When Costanza Cuccaro won the Met auditions, she was one of the youngest contestants ever to win first place. An interview with Johnny Carson was part of the grand prize.
“What is your goal?” Mr. Carson asked. Ms. Cuccaro said she wasn’t after money or fame, but rather to be able to sing in her later years as freshly and as beautifully as she was doing then, at 23.
After studying in Rome as a Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Cuccaro began her international career at the Zurich Opera and later became the leading lyric-coloratura at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She sang at the Met, at the Teatro Colon, and at the Toronto, Montreal, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna State operas. In addition to her opera performances, Ms. Cuccaro appeared with the Chicago, Cleveland, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Detroit, Toronto and Tel Aviv orchestras and was noted for her Bach interpretations in Moscow, Prague, Leipzig, Cleveland, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
Now the Chancellor’s Professor of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., Ms. Cuccaro enjoys a second career teaching voice students. Professor Cuccaro’s students have won Fulbright Awards, Metropolitan Opera Grand Final Awards, MacCallister Awards, and National Association of Teachers of Singing, Bel Canto, and Orpheus Vocal competitions. In addition, her students have attended programs at Adler, Merola, Wolf Trap, Tanglewood, Chicago Lyric, Glimmerglass, Chautauqua, Seattle, Ravinia, Santa Fe, Aspen and Washington Opera/Vilar, among others.
Professor Cuccaro has presented performances, master classes, and workshops at The International Congress of Voice teachers, NATS national conventions, The Voice Foundation, and the NATS Mentoring Program. In an interview with Classical Singer, Ms. Cuccaro shared her thoughts and insights about singing—and yes, she reached her goal. Thanks to her daily practice, she still sings the high F she had in her 20s.
On Technique
CS: What do you consider to be the fundamentals of a good, solid technique?
This question goes to my heart, as I am fascinated with technique. I love this; I am writing a book on vocal technique and exercises.
I had the greatest teacher in the world at The University of Iowa—Herald Stark. He grounded me in such a technical way that I was free to fly as a singer. For four years, all we did was work on fundamentals and exercises. Stark was big on breath management: We had breathing exercises—including inhalation and exhalation—because it is all in breath management.
Another thing we worked on was onset or the “soft deep attack,” making certain that it was healthy, quiet and deep. He also worked on timbre matching: learning to sing from the core of the tone—core to core. We worked on lining up vowels. We worked on resonance, which is the ring in the voice and the carrying power, legato and articulation.
A big thing, which is not taught a lot these days but I really insist on, is messa di voce. And then coloratura of course, diction, communication, posture, range building, and register blending.
Thoughts About Teaching
Is there a key to bringing out the best in a student?
I tell students, “We are going to work together on giving you the best technique we can, and that technique will give you the ‘freedom to fly.’ In other words, the student will be so grounded in technique, so that he or she can go on stage, have fun, and not worry about his or her performance.
I have over 50 exercises that I use. I also create individual exercises for each student, and breathing exercises. This foundation is the most important thing you can pass on to a student. I tell every student that comes to me, “Let’s compare it to a house. I am interested in the foundation of the house, not the decorator pillows. If you want to learn music, come to me. If you want to have the glamour end of it, then I am not the one.”
A good teacher, I feel, needs to have an ideal sound of beautiful singing in their own imagination. I hear an ideal sound that I think is right for each student. It includes things like breath management and resonance. But each individual needs his own ideal sound, too. None of my students sound alike. The only consistent trait they all have is this wonderful “on the breath” sound, because they sing on the breath.
There may be students with problems in an area, such as producing high notes correctly or blending the registers. I will design an exercise for them. I can listen to a student, assess strengths and weaknesses, know what she should sound like, and then know how to fix the problem so she can get the sound that is hers.
I tell my students to imagine the sound before singing it. I have this saying: “Brains, breath, tone.” The brain has to be engaged; the breath has to flow; the tone is created. You must have all of this prepared before you sing. There is a better chance of creating this ideal sound if you have it in your mind, and they have it in their imagination.
Choosing A School
How important is the choice of a school?
