This summer, I crossed the line. An overcommitted colleague asked me to take over his job as executive director of a three-year-old training program that featured many concerts and a full staging of an opera with orchestra. Needless to say, this was a huge challenge, and I was filled with misgivings, the principal one being, “But I’m a singer, not an ‘admin’!” Nevertheless, I took the job and found it to have many rewards, in addition to its challenges.
It was enormously rewarding to work with such an enthusiastic, dedicated, and talented group of young singers. The faculty itself was amazing and extremely generous with both their time and expertise, and I learned much from them. Very quickly, I gained a valuable perspective that I could have gotten only from my perch on “the other side of the table.” I’d like to share with you some of the things I learned.
Be accessible
The very first thing that became abundantly apparent is that accessibility is incredibly important. In a company with limited staff that is working on a stringent budget (and what company isn’t, these days), time is money. Whether you are trying to get hired or have already been hired, it is always in your best interest to make it easy for your employers to find you.
Singers need to make themselves easily accessible by whatever means a potential employer is most comfortable with—phone, fax, or e-mail—and respond in a timely manner to messages. In practical terms, this means having a cell phone, or at the very least a voice-mail number that does not change and which you check regularly, even when you are out of the country. It means that even if you don’t have your own fax machine, you know where in your vicinity you can send or receive a fax—no fumbling for a number! It means having an e-mail address and checking it regularly, even when you’re out of the country. At the very least, if you are going to be traveling in an area where you feel you may not have regular access, let anyone with whom you have been in contact regarding jobs know that you’ll be incommunicado and when you’ll next be available.
Be polite
As a professional singer, I have twice been present when a colleague let his mouth and/or ego get the better of him and lost a job—and a relationship with the company—on the spot. As an admin, I saw singers lose roles and scholarships due to discourtesy, and others lose potential recommendations and relationships with people who could have helped advance their careers, for the same reason. How ridiculous and unnecessary!
An opera company, summer training program, or Young Artist Program is no place to bring your sense of entitlement. This does not, by the way, mean letting someone walk all over you. One incident that led me to form a very high opinion of a certain young singer involved his approaching me with a very politely-phrased, reasonable complaint, and a good attitude.
You should be a good consumer when you are paying for training, and a good businessperson when you are servicing the needs of a client, but you also should strive to behave as professionally and courteously as possible. This means, among other things, responding promptly to requests for information; maintaining a respectful (not deferential) attitude towards administrators, faculty, technical and office staff, and colleagues; caring for your costumes and props; and expressing gratitude when someone does you a favor.
Be discreet
Opera companies, summer programs, universities … all are very, very small villages. I’ll never forget, as a young artist, mouthing off to a friend about how stupid I thought some staging was, only to turn around and see the conductor standing right behind me. Was I ever mortified! Years later, that conductor is now the general director of an opera company I have sung for. (Luckily, I don’t think he remembers my mouthy YAP self)!
Don’t fool yourself that everybody doesn’t know your business—even the general director whom you may rarely see. Information has a way of getting around. Even though I spent most of my time as an admin glued to my desk and phone, I knew exactly who had been irritating the volunteers with unreasonable demands, who was bad-mouthing colleagues, who was pretending to be sick instead of going to rehearsals, and who was generally slacking off. I also knew who was working hard and making the best of the situation, who was charming our hard-working volunteers, and who was taking the best advantage of their opportunities. And yes, it certainly affected casting, invitations to do publicity gigs, plum master class assignments, or opportunities to work privately with coveted teachers, as well as recommendations for future work.
Be accommodating
A truly amazing number of our students were outstanding in their efforts to do whatever needed to be done. These were the folks who took assignments—even less than fabulous ones—without complaining, and turned them into artistic triumphs. These were the folks who pitched in on jobs both little and big that just needed doing. Whether it was the 18-year-old who gave her all to a super bit, the young singer who made a two-line role absolutely riveting, the extremely talented and advanced singer who agreed to cover roles he could have been hired to sing elsewhere at the last minute and generally made himself useful all summer, or the young chorister/cover who stepped in to sing a beautiful dress rehearsal for a sick colleague, their efforts did not go unnoticed.
The stellar efforts by the majority really made the occasional sulker and whiner stand out like a sparrow among peacocks, making them look a lot worse than they might have otherwise. Interestingly, the singers who were accommodating and eager were also the most professional on every level. They were not always better singers than some of their less enthusiastic colleagues (nor were they worse)—but who would you rather have working for your company? Who would you recommend, if asked?
Take advantage
We had singers of all levels at our program. Some of the least experienced were not ready to take on big roles in scenes or in the opera, but they managed to make a great impression anyway. How? They were at every class, actively participating. They sang in every master class they could. They signed up for lessons and coachings. They came to every concert.
In other words, some people were really there to work. One young singer attended one of my Business of Singing classes, and immediately afterward I found her using the computer in the lounge, wasting no time in putting to use what she had learned. This same young lady regularly knocked on my office door with questions. Another young singer, poised to begin his career, asked to sit in on a voice lesson I was taking with a colleague. He hung around afterwards and asked lots of questions, and essentially got an hour of private career consultation from two working singers—just because he asked. We would have done it for any student who asked.
The program is over, but several faculty members are getting regular e-mails from several of the students, to whom we are happy to offer advice. Are these singers milking their experience for all it’s worth? You bet, and good for them! The summer program is over, but they are still on the job. They understand something essential about being a successful singer: You are always on the job.
Don’t burn bridges
Here’s the thing: You never know where a colleague—or the teacher you worked with in some summer training program—is going to end up. I was in training with several people who have ended up running opera companies or are now heads of university music departments. Other colleagues have gone into management; others still are working at all levels. I myself have often been in a position as a singer to recommend other singers for work, and have benefited from colleagues’ recommendations. Now, with my admittedly brief stint as an admin behind me, I have already been able to recommend one singer to a manager, and others for work. Other faculty members have helped our young singers get scholarships. One young lady was invited to join a prestigious voice studio.
I spoke with my colleagues about this very subject one evening. We all agreed that our own training days weren’t so far behind us that we didn’t remember, by name, who was lazy, who was a trouble-maker, who whined and complained a lot, who didn’t do their job, and who was generally a lousy colleague. We also remembered the standouts. Interestingly, very few of the people who slacked off back in the day are working singers now. Most of the people who worked hard, took advantage of opportunities, and were good colleagues are still singing. In fact, you’ve probably paid money to hear quite a few of them at the Met.
My experience as an opera program admin has certainly changed the way I view myself as a singer. I have always striven to treat my colleagues and employers with kindness and respect, and to show myself to be an enthusiastic participant in the artistic process. Knowing what I do now, I will be more careful in what I say and do—not because I am afraid, but because I am aware more than ever of the importance of appearances, and of how even a perfectly innocent statement might come across badly.
I’ll be more thorough in dotting my “i”s and crossing my “t”s—and I’ll do it as soon as possible! Like the song says, it all comes down to R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Offer it, and you’ll get it in return.
