“Incomparable,” “vivid,” “arresting,” “marvelous,” “pure,” “powerful,” “a knock-out.” These are just a few of the critical accolades soprano Rochelle Bard has collected during her recent work with Opera San José. Bard also impressed listeners last May when she won both first place and the audience choice award in the professional division at the Classical Singer AudComps. It was the third time she auditioned for the competition and the first time she won an award.
Tell us a little bit about your experience at the AudComps. Were you surprised that you won?
Yes! I was like the Susan Lucci of the Classical Singer Convention—I kept making it to the finals and not winning.
Last May, I went into the finals with people who had been singing professionally for many more years. I was scheduled to sing last, and after hearing all of these people I knew that it wasn’t going to be me—so I went up there and decided that no matter what came out, I was going to focus on being in the moment. I was going to completely focus on the drama of my scenes—I even felt my hands shaking when I was singing about my fear in the Poison aria. When I got off stage, I didn’t think that I had won; I just thought that I had done what I planned to do.
I was shocked the next morning when they announced the winners at breakfast. I was in pants and a turtleneck. If I had thought in any way that I might win, I would have at least worn a skirt!
You’re currently in production for Rigoletto with Opera San José. How’s it going?
It is going so well. At first, I didn’t really like Gilda. I wanted nothing to do with “Caro nome.” It seemed like an aria that had no point except to say: “I’m excited. I’m in love.”
I had just come out of singing Lucia, which is so dark and interesting. I called up director friends of mine and talked to my coaches, asking, “How can I learn to respect her?” They had some great answers, and once I started to get into it and work with other people on stage, I began to love her.
Last night we had a dress rehearsal. The Duke, Isaac Hurtado, and I were singing our duet. He looked me in the eye and I remembered and felt what it was like to have my first kiss. Singing the aria after that was so obvious. She is living in the moment and experiencing these new feelings. Now it makes so much sense.
I had worked on that aria for years. It was my most hated aria—the one I had cried about the most often in lessons.
That’s a good question for classical singers: “What is your most cried-over aria?”
Really! “Caro nome” was my nemesis for a very long time, and now it’s one of my best arias.
That should give hope to all.
Yeah, I’ve realized that I have more freedom than I thought. Sometimes we feel pressured to do what people think is “standard.” In “Caro nome” I was singing the cadenza staccato at the end, but my voice hated it, so I thought, “Why am I doing this?” Just for fun one day I tried it legato and it changed the entire aria for me because I wasn’t going through it fearful of the final cadenza. Once you realize that you don’t have to do what everybody else does, you can do it!
Tell us a little bit about Opera San José.
It’s a fantastic Resident Artist Program, designed to be similar to a German Fest contract. The company hires a number of singers who sing all of the repertoire for the season. I’m coming out of Opera San José with a big lesson learned: It takes months to learn a role. We have the advantage here of having five to six weeks of staging rehearsals, so we have a lot of time after we’re memorized to play with it and let it evolve. By the time we go on stage, it’s in our bodies. I’ve been here for two seasons and I’ve sung six roles. I’m finishing my residency in May.
Sounds amazing. That’s a lot of security for someone just starting out.
Exactly! Most of us are in our late twenties or early thirties and we’re transitioning from YAPs to the “Real World.”
You’re married to fellow Certified Classical Singer Kenneth Mattice.
I am.
Did you meet in San José?
No, Ken and I met a few years ago when we were studio artists at Baltimore Opera. Now we’re both resident artists at Opera San José. It has been amazing to be able to work, sing, perform, and live with him. I’m probably the luckiest person alive—to be able to perform with my husband, and that we can work together without killing each other!
You said you’re leaving in May. What will you do as a couple then?
I have no idea! I don’t know if we’re ever going to sing together again, but I really hope we do.
We bought a house in Holland, Mass. We’re dying to move back. It’s a beautiful house that needs lots of work. It’s peaceful, yet it’s right on the highway to New York, so it’s within commuting distance for auditions. We plan on spending some time in Germany next year, as well.
You mentioned calling up coaches and director friends when you had concerns about Gilda’s character. It sounds like you have a great team of people you can contact when you have questions about your career.
I do. I still work with my coach, Michael Strauss, in Boston, and I study with Trish McCaffrey in New York. I also keep in touch with Elizabeth Bachman, a director friend of mine.
Speaking of Trish, you’ve said that she taught you to “sing true to myself at all times . . . and never more.” Could you elaborate on that?
Well, she’s the first teacher who has helped me realize the extent and the limits of my voice. I’m always reminding myself that if I’m singing correctly in my resonance, it is enough. I actually picture my instrument as being very long inside my body and I make an effort never to sing outside of it. I picture a column and I visualize singing up and down that column. That makes sense to me because I used to have a tendency to push.