That choice is extremely important. You want a university that has a balance of performing opportunities with academic training. It is very important to take music history and theory, languages—not just the diction but the real language—and then have another instrument, as it can only make you a better musician.
We mount eight productions each year at our university. We do six in the school year and one opera and one musical in the summer.
And of course, the teacher is one of the major factors to consider.
Making A Career
What are the steps to building a career?
The most important thing in a career is not money or fame. It is the joy of singing and the love of music.
Get experience. That is another thing that universities do: They give you the experience of getting out there and singing, whether it is a solo in a choir or an opera role. It is like building a house: Learn to sing; study voice, languages, acting, movement; get experience by entering the competitions and apprenticeship programs that are right for you at the time.
What are some of the insights from your career that you share with your students?
I was smart enough to stay with Herald Stark through my whole life. Just because you have finished your degree, and you win competitions and start a career, that does not mean you are done. This is a lifelong process, because you have to be serious about your studies, and a student of voice your whole life.
When I was in Europe, I warmed up and did my exercises every day. Once a week, I pretended Herald was in the room and gave myself a voice lesson. When I was working in Zurich and Berlin, I would go see him once a year, and he would come to see me, staying three weeks at a time. During those visits, I had a lesson every day but one.
“Check in” with your teacher or coach because you need someone else’s ears to hear you. I have many students singing all over the world, and they are still studying and coaching. I encourage my students to check in, if not with me, then [I tell them to] find someone. You know how habits begin—you are not even aware of them developing. You need to have a person who can keep you on the straight-and-narrow path.
I give a lot of credit to my husband, composer/pianist Edwin Penhorwood. We married young, and he attended all of my voice lessons and performances. Edwin would come back at intermission and ask me, “Why are you singing so loudly?”
I would reply, “What?”
“Your shoulders are lifting.”
“What? I have got to get back to that exercise where I put my shoulders down.”
Entering Competitions
Is there a special way you prepare your students for competitions?
That is a good question. I have been teaching for 15 years, and most of my students win some kind of competition. In 2001, I had two of the five Met grand finals winners, and in 2002, I had one.
I do not let students enter until they have the artistic freedom to fly. First of all, build that technique so they are ready to fly. That means practicing and perfecting in lessons and master classes.
I choose the competitions carefully, building from the smaller ones to the major ones. This builds the student’s confidence. I also prepare students for apprenticeship programs.
I give a great master class once a week where everybody sings for one another. The first level is in my studio; second level is in the master class; then small competitions, medium competitions, and apprenticeship programs that are not as big as others. You build your way. You do not try to go for the gold right away as a singer.
Besides having a great teacher-student relationship, you need to have working relationships with coaches and acting instructors, because it is the whole package that counts these days.
So, obviously, success comes out of daily preparation.
Absolutely. Daily preparation and the patience to not try for things right away. You need to spend a few years building your technique, singing before people and in master classes, working with coaches and acting instructors, and also doing local productions. I did not enter anything until my third year with Herald Stark.
What about repertoire?
I choose repertoire very carefully to show students at their best. For example, if you have a brilliant coloratura tenor, you go for Rossini, and Bellini, and Donizetti. That shows him off—his high Cs and coloratura. You build the aria package, five or six arias, around a student’s strengths. You want variety in the package, so include those arias that have long lines.
Every single piece should be a winner, because you never know what the judges are going to choose. You cannot put what I call “safe” or “coast” pieces in there. Creating the package takes many years. I worked three years with a dramatic soprano before we got her aria package perfected. She was patient, and it worked.
You know, you cannot fool the judges. You must have everything in there: high notes, low notes, slow singing, fast singing, long breaths, articulation. But, you also want the first aria to be a showstopper that highlights the singer’s strengths.
Dress appropriately. The whole package is so important today. Have that solid technique; choose the correct rep; know your languages. But you also have to dress appropriately.
What should a singer do if he or she encounters a judge that is overly harsh?
You have to develop a thick skin, because it prepares you for life. Take criticisms to your teacher and your coach. Discuss the comments thoroughly and keep what is helpful and correct.
