David DiChiera’s career has spanned more than five decades. He is best known as the founder and director of the Michigan Opera Theatre which he opened 43 years ago. He was president of OPERA America from 1979 to 1983 and has received countless honors, including the National Endowment of the Arts Opera Award—the nation’s highest award for lifetime achievement in opera.
DiChiera is also a composer. His opera Cyrano has been performed at Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Florida Grand Opera. His Four Sonnets (for soprano) set to texts by Edna St. Vincent Millay premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. His Piano Ballade (reworked from a previous piece) premiered in 2013, and his latest composition, “A Letter to Sarah”—for baritone, piano, and trumpet-—premiered this April at the Max Fisher Music Center. Dr. D., as he is affectionately known, has been a busy man.
Before this interview, DiChiera and I tried to calculate how many singers he has cast. He started in 1962. There was the Overture to Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Pacific, Dayton Opera, tours, and outreach programs. Then he reminded me of other projects he produced or was involved in. Not including the chorus, we calculated that the number is over 3,000. That’s a lot of jobs!
So how does he do it? How does he choose this singer over that singer? What is his process? Does he have a process? What is he looking for? What is he listening for? I decided to ask him.
So you have been doing this for over 52 years. How has casting changed?
I don’t think it has changed dramatically. But I think all of us that cast are much more aware of the audience’s expectation of having artists that are believable in their role.
Physically believable?
Physically believable. I mean, vocally they have to be right on and, yet, you know if the voice is just one of the great voices, you put aside that this artist is not physically appropriate. But if you have the option, you are going to choose someone that is more believable in the role. Our audiences have grown up on television and film and their visual expectations are there.
Yet there are a lot of big people that are winning the Met finals.
But you know what happens is that once they begin to get those opportunities, they know that they have to change because a lot of directors—more than conductors who, for the most part, don’t care (they just want the voice to be singing beautifully)—but the directors, they want to put theater on the stage. Again, there are those special voices like Pavarotti or Caballé.
Has your taste in singers evolved at all or changed?
If it has, I am not aware of it, really. But as for the singers, different categories go in and out. I find it difficult today to find certain categories of voices. Sometimes it is hard to find good mezzos who do the heavy rep. I have been looking for a bass to sing Mephistopheles, the Boito, for several years. The kind of bass that has not only the voice but the kind of personality that just makes that role. There are a lot of good basses out there, but . . . .
You now have a 2,700-seat house as opposed to a 1,700-seat one at the Music Hall. Is that a consideration in your casting now?
Yes, not only in terms of casting but in terms of repertoire. I think some operas are better served in smaller houses—which is why a lot of opera companies now are beginning to really look beyond the primary house and do things that are more appropriate in smaller venues.
So, for example, I am doing Frida, an opera based on the life of Frida Kahlo by [Robert] Rodríguez, and we will do it in three smaller theaters in three different counties. I think it will be more successful than if we had it on the larger stage at the opera house. It also gives us the opportunity to reach out to new audiences.
When you are casting for something like this, are you consulting with the composer?
We talk. I am having a very difficult time finding somebody to sing the part of Diego Rivera. Diego was huge. Tall and rotund. I had someone sing for me the other day. He looked perfect, but vocally . . . .
So we talked a little bit about balancing the visual and the vocal because you do so many big things—Turandot, Aida, Dutchman, Elektra . . . .
As a matter of fact, I never do an opera if I don’t think I can cast it appropriately.
Do you think of the opera first or the singer?
I do both. There are certain operas you know that you pretty much can cast, like Marriage of Figaro or Bohème. On the other hand, there are certain operas I wouldn’t touch if I didn’t have an appropriate singer. Mephistopheles is one of them. I am opening the season with Elektra, but if I didn’t have the possibility of bringing Christine Goerke, I wouldn’t do it. I did it because she made herself available to me and she has had such great triumph in that role. So it is a little bit of both.
When you hear singers, do you tend to listen just to hear them or do you have specific roles?
I do both. If I think that this artist has real potential, I may say something about the rep, what I really think might be good for them or how I think that maybe they can improve vocally. Some people are really like a sponge, and I always say, “Take this or don’t—it is just an opinion.” Then there are others that you sense don’t want to hear any advice. So you don’t say anything.
Do you listen to singers on YouTube?
I find it a very, very helpful thing in today’s world. Someone will say, “You should hear so and so. He’d be perfect for whatever.” So I’ll go into the website. If the rep or the voice is off kilter, then I don’t bother.
But YouTube is there, and I see no reason not to take advantage of it. So you listen to it, look at what his rep is, you read some of his reviews—just do as much due diligence as you can. If you really like this voice and you have an opportunity to hear that person, that is the best. Sometimes you don’t have the opportunity.
Do you call people that he has worked with?
People whose opinion I trust.
I was looking at the list of all the singers that you found at the beginning of their careers. It is a pretty impressive list—Maria Ewing, Kathy Battle, Neil Shicoff, Leona Mitchell, Rockwell Blake. Is there any common denominator?
Yes, you want a very beautiful voice. You want musicianship. You want all those things. But I have heard singers that have those things but do not communicate with their voice to deliver the meaning of what they are singing.
I find—and I know this is a great kind of generalization, but I’ll say it anyhow—I think American singers are among the best-trained singers in the world, but if there is ever a something that you look for that you don’t always find, it is that kind of uniqueness of expression and sound. There is sometimes a certain kind of sameness, and the individuality is sometimes not coming out.
