Dear Editor: Your publication is very informative and entertaining. It is an absolute must for the singer at any stage of his or her career. Where else is all this information about auditions, competitions, Young Artist programs, etc., to be found? Nowhere! Keep up the good work CS!
—Susan Whitenack, Doylestown, PA
Dear Editor: Would like more articles on the technical and anatomical aspects of singing and on interpretation. Thank you!
—Name Withheld, Marietta, GA
Dear Editor: I believe the following would be very useful: 1) a column that deals with an element of vocal technique—could be written by guest voice teachers or artists; 2) including in your interviews of artists a question about what vocal technique worked best for them.
—Larry Owens, Valley Vig, CA
You’ll love the May issue, then, which includes a full voice lesson with soprano turned mezzo Rosalind Plowright. In the lesson she gives many wonderful suggestions, describes in detail how she has addressed various vocal situations over the years, and explains how she warms up her voice daily and keeps making progress every day. (She was extremely accommodating!) We are listening and have asked all of our writers to focus more interview questions on technique. —Editor
Dear Editor: Classical Singer has articles that tell us what it takes to be a world-class singer as in the recent article on Roberta Peters. Thanks!
—Esther Moses, Portland, OR
Dear Editor: I’d like more info about colleges and voice programs for high school students and parents to consider.
—Ms. Halley Clark, Cary, NC
We do this issue every September. It’s our biggest issue of the year and includes articles on various aspects of higher education. But your idea of focusing an article on high school students is a good one. Thanks. —Editor
Dear Editor: I am writing to you regarding the current practice of opera companies charging fees to audition. I am a young singer early in my career and have spent this past fall applying and auditioning for Young Artist programs. Many companies have begun to charge “application fees” for these programs. These are none other than “pay to audition” fees and should not be construed as anything else. In some cases, companies are taking fees without guarantee of an audition and are pocketing these fees if no audition is granted. In other fields of performance art, this practice would be unthinkable. Actors and dancers, for the most part, wisely decide not to engage in these types of auditions. But because opportunities are so limited for young singers, opera companies are in a unique position of power and are abusing this power to the detriment of young artists.
Those wishing to pursue a career in opera already spend enormous amounts of money on coaches, teachers, scores, CDs, language lessons, opera tickets and other such items. It is sad that many opera companies think this kind of sacrifice alone does not merit a look at a young singer’s resume or a brief listen to an aria. No one in the business world would even consider paying for a job interview, and singers should be not different. AGMA recently took a stance advising dancers not to “pay to audition,” yet we singers are left to fend for ourselves. Though our environment is competitive, whether or not singers can pay to be heard should not be a discriminating factor. Indeed, this will only hurt the opera community and build resentment between singers and potential employers. I would also like to add that these fees are often charged in addition to having to pay for one’s pianist at an audition, a practice that is unheard of at musical theater auditions. I understand that operatic arias take more expertise; however my experience has shown that theater coaches and pianists charge a similar hourly rate as do opera coaches and pianists.
Thank you for reading my letter. Please consider that for every letter you receive regarding this topic there are countless singers who feel similarly on this subject. Many may be afraid of being “blacklisted” for speaking out. I urge you to take whatever action necessary to discourage this practice from continuing. The future of opera depends on a rich and diverse talent base, and these fees compromise that future.
—Name Withheld, NJ
I have forwarded your letter (name withheld) to our union, AGMA. I hope to have an answer for you. On one hand, Classical Singer agrees that singers—and managers—should not be charged for auditions. But there is that other hand….
Fewer companies are coming to New York to audition. They can’t afford to, and that leaves singers with a big problem. You are aware, I’m sure, of the announcement, for example, that San Francisco Opera has cut back on future productions because of budget constraints. Companies are cutting back, way back, and singers can’t expect them to do anything but start to download more of the costs on to the backs of singers. (And if you were a fly on the wall at some of these budget meetings, you might feel tempted to start doing handouts of your own!) So don’t judge them too harshly.
The alternative is that you audition at the company location like singers do in Europe. This is what many companies expect you to do now. Consider that cost with airfare, hotel, rental car, accompanist and lost time from work and you’ll think you are getting an incredible deal paying $25 plus your accompanist fee to audition in New York. It’s a real savings for singers who live near The Big Apple. Even for singers who have to fly into New York to audition, it is a savings over flying to a company location. Usually they can book a few auditions at a time, schedule a few coachings, see their manager or audition for a new one and run into a few friends to maximize their audition dollar value. If you think about it in this way, general directors are doing singers a really great service by coming to a central location for auditions.
Now, wouldn’t it be great if general directors from Europe came here too saving you all the money and time required for a European trip as well? I hear rumors that this just may be happening. Read the CS audition notices in the next few weeks for when details become available. But be prepared to pay a lot of money. It will be expensive for them to do this, and neither they nor the organizers will save you the trip nor the trouble for free. So while I sympathize with you and wish you didn’t have to pay for auditions, I’m not sure there is a way around it if you want to hunt out those hard-to-find jobs. The sad truth is that singers really have to have a solid source of income in order to pay for everything required to get a career going. —Editor
