopranos. In contrast, 97 tenors requested an audition, and 59 were heard. Despite the higher percentage of tenors heard, however, sopranos were still given nearly half of the auditions spots for this particular program.
Since the positions are often evenly distributed among voice types, around two to 10 sopranos are hired each year at each of the young artist programs around the country. The Opera Theatre of St. Louis hired eight sopranos (two were returning) and nine tenors (three were returning) for the 2003 season, so both voice types were competing for only six positions.
The number of new programs is multiplying, but the demand for positions significantly outweighs the supply—and more people seem to be applying each year. This rise in applicants is due to better advertising by the opera companies, such as new company websites, audition notices in Classical Singer magazine and in the OPERA America newsletter Audition Connection, informative reference books, like Musical America and OPERA America’s Career Guide for Singers, and posters sent to the major conservatories across the nation. Information about regional opera companies and auditions has become much easier for young singers today to access.
Most of the sopranos hired are in the early to mid-stages of their careers, are unmanaged, and have recently graduated from a master’s program or are partway through a master’s degree in music performance, says William Florescu, General Director of Lake George Opera. The average age of apprentices is 27 to 28, though the range is from 21 to 35. The sopranos tend to be slightly younger than the average age.
Singers are more likely to get an audition if they know a significant contact working with the company; have a well-known teacher; have worked with several local, large houses; or have a master’s in music performance from one of the major conservatories that maintains a more prominent opera program. Many singers who are hired as apprentices often come from the major conservatories, such as the Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington, Florida State University, the Boston Conservatory, The Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, The Curtis Institute of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory, or have participated in other apprentice programs, such as the Santa Fe Opera, Chautauqua Opera, or Des Moines Metro Opera. However, neither the master’s degree, nor the previous apprenticeships are necessary to obtain a position, says Naomi Hoyt, Director of Education for Cincinnati Opera. Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves agrees that there is no need for a master’s degree, as long as “you sing well, consistently well, that will be recognized.”1
On the other hand, some singers who are finished with school and living in New York City are often struggling to survive. Young singers trying to make a living are often not earning enough money to afford the intensive program of lessons and coaching they had while at school and in turn, may lose the “edge” they had when immersed in a conservatory. Knowing this, an equally experienced singer still in graduate school may become a more attractive candidate to invite to an audition versus a young singer trying to make a living.
Trying to figure out what a casting director is looking for is nearly impossible. Michael Shurtleff, author of Audition, explains that you should never try to figure out what the auditors want from you because it is “a total waste of time…What the auditors want is someone very interesting and talented in each and every role…[and that is] all you should concern yourself with.” The last thing an auditor wants is for a singer to fail. “They want to hear someone great,” says Shurtleff.2 It is this state of mind that helped Fleming overcome her stage fright in the early years of her career and to go on to win the Metropolitan Opera’s national auditions and the George London Prize, back in 1998.
Many auditors would like singers to come prepared to an audition with an aria from the opera for which the singer would like to audition. Otherwise, some auditors assume the singer might be incapable of singing the aria, that there might be something technically wrong with the voice, or that the singer simply does not want the role enough. Most auditors, however, disagree with this type of audition technique.
Most auditors agree with Shurtleff. William Yannuzzi, Music Director at the Baltimore Opera, is of the opinion that singers should sing what they feel most comfortable singing, despite the repertoire being performed.
“Most auditors listen to a singer’s performance with the sole objective of assessing talent and technique,” says David Guerrerio, Artistic Coordinator of the Santa Fe Opera. Florescu explains that he does not need the character “spelled out [and] would hope [that he has] enough imagination” to cast the young singers in an opera, even if they are not singing an aria from the specific role for which they are appropriate.
Talent and technique are not the only requirements in the opera world.
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It’s no longer enough to have a sexy, romantic voice, filled with artistry and musical allure,” wrote Steven Blier in an issue of Opera News. Blier explains in his article “The Fit Lady Sings” that “we live in a visual culture.” Weight, in other words, has become a large factor in casting.
It is a necessity to be thin in the opera world of today, says Susan Ormont, creator of The Auditions Project, a six-week workshop in New York City and Boston. Ormont recommends that singers who are overweight should start to implement healthier eating habits and lose the extra weight. Television adds at least 10 pounds to the figure so singers need to be very careful. Also, she explains, thinner singers can be more flexible on stage.
“In our world,” explains Blier, “being overweight has a strong stigma.” With the onset of projected titles, video recordings, and television broadcasts, opera is now appealing to a wider audience.
“This new [younger] generation of opera fans is nowhere near so demanding aurally as it is visually,” Blier writes. “As opera settings, costumes and stagings make more specific and more modern statements about the work, the singers must be a convincing part of that visual landscape.”
