Readers respond to Michelle Kunz’s recent series “Making It When You Don’t Make It” (see January and February, 2007 and watch for upcoming installments in later months).
Dear Editor: Thank you so much for [publishing] “Making It when You Don’t Make It”! I have just read the first installment [January 2007] and am looking forward to hearing about the other “older” singers interviewed in future Classical Singers. As a 47-year-old opera singer (and French teacher), I too fall in that category and have had my own share of joys, trials, and tribulations as I’ve pursued my love of singing. The paragraph beginning with: “If we remember that the expression of the human condition . . . is at the heart of what we do . . .” resonated deeply with me. I’m grateful for these words of wisdom here.
—Cindy Ewing, via e-mail
Dear Editor: I must tell you that the wonderful article [“Making It When You Don’t Make It”] highlighting the older female singer was very timely for me. I am still performing/studying/working full-time, and have reached the proverbial “fork in the road.” The article served as confirmation that I am, at least, traveling in the right direction.
—Luctrician Johnson, via e-mail
Dear Editor: I just received my [January] magazine in the mail today and was pleasantly surprised by the subject of the article, “Making It When You Don’t Make It,” usually a taboo topic for singers in general. . . . I am 29 and, believe it or not, struggle with the same issues described.
While I am happy that you’ve decided to bring this subject to light for CS readers, I do think that, despite the struggles of the women whose stories [Michelle Kunz] is telling, the feeling of the article could be more positive, resolute, and above all, unapologetic. It seems that even though [Kunz] is saying, “own your truth and accept your life the way it is,” she is also somehow saying, “isn’t it a shame that [‘Candice’] has to sing art song and oratorio because she can’t sustain high notes?”
[The article] mentioned that “Candice” had to cancel all her gigs one year because of allergies. If she had to cancel gigs that must mean that she is working and therefore having a modicum of success. I think, frankly, that [we] must change our definitions of “success.” Is it not successful to be a working singer whose income derives 100 percent from singing? We must address why all of us want to be Met stars and what it means when a singer says, “I want to do something different with my singing.”
To me, this article is not just about these “older” singers who didn’t give up, but why we envision that they should have entertained the idea at a certain age or point in their careers. I hope to read more about why “Candice” didn’t give up despite her struggles, rather than just the fact that she didn’t.
—Elizabeth, via e-mail
Dear Editor: I appreciate [Michelle Kunz’s] no-nonsense approach to a subject that gets little attention. I am now in my 40s and singing better than I ever have in my life. I have never padded a résumé, [or] lied about my age, training, or experience. I think integrity is extremely important. All of us who haven’t “made it” for one reason or another still have so much to offer. It’s encouraging to hear stories of others who find fulfillment doing what they love and who impact their world with music.
Of course there are moments when that “dream” flashes in front of my eyes and I sigh with a bit of disappointment at not having been the next Beverly Sills, or someone like that. Life rarely works out the way we plan, so it’s good to have another plan. Thanks, again, for reminding us how we can enrich the lives of others, no matter what the date of birth listed on our driver’s license.
—Deborah Bertling, via e-mail
ERRATA
In the January 2007 cover story, “The Pasha of Diction: Nico Castel,” several regrettable errors were made. The Santa Fe opera’s production of Wuthering Heights was by composer Carlisle Floyd, not Bernard Herman (p. 11). The reference to “closed a’s and o’s” (p. 14) should have been to “closed e’s and o’s.” Also, the French word montagne (meaning mountain) was misspelled (p. 14). In New York City Opera’s production of The Makropoulos Affair, Mr. Castel played the role of Hauk, not Vitek, and the production was sung in English. The Czech version of “Makropoulos” was with the Little Orchestra Society and Mr. Castel played the role of Vitek, not Prus (pp. 14-15). Christine Jepson’s name was misspelled (p. 15), and Marcello Giordani, not Massimo Giordano, played the tenor lead in the recent Madama Butterfly at the Met (p. 15).
Our sincere apologies to Mr. Nico Castel for these most unfortunate errors.
