As singers approach an upcoming audition or performance, they usually go through a mental checklist: Does the piece show off my voice? Check. Do I know what I’m saying? Check. Have I coached the pronunciations and ironed out the diction? Check.
They should, however, add one more question to their checklist: Have I made it interesting? Check.
Singers work hard to make their voices beautiful, but two directors who do a lot of hiring say that’s not the deciding factor. So if it’s not just a gorgeous sound they want, just what do conductors and general directors look for in a singer?
For Valéry Ryvkin, artistic director of both Opera Santa Barbara and Greensboro Opera (N.C.), it all comes down to being interesting.
“There has to be something interesting about the artist,” he says. “Some directors hire someone who looks sweet or who has perfect technique, but I hire someone who has something that makes me sit up and go, ‘Oh my, this is interesting!’
“How the person tells the story is ultimately most important. They don’t even have to look beautiful or have the best voice—obviously [the voice] has to have good technique and all that—but if the person creates the story, then I am interested. You have to have something that is unique.”
Robert Swedberg, general director at Orlando Opera, agrees.
“I’m always looking for something different, something that will stand out by virtue of being unique. So much of what we hear in auditions is cookie-cutter. I want to see the soul of the artist, to feel the communication, the power and presence of the music channeling though the performer.”
Ryvkin and Swedberg are both well-established directors in the global opera community, and both are featured presenters at the ProSeries at Classical Singer’s 2007 convention.
When it comes to hiring, evaluation of the artist certainly begins with the quality of the voice, but for these two directors, it quickly moves to more soulful fare.
“I am especially attuned to attitude,” Swedberg says. “Sometimes that is expressed by odd things that are said, and more often than not it is observed in how the pianist is treated. I’ve spent too much time in rehearsal to put up with ‘high maintenance’ people—no matter how good they may be. I look for professionals who are likely to be good colleagues, and that usually shows in the way the singer-actor acts in the audition.
“I also don’t care for ‘diva’ costumes—the grand dress-up for the audition, or the distracting or revealing dress-to-kill. Cool awareness of sexiness is one thing—and I don’t mind seeing it in either male or female auditionees, as an expression of the soul and identity of the performer—but dress of any sort that doesn’t allow a full realization of the character being performed or somehow distracts from that possibility, does the auditionee a disservice.”
Ryvkin also emphasizes being a good colleague. “I’d rehire an artist if [he or she] did a sensational job, rehearsal was great, and they were easy to get along with. We have a short and intense rehearsal period, and it is so much nicer and easier if you’re easy to be around. Be a good colleague and be flexible.”
Ryvkin chuckles as he remembers specific cast members with whom he enjoyed working.
“It’s about having a sense of humor! Of course, being easy-going and good-natured, too, and being prepared and being natural in the role—but it’s really humor. All of us feel so much better when there’s a sense of humor . . . . The whole rehearsal period is so much more pleasant and enjoyable, even fun! There was one ‘Nozze’ we did where cast members did yoga together. There’s the joy of being together that’s sincere. When that happens, it’s tremendous. I would love to reengage those cast members. They were just fantastic.”
Ryvkin is quick to point out, however, that being a good colleague doesn’t necessarily mean you allow yourself to be abused or stay in a situation that will cause your performance to suffer just to be seen as “nice.”
“Artists need to take care of themselves,” he says. “[Being a good colleague] is more about the attitude than what you put up with. If you need to change [housing accommodations], for example, for whatever reason, being a good colleague and being easy to be around doesn’t mean you have to just put up with a [the accommodations] that will ultimately not help you give your best performance. Don’t complain. It’s all in the attitude.”
In terms of how singers can be better prepared for both auditions and rehearsals, both directors have several specifics in mind.
“First, by realizing just how essential preparation is and by understanding that preparation never ends,” Swedberg points out.
“[Preparation] is a ‘layered’ process that should include some approach to music and text at the same time, while also forming thought about characterization, motivation, relationships, nuances of the language, etc., etc., etc.