Everyone has individuality. But I find often that European singers, even if their technique is sometimes a little off, there is a sense of the voice speaking, the sense of knowing exactly what they are feeling and what they are saying. It makes a difference. I think that sometimes others are only concerned about making the sound. You can sing something beautifully with every vowel, with intelligence, but the feeling behind it may be just very bland. And that is a generalization. I’ll probably have a hundred singers saying, “What is he talking about?”
When singers are singing for you at auditions, what do you think about them singing music that is too big for them?
I am disappointed. Because if it is too big for them, then they are not singing it as well as they could. You know, I’ll hear a tenor, tenors especially, “For my first number I would like to sing ‘Nessun dorma.’” And it is often far too heavy for their voice. And I will often say, even though it is not right for the person, “Do you have anything by Mozart or Donizetti?”
Sometimes when singers do things that are a size too big for them, they are pushing, and as they do that, the voice becomes less focused. It loses its point, and then after a few years . . . . So I am disappointed and I hope that they are going to tell me that they have something which is not so heavy. Then I’ll say, “Oh, let me hear that.”
Singers spend a lot of time on things like photographs, the website, audition clothes, and that sort of thing. How much does that count for you?
Well I think that anything that helps them present themselves is useful. Now, when I am looking at a singer’s website, I like looking at the gallery of photos. Because then you have also a sense how this person presents himself in different roles. None of that hurts.
Also, even though I know there are differences of opinion in this, in an audition, if a singer decides he would like to use a certain amount of staging, I think it is fine. They have to make the decision if they are doing it well or if they are going overboard—but on the other hand, it shows a little bit how the singer thinks when they’re on stage. And others prefer not to do that, and that is fine. If the voice is beautiful and very expressive, I will think to myself, “Good, the director will work with that person.” I don’t make a positive or a negative about it.
Are there any arias that people bring that tend to be disappointing?
If a singer comes to sing for me, they usually like to say, “And for my first number . . . .” First of all they shouldn’t assume that they are going to have more than one number because if there is a very long list of singers, I might not have time. Or if someone says, “I’d like to sing Zerbinetta’s aria.” Right away you will know if this is a voice that you think is really good or just adequate. And now 10 minutes has rolled by [rolls his eyes], and then you don’t have time to hear another number.
So I often like to say, “Tell me what else you brought.” I tend to ask for something short. Let’s say it is a soprano. And I’ll say, “OK, let me hear ‘Quando m’en vo.’” “Quando” tells you a fair amount. It tells you how she delivers, and if this voice is quite nice, I say, “And remind me of the other things you brought.” And then I go off to the second one because I am enticed to hear something else.
If I hear a very long aria, there are all kinds of reasons it may not be good for them. And they have taken a fair amount of time. It diminishes the fact that you want to hear something more. In my mind, when someone says they want to sing something that is fairly long, I say to myself, “Well, I hope it’s good!” because if not, that person has lost the opportunity to make a very strong first impression.
How long does it usually take you to formulate an opinion? Do you usually get something very strong at the beginning?
Depends. With some singers, you know right away—and that is why it is unfortunate, particularly if they are singing the wrong music. Most of the time, I will listen to the whole thing, but if it’s wrong for them, I may say, “You know, I really think that is enough. Tell me what else you brought.” Because then at least I am giving them another chance.
What is the biggest mistake that a singer can make in an audition?
To sing something that is not appropriate for their voice type. Then you have to say, “Well I think there is something really nice in that voice, but I’d like to hear something else.” I have to say that teachers bear some responsibility.
I am smiling because the next question was, “If you had to give a talk to a room full of teachers and coaches, what would you tell them?”
Please find what is best for that singer’s voice. Not what they think they want to sing. We know, for example, many tenors want to sing “Nessun dorma” or “Celeste Aida,” and they shouldn’t.
Are there singers that you make a decision on before they have sung—the way they walk into a room or say hello. Not a decision but a certain instinct?
You can’t help but register an image when they come in and if they have a sense of themselves or don’t have a presence. And then you may be surprised. That person may not have a good physical presence, but a glorious voice. Then you have a lot of work to do, but they are worth it.
There is a well-known singer I presented at the beginning of her career. She didn’t know how to dress, had no real presence, but it was a formidable voice. Over some years, her career began to blossom. Evidently there were those who took her under their wing and she began to act and look like a successful artist.
The earlier someone can have that kind of help, the more fortunate they are. If someone comes in and you feel they have no sense of how to present themselves or how to express a song, they are at a disadvantage. Singing is tied to a personality. Every song has a personality. One has to learn how to inhabit that personality.
What is the most striking difference in singers that you hear now versus 20 or 30 years ago?
I think there are far more singers studying in many more conservatories and university programs, and they are often better prepared. But there are fewer distinctive personalities.
When you are auditioning for an apprentice, what are you looking for?
Potential. That is often an illusive thing, but there are times you say, “Oh, the technique is not finished (and often you don’t expect it to be finished), but the communication and the expression are there.
You have mentioned this over and over today.
You want to feel what this person is singing about. And you don’t always.
Someone asked me, “Are there any not-so-predictable deal breakers that for you would make an otherwise skilled singer unhirable?”
[Laughs] I am not sure what that means.
Let’s say “attitude.”
Oh, attitude. Well, you know. You can’t help but be aware of attitude, particularly if this is a young singer who you want to be supportive of. And sometimes you do feel that they think they don’t need any advice. They are full of themselves. In that case, there is not much you can do for them.
Last question. If you could make one wish for a singer today, in terms of career preparation, what would it be?
I think I am going to be very repetitive here. But my wish for each singer is to communicate so that you, as a listener, are moved by what they are singing. For me, that is the bottom line. The rest is all technique. Of course you want to understand the language and all the things the singer must learn. But for me, it’s all for naught if in the final analysis it is just about vocalizing and not communicating anything.
