When renowned soprano Daniela Dessì, 52, quit a Zeffirelli production of La traviata in January of this year, the issue of ageism in opera suddenly attracted worldwide attention. According to the international media that covered the story, she did so because Zeffirelli had publicly complained about her weight and her age.
Zeffirelli subsequently told the U.K.’s Daily Mail, “Violetta in my eye was young. . . . My ‘Traviata’ was an opera for young people with young people.”
For many singers, this incident simply serves as further evidence of what they have long believed—that ageism is rife in the opera world. Just ask soprano Phyllis Whitehouse Frome. “Once I auditioned for an opera, and before I even opened my mouth to sing, the director asked me how old I was,” she recalls. “I didn’t get the part!” Another singer laments that “there is a market demand for young and sexy—beautiful people, singing beautiful music, for the audience to escape to that beauty from everyday life.” As a recent article in the Daily Telegraph notes, for the past 30 years, opera has “been ruled not so much by conductors as by stage directors who think that seeing as well as hearing is believing.”
Meanwhile, the strict age limits of some competitions and Young Artist Programs (YAPs) further the notion that talent and potential have an expiration date. “At 30, I am age-placed out of a lot of things I’d be interested in doing,” says mezzo Kala Maxym. Tenor Victor Khodadad, who began singing at 33, observes that most major competitions and YAPs were unavailable to him because of age limits. He points out that “many international careers have been launched by the exposure provided by winning a major competition,” and that “by being in a prestigious studio or resident artist program, you can be heard and seen by directors and conductors who can hire you.”
The age limits are particularly discouraging for singers whose voice types tend to mature later, as is often the case with lower and larger voices. Michael Spierman, the artistic director of the Bronx Opera Company, cautions that singers whose voices are appropriate for heavy German and Italian repertoire, for example, “by basic anatomy can’t handle this repertoire with ease until they are over the age limits set by most competitions and Young Artist Programs.” He asks, “What of them, and what do they do?”
This was a problem faced by a 41-year-old dramatic soprano (referred to as “D.S.” for the purposes of this article) whose voice is now hitting its prime. She says that when she was younger, her vocal technique was “not quite aligned and mature enough to compete for those coveted Young Artist Programs that you need during that time of your life to push your career forward and get you the kind of experience you need at that age.”
“I think companies should call their programs ‘apprenticeship programs’ instead of ‘Young Artist Programs,’” says another singer. “That way, people with truly deep voices, which mature much later, could compete at the same level. . . . Do people really want 20-year-olds singing Verdi and Wagner? It does not seem realistic to me.”
Why Does Ageism Persist?
If ageism is so widely recognized within the opera world, then why hasn’t it been addressed more aggressively? Alan Gordon, the national director of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), provides several reasons. Age discrimination, he explains, is extraordinarily difficult to establish.
“If an employer can make a reasonably believable argument,” Gordon says, “that a younger singer’s talent for a particular role is ‘better’ than that of an older singer, proving that age was a factor in the employment decision is essentially impossible.
“Compounding the problem is the unwillingness of singers to complain to AGMA about alleged age discrimination,” he continues. “We can’t independently bring charges against an employer. We have to do it based upon the complaint of someone who’s been discriminated against, and singers are reluctant to complain or to become known as a ‘complainer.’”
There are a few exceptions (Lucine Amara sued the Met for age discrimination in the late 70s, for example [see CS, December 2007]), but it seems safe to assume that silence is the norm for most singers who believe that they are victims of age discrimination. In other words, when it comes to this sensitive issue, people who spend their lives learning how to make their voices heard allow themselves to become voiceless.
The Effects of Ageism
Clearly, ageism is a challenge for many singers past the age of 30. But, ironically, it can also damage the careers of young singers who initially benefit from it. A 2007 Wall Street Journal article that analyzes the stardom of several young, attractive sopranos asked, “How many young sopranos are being pushed into heavier roles—and a lifestyle of promoting CDs and jetting around the world—that they are not ready for?” The article goes on to quote Benton Hess, a voice professor at Eastman School of Music, who warns that one potential pitfall of early success is an overstretched instrument.
I spoke to a 33-year-old veteran of several Young Artist Programs who feels that YAP participants are not always physically or psychologically equipped to take full advantage of what the programs offer. They are thrown into the deep end, away from their trusted voice teachers, she explained to me. Many young singers, of course, benefit greatly from the valuable training and important connections provided by YAPs. But it’s clear that for others the experience can be overwhelming and, in some cases, can pave the way to early burnout.
Furthermore, some late starters believe they have benefited from a delayed entry into the opera scene. “Perhaps I avoided some of the growing pains of an 18-year-old larynx undergoing the rigors of learning how to sing,” Khodadad says. “If I were a heavy tenor, the advantages may have been even more in my favor.” Maxym, who entered a conservatory comparatively late at the age of 24 after studying political science and working for the government, says that it’s precisely because of the time she took to explore this “other life path” that she is still singing and loving opera.
