Dear Editor: I was with Adria Firestone for the first three articles in her series, “The Singer’s Addiction,” admiring her honesty about her struggles in putting aside an active singing career. In the fourth (December) article, I appreciated her telling us about a manager who made it clear to his singer that there is a prevailing age bias, and I also appreciated her admission of accepting this bias.
However, I find it troubling that she is encouraging all of us to do so (“Perhaps it’s time we step aside and let younger singers have their moment”). Is this affirmative action for younger singers in a limited marketplace, or is this giving in to prejudice? And why wouldn’t this lead to the acceptance of other prejudices such as skin color and weight? Would the dark-skinned Leontyne Price be hired for Cio-Cio San? Would the heavy Montserrat Caballé be hired for Salome? And what a shame that Deborah Voigt was not hired as she was, when the “little black dress” seemed to win out.
As Renée Fleming approaches 50, would we really prefer a 20-something to hearing her sing Violetta? Ideally, wouldn’t it be best to have older and younger singers perform together, dark- and fair-skinned, heavy and light, with the best singing actors selected for roles they can make their own (and if you need a model for age, think Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher for Violetta and Alfredo). The multi-age, multi-racial, and variable-weight casts could embrace a comparably diverse audience.
As for the comment that you “have to be believable enough to bear the scrutiny of the camera,” I don’t understand how that jibes with the Hansel and Gretel from the Met live in HD, when the close-ups were so prevalent that in the audience I felt I was practically on stage, and where the boy Hansel was obviously sung by a mature female. If this is OK because that’s how it was written, wouldn’t that be a “selective prejudice” (well, in this case it’s OK but in another case not)? Opera does, as Firestone says, transport us into another realm, and in my opinion it is the vocal beauty and commitment to text and character that carry us away.
Wouldn’t we have a more exciting world of opera if all singers could be in the running, especially in this year of “Yes, we can”?
—Karen Lundry, Montclair, N.J.
[CS gave writer Adria Firestone the opportunity to respond:]
Dear Ms. Lundry: Your letter is valid and articulate and I think you got my exact meaning. There are not enough jobs for the number of talented singers out there—that is a fact proven by the Bureau of Labor statistics (see Part Five of the series in the January issue). We must give way to the younger singers as the older singers gave way to us.
You are right, a 25-year-old is not going to have the exquisite nuance that Renée gives to Violetta, but at a certain time, we must let go. Singing is not about me, me, me, (or mi, mi, mi—although it’s a good warm up). We must serve the art form, and our beloved art form is changing.
You picked a great example of an older woman in fabulous shape: Demi Moore. But that’s not aging gracefully. That kind of aging requires lots of money and help. There are not many opera stars even in the topmost rungs who earn what our movie idols do. They can’t afford the cooks, personal trainers, and exquisite and extensive plastic surgery necessary to maintain that elusive, fleeting boon called youth.
Even if we would want to go back to the pre-camera-in-your-face era, we can’t. Opera has changed, and it must change to survive and grow. And who said anything about not singing if you’re in the second half of your life? Sing. Sing anywhere and all over. Just know the agents filling the rosters of the opera houses managing to survive will not choose you for the lead roles. That’s not a good or a bad thing—it’s simply fact.
Unless you are a dramatic soprano or a heldentenor, your operatic life span is relatively short. Should a ballet dancer not dance because her stage life is even shorter than ours? No, dance. Serve with all your heart until the next wave is chosen. Are we any better than the athletes who must give up their sport because age intervenes? We too, are athletes, and like it or not, our physical skills are affected by age.
Opera is a multi-layered art form. Opera involves all the senses. It is music, theater, dance, voice, acting, and art in all its aspects. It is intense theater and our eyes must be pleased as well.
—Adria
[Age is a tough issue in so many businesses, but especially ours. This is a dialogue that should continue in our community. If you have something to add, please write to editorial@classicalsinger.com. -ed.]
