By Carol Kirkpatrick, author of ARIA READY, The Business of Singing
Often when you get hired by an opera company, or for any professional venue, you are asked to become part of their PR campaign for this upcoming production, or event, which might include anything from speaking at a guild club or schmoozing at a Patron’s party you are involved in. It can also mean doing interviews for radio, TV or blogs. Knowing how to prepare for such an event in advance is of paramount importance.
One of the most essential points in preparing for a live interview is knowing you must go with a well thought out memorized agenda. This is not an “off the cuff ” moment where the person doing the interview is in charge and you just vomit up your life story. (Know that every guest on a late night show comes with their agenda.) You must have at least 3 – 5 memorized talking points that you make sure become part of the narrative. Often times you can give or tell the interviewer ahead of time what your talking points are and they will help intersperse these by asking pertinent questions along the way. If not, it’s up to you to make this happen. This is an art form and another learning curve, in and of itself, and you will get better at this with each experience.
These talking points will allow the public and future audiences not just to know something about you the product and the path you are taking, but to have them understand key points about the venue, the specific Opera Company and there reason for this event. This means you need to check in with the venue representative to confirm what talking points are important to them because this is also acting responsibly in a professional manner. This allows you to control what the interviewer learns about your journey of how you got there, why you specifically were hired and how you are helping those that hired you reach their goals for this event. It’s always about context and I promise that if you make them look good, they will hire you back and let others know of the great experience they had by hiring you. This is doing your job on purpose by acting in a professional manner which is to help them reach their goals. Behaving in this manner also gives you future references that you are assured will be worth having. So, step up your game so that how you do what you do is taking you ever closer to your goal of making your living as a performer. As the Boy Scouts always say, “Always Be Prepared.”
If you have a specific subject you want me to address, just let me know. Ciao until next time, and avanti. Carol
You know what I think, now let me hear what you think. Carol
Email Carol at Carol@ariaready.net.
Since retiring from the stage, Carol Kirkpatrick continues to be in demand as a voice teacher, clinician, and adjudicator of competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Combining her knowledge of performance, business, and interpersonal skills, she has written the second edition of her highly regarded book, Aria Ready: The Business of Singing, a step-by-step career guide for singers and teachers of singing. Aria Ready has been used by universities, music conservatories and summer and apprentice programs throughout the world as a curriculum for teaching Ms. Kirkpatrick’s process of career development, making her “the” expert in this area. She lives in Denver, Colorado.