There is also the question as to whether the opera world’s growing emphasis on youth is degrading the quality of the art—which, in turn, may have detrimental effects on the survival of the industry. “What I really hate,” says Whitehouse Frome, “is the casting of some cute young thing at the expense of the artistry of the singing.”
Maxym also expresses concern about artistic standards. “There are very few really distinctive voices on the main stages today,” she says. “I think that is largely because they are introduced to the world at a young age before they have had time to fully develop their color and personality.”
D.S. warns: “There will come a time in the not-so-distant future that there will be fewer and fewer performances of Wagner, Strauss, and other composers whose works are suited to the dramatic voice and large orchestras because there are no singers left to perform them.”
It’s also important to consider the possibility that some outstanding older singers are slipping through the cracks created by ageism. “By the numbers game, it’s more likely that individuals will expose their promise in their 20s and early 30s [rather] than later—but we are not talking about probability in this field, we are talking about people,” says Spierman. “Janáček wrote his greatest works at the end of his life. One could say the same of Verdi. Would you expect someone to become a great surgeon by the age of 32? Of course not.”
William Powers, the director of administration and artistic operations at Pittsburgh Opera, agrees that there are many exceptions to the probability rules. “Some singers discover at age 34 that they have an amazing instrument,” he says. “Everyone’s journey is different.”
The Art of the Possible
Although it’s undeniably difficult for older singers and late starters to enjoy a successful career, it is possible to do so. Despite the challenges he faced by starting late, Khodadad, now 42, says that he is progressing steadily in his career as an opera singer. Examples of career longevity are not hard to find (Plácido Domingo, nearing 70 and still in high demand, springs immediately to mind), and there are plenty of open-minded companies around. “When it comes to casting at Bronx Opera, we ignore age and take the best people possible,” says Spierman.
“I don’t know of any 15-year-olds who can sing Cio-Cio-San and meet the audience’s expectations,” says Powers. “Some 50-year-olds make fine Susannas. There is a reason why we have wig and makeup people on staff. Age range for many characters can be explorable.”
Facing the Challenges
The fact remains, however unpleasant as it may be, that ageism is a reality in the industry. As they strive to attract new audiences to the opera house, companies are forced to consider the expectations of younger generations, who are bombarded with media images of young, beautiful people—not to mention the growing popularity of high-definition television. It’s little wonder, then, that adolescent singers “with a cute smile but not much behind it tour the world and earn a fortune,” as Michael White of the Daily Telegraph describes the phenomenon. “It’s depressing. It’s unjust,” he says. “But presentation counts.”
How can singers cope? Those who are victims of blatant age discrimination can consider legal action. AGMA’s Gordon explains that “federal law prohibits discrimination against people in the 40-60 age group. State laws usually protect a wider group and in New York, for example, age discrimination is illegal when practiced against anyone over 18.”
He continues: “The only way in which to prevent illegal discrimination is to refuse to be subject to it, to complain about it and, if you’re an AGMA member, to ask us to help you combat it. It only takes one ‘good case’ with a singer who has the self-determination to resist, and one big-money judgment against an opera company found guilty of it, to put an end to it.”
If you’re not an AGMA member, you can still turn to AGMA for advice. “Our institutional philosophy is that what hurts a singer anywhere hurts singers everywhere,” Gordon says, “and so we’re willing to help non-members resolve problems even before they become members.”
What about ageism that is not so clear-cut? D.S. advises: “Keep working at your craft and not giving up—not becoming bitter about the opportunities you didn’t have, but using them as a way to learn about yourself and art. If it is something you love, you have to find a way to express it. There are very few people who can make a living from performing, so readjust your goals. . . . There may be other ways to share your experience through teaching, being a recital artist, music administration, and other avenues.” One of her own coping methods, she says, was learning to “love comprimario roles and chorus work just as much as lead roles.”
Her unpleasant audition experience notwithstanding, Whitehouse Frome observes that she has not really been hampered by age, but adds that she does not audition for many operas, either. “I was recently hired as a soloist in a concert and notice that concerts seem to be different than opera as far as age goes,” she says.
Khodadad suggests that when the competition and YAP doors are shut, “one has to find other ways to get ahead, such as auditioning for mainstage roles at smaller regional companies, doing pay-to-sings, working for free, producing your own recitals and productions, etc.” His advice to older singers is to “stay in shape and make singing as best as you possibly can your number one priority.”
What can opera companies, administrators, competition organizers, and agents do to combat ageism? “Structures need to be put in place so that individuals who do not fit into the mold of the usual Young Artist concepts can be entertained without prejudice,” says Spierman. “No one is trying to deny the promising 23-year-old his or her entrée into a Young Artist Program. I’m simply saying that when the systemic restraints become a closed door in the name of mathematical probability, you deny the very human element that our field must celebrate.
“The reality is that talent spans all age barriers, and our need to seek it should do likewise,” he continues. “There should be vitality of opportunity in the field, allowing anyone at any time, providing they have the talent, to develop freely.”