“At the same time, singing actors must not beat themselves up believing they are not prepared enough—but that should never be a problem if one knows that one has put in the time and effort to advance that process to the maximum under whatever circumstances exist. I hate seeing singers sitting around between rehearsal segments playing games on their phones. Relaxed distancing from the rehearsal process is necessary, but that should be minimal and certainly not when one is actually engaged in a rehearsal. There should be no distractions.”
For comments on how singers can be better prepared, Ryvkin also focuses on characterization and motivation, as well as knowing what pieces work well in your specific voice.
“Be absolutely inside the role,” he says. “It must be coached extensively, with very few exceptions. Learn it multiple ways. Listen to recordings of people who knew the style well, especially the older singers—and be flexible. Be flexible in your understanding of your character, of a director’s understanding of
your role.
“For auditions, it’s the same. Get it into your voice, those six or seven arias. You should be able to wake up in the middle of the night and sing them. I find that Italian shows off the voice the best. I often hear French, or German, or Czech as a starting aria and I often end up wondering, ‘Hmm, that voice sounds small. I wonder if it will fit in our hall,’ and then after hearing the Italian, I go, ‘Whoa! Yeah! There’s the voice!’
“In an audition or when I work with an artist, if things aren’t coached properly, that turns me off. You have to know the imagination behind those accents, those rhythms, those words. Take the time to coach it well, it makes all the difference. I know it’s expensive, but you have to do it. In the old days, people coached four or five times a week. Benjamin Gigli washed dishes and scrubbed floors in exchange for voice lessons.”
Ryvkin also points out that when it comes to preparation, sometimes knowing why you didn’t get hired in past auditions can be the best springboard into the future.
“I think absolutely every agent must call the company for feedback after an audition: ‘Why didn’t my singer get cast? Why weren’t you interested?’ That’s the way singers will know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Or even, ‘Why did my singer get cast?’ I think that’s every agent’s responsibility.”
Unmanaged singers may also send e-mails to their auditioners, thanking them for the audition and requesting feedback. If auditioners have time and inclination, they may reply at their convenience, he added.
Many singers and music aficionados know what it’s like to attend a concert in which the performance is technically perfect, but somehow lacks the depth, personality, and creativity of the performer, and is, for lack of a better word, boring. These directors hope to minimize such performances as they encourage more and more singers and singing-actors to breathe life and imagination into their roles.
For nearly all artistic, music, and general directors, a beautiful voice is desirable and highly sought after. Yet when it comes to being hired, rehired and respected as an artist in the field, it’s as Robert Swedberg points out: What is most appreciated in a singer is full engagement and honest sharing.
Robert Swedberg has been general director of Orlando Opera for 17 years. Prior to taking his position with Orlando Opera, Swedberg spent three years as general director of Syracuse Opera in New York, five years as manager and director of North Carolina Opera, and another five years as director of education for Seattle Opera. In 1992 he founded the Heinz Rehfuss Singing Actor Awards at Orlando Opera, a prestigious competition held every year for singing actors. He also began his own career as a singing actor, and in that capacity won several competitions, including the western regional Metropolitan Opera finals. He performed with the San Francisco Opera Merola program, and appeared with New York City Opera, Seattle Opera, Anchorage Opera, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
When time allows, Swedberg acts as stage director at Orlando Opera and at companies around the globe, including the Macao International Music Festival and the Beijing Music Festival, the Calvia Music Festival in Mallorca, Spain, and the Hof Theater in Hof, Bavaria.
Valéry Ryvkin made his professional conducting debut in 1992 with Cavalleria rusticana and I pagliacci in Tel Aviv for the Israel Vocal Arts Academy, after which he was invited to conduct Werther at the Pittsburgh Opera Center, where he returned in 1995 for L’elisir d’amore. As a member of the conducting staff of the Metropolitan and San Francisco operas, Ryvkin has collaborated with conductors such as Valery Gergiev, James Levine, Antonio Pappano, and Donald Runnicles. He has conducted for numerous companies throughout the United States, including Portland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, San Diego Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago, among others. He has also served on the music staff of Opera de Montreal, the Florentine Opera Company (Milwaukee), Opera Columbus, Orlando Opera, and the Sarasota Opera.
