About a year ago, a student of mine asked for help creating more performance opportunities for herself and a friend (who also had studied with me briefly). Sopranos Eva Laskaris and Kristin Burritt had studied singing in college with the intention of becoming professional opera singers, but as happens with so many singers life intervened.
Eva’s first husband didn’t want her to be a singer. So she switched out of performance to a BA in music with a certification in church music and later began work on a master’s in communication, working in arts administration and communications, writing grants and press releases, and teaching voice. Kristin got her BA in vocal performance and another in education, and was one class short of completing a master’s in vocal performance when she had her second child. She taught middle school choir and maintained a private voice studio.
Flash forward several years—both women have several young children at home and in school as well as husbands who work full-time. They are active in singing and directing choirs at their church. When her schedule permits, Eva sings with Austin Vocal Arts Ensemble and Conspirare—two well-known local choirs. Both women participated for a while in the local Gilbert & Sullivan Society, but ultimately, juggling rehearsal, school, childcare, and work schedules proved to be prohibitively difficult. Although they are devoted to their church, the music ministry specializes in contemporary Christian pieces while Eva and Kristin prefer classical. They also wanted more solo opportunities.
Here’s where a connected voice teacher can help. I felt Eva could be very successful performing for special events. I had recently been approached about a fundraiser. It wasn’t a good fit for me so I passed it on to Eva and a tenor student, suggesting they print up some business cards or brochures to take along. They brought Kristin in and had a very successful evening performing opera and Neopolitan songs which they arranged simply, working from piano-vocal scores. Afterwards many audience members asked for their business cards to keep for future reference.
Eva and Kristin were hooked. They wanted more. They wanted to create their own performance opportunities, set their own schedules, perform music they enjoyed together all the while employing their graphic design, communications, and image consulting experience. And so Voce Divina was born. By capitalizing on their unique palette of skills, Eva and Kristin created a successful and engaging business. Following their model, you can, too.
Putting together a duo to perform classical and Contemporary Christian repertoire for weddings, funerals, parties, corporate events, fundraisers, and other special occasions isn’t exactly an earth-shattering concept. What makes Voce Divina unique is that Eva and Kristin have skillfully targeted two markets with two different skill sets: upscale wedding/special events for their singing and marketing services, including graphic design, direct mail, and press releases, as well as professional image consultation for musicians.
They started by taking stock of their various resources of skill, knowledge, time, money, and connections. They established their limitations. Their next step was to imagine what they would like to do with these riches. They created a mission statement which defined their goals and made for engaging advertising: “Sopranos Kristin Burritt and Eva Laskaris share a gift for ethereal singing and a mission to apply this beautiful gift to transforming the special events of your life into a divine experience.” Notice the skillful use of adjectives like “ethereal” and “divine” to help create a memorable market position for themselves. The adjectives also evoke the duo’s name, Voce Divina.
Since they are two sopranos with very similar ranges and vocal qualities, Eva and Kristin face some challenges in choosing repertoire. Both have high musical standards and don’t want to “dumb down” for audiences; they’re also careful not to abuse their voices by singing in uncomfortable tessiture. I encouraged them to arrange classical standards so they could take turns with the higher lines; and in some cases, to transpose the piece up a half or whole step so they could comfortably handle a mezzo harmony line. They’ve capitalized on their double soprano sound by advertising their duo as “Ethereal Music for Any Occasion.”
The “ethereal” brand is appealing to audiences who like classical music but aren’t enamored of what they perceive as a heavy grand opera sound. It also ties in well with Eva and Kristin’s looks: they are attractive, fit, and glamorous. In their publicity photos they have chosen a stone gazebo for a background and costumed themselves as beautiful Tuscan peasant girls, invoking a romantic, classical, and luxurious image.
Eva’s mass communications skills and Kristin’s image consulting skills came in handy when creating their brochure, business card, website, and CD. They also managed to capitalize extensively on connections to create a superior package of advertising materials. An artist himself, the head of their church’s Fine Arts Ministry designed their logo at cost, and a skilled friend donated their web design (see www.voce-divina.com). Eva asked the photographer she uses for her children to recommend someone who could take artistic publicity shots. She found wedding and portrait photographer Carrell Grigsby who was intrigued by the opportunity to do more artistic work. Carrell bartered with Eva and Kristin for modeling and for the right to use their publicity shots competitively. It was a win-win situation for everyone. Carrell’s photos have won several awards and Voce Divina has high quality professional publicity photos. (Visit www.carrellgrigsby.com to see Carrell’s work.)
A neighbor down the street has his own in-house recording studio and helped put together a demo CD. I even jumped on the bandwagon with an almost-free consultation. (They paid me with omelets and pancakes at one of my favorite brunch spots, Kerbey Lane Café.) They picked my brain about pricing, repertoire, contracts, and materials, among other things. I was happy to refer them for inspiration to another self-starting client of mine, mezzo-soprano Cheryse McLeod who in addition to her busy opera and concert career sidelines as a voice teacher and special occasion singer, and who has one of the best websites around (see www.SpecialOccasionSoloist.com).
With materials and repertoire well in hand it was time to start booking gigs! Eva and Kristin rented a booth at a bridal fair and bought advertising space in an annual directory catering to upscale brides. Not only did they get several bookings, but an NPR reporter happened by and interviewed Kristin. (To listen to the interview visit www.weekendamerica.org, select June 24, and look for the program entitled “The Meaning of ‘I Do.’”) They also convinced a local art gallery that Voce Divina’s music would enhance an upcoming opening, and were hired to perform at a fundraiser for Austin Conservatory of the Art’s annual production of The Children’s Nutcracker. By the time this article goes to print Voce Divina will have launched their marketing services and image consulting division.
Eva and Kristin have managed to create their business from scratch in just a few months’ time, working around their families’ busy schedules. It took a lot of planning and hard work, but they used their resources with creativity and intelligence and are now poised for success. Best of all, they are now shaping their own musical pathways to lead in the direction they desire to go.