Most casting directors base their decisions on “theatrical passion and vocal expressivity,” as does Speight Jenkins, General Director of Seattle Opera. However, it is also essential to look the part, so as to please the target audience of the opera companies.4
More than 100 Programs Available
The United States is home to 300 “opera-producing entities”—according to the Career Guide for Singers, published by OPERA America—of which approximately 225 are North American regional opera companies. The guide indicates that more than 100 young artist, training, educational, and fee-based programs are available for young singers in the United States.
Depending on the particular young artist or apprentice program, singers usually perform supporting and comprimario roles. They receive understudy assignments and appear in the ensemble of main-stage productions. They may also perform in recitals, concerts, scenes programs, and in pre-performance lectures before the main-stage performances. Some apprentices may have the opportunity to attend classes in combat, stage movement, make up, diction, acting, and master classes with major opera stars, managers, and voice teachers. Several programs provide opportunities for their young artists to audition for other regional companies, international companies, and managers.
Opera America’s Career Guide for Singers shows that salaries can range from $120 to $865 per week. “Additional benefits in all cases,” according to the guide, “can include travel, housing, health insurance, stipends for voice lessons, reimbursement for performance travel, and additional fees for main-stage performances.” [Editor’s note: Other programs don’t pay on the same scale. For example, Central Florida Lyric Opera’s “Young Artist Program” requires singers to pay their own expenses and singers are required to take lessons with General Director Bill Doherty. New York Opera Productions run by Grace Hinds ran an audition notice in CS’s October issue for a “Young Artist Program” until CS found out that Ms. Hinds had decided, after telling our Auditions Coordinator that there was no fee, to charge singers $525. The audition was immediately removed. Be very careful before signing on any dotted line.]
Some companies, such as the Santa Fe Opera and Chautauqua Opera, provide contracts in conjunction with the union, the Artists Guild for Musical Artists (AGMA). Other companies, like Lake George Opera, do not provide contracts with the union; instead, this particular company pays young artists above the required AGMA salary. AGMA contracts limit singers’ work as young artists with AGMA companies to two years.
WORKS CITED for Getting Into a Young Artist Program and Trends in Opera by Elly Erickson
Blier, Steven. “The Fit Lady Sings.” Opera News. July 2001: 12-17.
Cecchetti, Betsy. Information Service Director for OPERA America. Telephone and e-mail interview. Nov. 2001
“Chautauqua Opera Young Artists Program: Chautauqua Institution – 2002 Season Audition Application.” Chautauqua: 2001.
Florescu, William. General Director for Lake George Opera. Telephone interview. November 2001.
Guerrerio, David. Artistic Coordinator for Santa Fe Opera. Telephone and e-mail interview. November 2001, September 2003.
Gunnell, Lori. “Do Singers Really Need Grad School.” Classical Singer. September 2001: 16-19.
Hoyt, Naomi. Director of Education for Cincinnati Opera. Telephone interview. November 2001.
Kentucky Opera. www.kyopera.org
Lake George Opera. www.lakegeorgeopera.org
Matheopoulos, Helena. Diva: The New Generation. Boston: North University Press, 1998.
National Endowment for the Arts. American Participation in Opera and Musical Theater. Washington, D.C. 1992.
National Endowment for the Arts. 1997 and 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. Washington, D.C. 1998, 2003.
National Endowment for the Arts. Survey of Publication in the Arts. Washington, D.C., 1998.
OPERA America. Annual Field Report 1999. Washington, D.C.: OPERA America,, 2001.
OPERA America. Annual Field Report 2001. Washington, D.C.: OPERA America, 2003.
Ormont, Susan. Creator of The Auditions Project. E-mail interview. September 2003.
Rourke, Kelley, ed. Career Guide for Singers – 6th edition. Washington, D.C.: OPERA America, 2003.
“Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers 2002 Audition Application.” Santa Fe: 2001.
Santa Fe Opera. www.santafeopera.org
Shurtleff, Michael. Audition. New York: Bantam, 1980.
Stowers, Kim. Artistic Coordinator for Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Telephone and e-mail Interview. December 2001, September 2003.
Yannuzzi, William. Music Director for Baltimore Opera. Personal interview. November 2001.
1 Source: Gunnel 17
2 Source: Matheopoulos 42
3 Source: Matheopoulos 42
4 Source: Blier 15
5 Source: National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Survey of Public Participation in the Arts
6 Source: NEA Survey of Publication in the Arts
7 Source: NEA Survey of Public Participation in the Arts
8 Source: Blier
9 Source: Kentucky Opera website