I have a special counseling session with students where we discuss all the comments—the good and the bad. Sometimes the judges are right on: “Why are you singing that aria? Wait a while; it’s perfect for you but don’t sing it now.” Or, “Your posture didn’t look good.” Some people ask, “Why did you wear that dress?” Analyze everything and keep what will help you do better in the next competition.
You also say to the student: “That is one judge’s opinion. What did the other three judges say?” Those other judges often state, “I really like you; I can’t say more, but I really like you.” That means there was an argument, a disagreement among the judges. So, the student cannot go on the comments of just one person.
If the criticism is really bad, I will be honest with you, there isn’t a lot of recourse. One can report the incident to the competition’s organization, or to NATS, or to Classical Singer—but withhold the person’s name.
What about mental preparation?
That is extremely important. You need to keep your focus and be in the moment. You cannot let distractions upset you, such as a judge.
I think yoga is helpful. I have developed exercises that are a breathing type of yoga that help you calm and center yourself. I also have a wonderful Garcia exercise I use with students that helps them center and calm themselves. You need to educate yourself on how to combat nerves, and distractions, and disappointment. All of this is work. You cannot just say, “Oh, I hope it comes.”
I think that mental preparation is more successful if you have something else in your life besides singing. I always read, and walked, and I love art museums. I would do other things to help feed me. You need to be fed as a musician. You have to work at being a singer. That means work at your personality, your outside life, your relationships, your diet, your exercise. I think exercise is a good way to channel disappointment, too.
Mistakes That Hold Students Back
What are some common mistakes that keep students from progressing?
I think some students are unrealistic. The overnight fame that Hollywood movies show just doesn’t happen. Maybe it happens now and then, but it is not the norm. Students are almost always impatient. You have to help them become patient.
I have met a few students for whom the career attraction was the love of glamour instead of music. That student won’t be long with me, because you must have the joy of singing and the love of music, not the love of glamour.
A student will not progress if he or she is not diligent and does not work hard—and that is not just working hard now. I heard a student (not one of mine) say, “Oh, now that I have graduated I don’t have to study anymore.” You cannot do that! You must work hard all the time. Forever. There is no such thing as not working hard.
Students have to realize that a difficult personality will hold them back. You really have to make sure that your attitude is right and that you do not get the big head. Always be grateful. Be positive to your friends. Be positive in your criticisms.
Advice for the Non-University Voice Student
Do you have any advice for those voice students who may not be enrolled in a school?
Sing in the community. Almost every community has something going on, and you need to get out there and audition for it. There are also competitions and apprenticeship programs that are open to them. Maybe they can get in a private studio that has master classes once a week: That is a wonderful opportunity to sing.
In other words, it is important for them to be proactive.
Absolutely. You have to beat the bushes and find the performing opportunities. If your teacher is connected with a university, ask to sing in a master class. Find the choirs, the community groups that are doing H.M.S. Pinafore, and audition. It is a little harder but you can certainly do it. Apply for a scholarship to an international language program. Audition for agents and opera companies.
Thank God for the Internet, and magazines like Classical Singer that make it a little easier to find opportunities. There are all kinds of small competitions out there that do not have a lot of people entering, and you do not have to be perfect to win. One student (not mine), a Met audition winner, found that singing jobs were not coming his way. His wife is a computer whiz. She started finding all these competitions that hardly anyone knew about. He entered one in Chicago that had eight other competitors, and won $4,000. He lived for a year on competition earnings—not only winning, but placing second, or third, or fourth.
I think the hardest problem for this kind of student is the day job. You know, that is really, really hard. You have to put your time aside [to study and practice]. When you’re tired, it is going to be extra hard. So if you can, over the noon hour maybe, find someplace where you can sing before 6 p.m. comes around, because it is really hard then. Either take a break or lunch time and sing, or sing on the days you do not work.
Concluding Thoughts
Are there any other comments you wish to make?
The most important thing is to be willing to put in the time and effort to get a solid technique, because that is the one thing that will give you the freedom to fly—to go out there and wow the audiences. You cannot float those notes unless you know how to float. Always be a student; singing is life-long learning. Then you do not have to be perfect—you can be free to have a family and outside interests. You have to have more in life than just singing.
