Editor: I work with professional singers and singers with vocal problems referred by laryngologists. You offer a valuable service to singers. A number of my singers subscribe to Classical Singer.
—Rosalie Loeding, via e-mail
Editor: I appreciate your magazine very much. I use it frequently when advising students.
—Dr. Alison Feldt, St. Olaf College, Music Department, Northfield, MN
Editor: I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be to launch a career without having Classical Singer as a primary resource.
—Jennifer Muhawi, San Francisco, CA
Editor: All the articles are most informative. I am a professional singer with San Francisco Opera. I teach and I need your magazine. It is so wonderful!
—Geraldine Reicher, Sausalito, CA
Editor: Your informative magazine is a great source of assistance to me, as well as to my students!
—Alice Hooper, Bloomington, IN
Editor: I just received the September 2003 Classical Singer. Imagine my surprise and delight when I opened my mailbox and saw the faces of our former students—members of Cantus—on the cover. Brian Arreola was my voice student and several other members were in my pedagogy and literature classes. The entire faculty has watched the blossoming career of these young men with great joy. They are not only phenomenal singers and artists, they are also great young men who handle themselves with great poise and professionalism.
–Name Withheld
Editor: I congratulate you on an excellent issue (September). You really tackled some unpleasant but very important aspects of singing training and the opera profession.
—Name Withheld
Editor: I am really appalled at how so many singers seem to be subject to an inferior education or performance experiences at some colleges and conservatories, due to faculty politics. The article sent in by the older “anonymous” singer was very sad. It is unfortunate that students are paying up to $100,000 and not getting what they deserve.
The rationalization that “it’s that way in the opera business (after college/conservatory)” does not mean that such unspoken policies should be encouraged in an educational institution, where students are paying for an education, not necessarily to be in the “real opera world.” If they wanted that at this point in their lives, they could go straight into that world by studying privately and auditioning.
The fact that in the “real” opera business feedback and compliments are rarely given, should not make it the norm in an academic situation. Yes, a singer needs to believe in him/herself, but college-age students can definitely benefit more from encouragement and constructive criticism, whether they continue in an opera career or not.
I constantly hear horror stories from colleagues about their conservatory or college. This is not an environment conducive to educating or training young artists, no matter what goes on in the profession after school. If anything, singers working and teaching in academic institutions should know from their own experience that singers are very sensitive people.
Maybe some of these teachers were able to reach their personal best by negative reinforcement, political casting and abusive treatment when they were 18 years old, but they are probably the exception and not the rule.
Teachers who were abused as students, in turn abuse their students. The cycle will only end when singers speak up and administrators believe them and take action. [See issue on teacher abuse, September 2002]. Let’s break the cycle. Singers? Administrators? Are you going to let it keep happening or are you finally going to step up to the plate?
—Celeste Mann
Editor: I would like more audition info by e-mail or printed in your magazine.
—Name Withheld, Sun Valley, CA
[Classical Singer gives our readers all the opera audition info that is publicly available. Suzanne Martiny contacts every single opera company constantly. The rest of the audition info is only available to managers, and even then, only to selected managers. That’s the next level in a singers’ career. And the level beyond that is when you don’t have to audition anymore: they call you! But read the next letter.]
Editor: I’d like to see more about creative ways to find/create performance opportunities. Very often, even in large cities, it is difficult to get hired because small companies have their favorites and use them over and over, sometimes casting them without an audition process.
—Name Withheld, Philadelphia, PA
[That is true of some companies but not all. Make sure you don’t get your mind set on that idea, because it will close your eyes to opportunities that are out there. That being said, Classical Singer has brought you many stories of singers who have started their own companies so they could sing the leads! This issue features another example of a singer who is doing just that: Judith Barnes. She’s having a great time.
Do consider it. Just think: No more auditioning except the kind where you sit behind the table and decide who you want to sing with! The opera world needs more places for singers to sing. You could give more singers that chance. At the very least, you could give prisons, schools and communities a real gift. (I’m assuming you are a wonderful singer, of course!)]
Editor: I love the resume article. Mine now looks better than ever. Can you publish something about oratorio singing as a career versus opera as a career?
—Kimberly Beasley, Valparaiso, IN
[I’ll pass on your ideas to my writers. Thanks.]
Editor: I really enjoy the interviews with voice teachers about pedagogical issues with singers. I also like the information to young singers on auditions and career choices.
—Name Withheld, Henderson, NV
Editor: I love it! Please include lots of tips for young singers trying to get started.
—Name Withheld, Austin, TX
[We keep you in mind with every issue, as we do singers on all levels. Take a look.]
Editor: How about some articles for singers who are working regularly but want to move up a level in performing? I’d like articles about marketing yourself, going from “B” level houses (St. Louis, Austin, Arizona, etc) to “A” level houses (Met, Chicago, San Francisco etc.)
I’d also like more information about income taxes and the self-employed singer. I need more information about health insurance for those of us not in a chorus or university but living completely off singing. Also, what about merging AGMA and AEA—and info about networking for working singers?
—Name Withheld, Scarsdale, NY
Editor: Please continue to include articles/interviews about singers with children. How they are able to be singers and parents at the same time.
—Marianna Vagnini, Naugatuck, CT
[Every May (Mother’s Day) we hit this topic especially hard. We know there are a lot of you out there pulling double duty, so we publish a special issue that focuses on singers and parenting. And next month you’ll be reading about Paul Austin Kelly—another parent/singer.]