When you sing without pushing and tension, your voice is its most beautiful and resonant, therefore it carries the farthest in a big house. I always thought that it took so much effort to be loud—really, it’s just about getting out of your own way.
Isn’t that terribly hard to do when you’re in high-pressure situations such as competitions and performances?
So hard! And it’s hard to do when you’re on stage and either the orchestra is too loud or someone is singing loudly next to you. You can’t hear yourself so you have to go by feel. It’s a mind game. You have to trust the work that you’ve done and you have to trust your own instrument. If you start to push it, you’re going to defeat your own process.
For years, I had a major problem with nerves. When I was in my master’s program, I couldn’t sing if my teacher was in the room, I’d get so nervous. Through the process of auditions and Young Artist Programs I’ve learned how to trust myself. After being on stage and singing roles like Lucia, where you’re so exposed and everyone is staring at you, I can go into competitions and think, “If I can do that, I can do this.” It’s about experience and confidence.
Singers, by nature, tend to be so insecure. You have to believe in what you can do and go out there and do it, but it takes years. Just this last year, I started placing in competitions. I think that it’s because I’ve had so much experience on stage at this point.
I’m only asking because you’ve been so immensely successful recently—have you had any really bad auditions you could tell us about?
Well, let me think. I went into an audition once and was missing the last three pages of “Sempre libera.” I got in there and started singing it. The pianist looked at me and paused during one of the fermatas and said, “The music isn’t here.” I whispered “You’re kidding,” and he said, “That’s OK, I know it.” So he just made it up! We finished the audition, went out into the hallway and laughed.
Was there a certain moment for you when you felt as if you had really “made it”?
I needed reviews. I felt like I made it when I got my reviews for La traviata because I felt strongly about that role and wanted desperately for people to agree with me. I didn’t want to get out there, put my whole heart and soul into it and have people say, “Huh, I’m not sure she’s a Violetta.” I needed to be validated. As time goes on, I care less and less about reviews, but I needed to get a few good ones first.
The reviews on your website are some of the most spectacular things I’ve ever read.
I’m so lucky! Some of the reviews have been unbelievable, especially the Lucia ones from last year.
Your undergraduate degree is in premed/biology. When did you start to study singing?
My first teacher was Nancy King. I just happened to be living in North Carolina at the time and for a kick wanted to take some lessons. At my first lesson she said: “You’re a singer.” I was shocked. I was 22 at the time, had been a pianist all my life, and wanted nothing to do with singing. She took me under her wing and taught me everything I wanted to know. She was absolutely fantastic. I’m actually trying to send one of my students to study with her, and I still call her.
Is there an aspect of being a professional singer that has startled you—something you didn’t expect?
The business side of things has been surprising. I’ve struggled, like many singers, about what “box” to put myself in. I’m a lyric soprano with an extension. That category doesn’t exist in the books, so I span a couple of Fachs. At one point I had Queen of the Night and Mimi in the same package. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get into many programs that season.
Working with different directors, you get plenty of conflicting opinions: “You’re perfect for Butterfly,” or “You’re too tall to be Butterfly.” Of course, auditions are relative. They depend upon the size of the house, the rest of the cast, and whether you’ve sung the role before. It’s an interesting game to predict how other people want to see you. It’s important to honestly take a look at your whole package when you’re marketing yourself and to factor voice, looks, acting, and personality into the equation.
How have the challenges of a career in music shifted for you from the point of just starting out to what you’re doing now as a professional?
Well, the process is the same; I just knock on different doors now. When I was in my master’s program, I was on the computer looking for auditions for summer programs. Then I graduated to YAPs, and I did those auditions for years. You get a couple on your résumé and think, “OK, I’m not a young artist anymore,” so you start auditioning for the smaller companies. I got this gig out here, which has been a godsend.
I still make a habit of having my two cups of coffee in the morning while I’m on the computer. I’m constantly looking for opportunities. Basically, every weekend that I have free from San José, I’m going to be auditioning somewhere else, because I’m trying to ease the transition that I know will happen next year. I’m making the effort to fly to companies to make sure that they hear me. I just have to do it.
You’re a busy singing-actress, you have a studio of 12 students, and you have a part-time job as music-director for a church. Do you sleep?
I do. I just get bored very easily. I’m constantly calling my mother and saying, “I’m bored.” She has gotten into the habit of saying “OK, you need a new project.” Next year, I hope I don’t have too much time off!
If the past is a predictor of the future, Rochelle will be busy indeed. Her future engagements include Pamina in The Magic Flute with Opera San José, Micaela in Carmen with Ash Lawn Opera, and a yet-to-be-announced role in Sacramento Opera’s 2008-09 season. More information is available online at
www.rochellebard.com.
