OperaLab.

From Studio to Stage, the Path of the Professional Singer

An article by Gilles Denizot

Since my solo debut in 1985, I have been fortunate to collaborate with great artists. This has allowed me to observe their preparation from the studio to the stage. I would like to share this experience about the operatic world, which is often wrongly considered as magical, shiny, or easy.

It is crucial to state immediately that being an opera singer (just like any other artistic profession in fact) may be a fascinating path, but it is not an easy one. Being a professional opera singer (the artist who makes his living through singing), or what is commonly called career, is ruled by a simple word: WORK. The operatic world these days, because of the importance given to appearance, communication, and advertisement, unfortunately suggests that one could be “a star” after just a few voice lessons. It is true that numerous careers (in any art) are built on nothing but powerful advertisement campaigns. The taste of the general public is fooled by a shiny envelope and an insipid content, as well as by violent publicity which only tends to increase the sales of a recording without educating the audience.

The writer Rainer Maria Rilke recommended to enter in oneself and to ask oneself if one could live without the practice of the Art and to take this artistic destiny and to carry it, with its weight and height, without ever asking for a reward that might come from the outside (in Letters to a young poet, Feb. 17, 1903). Great artists are completely immersed in their art, to the point that it not only becomes their life, but also that it is simply impossible to ask them to change their path. When an artist is inspired by such a powerful conviction, he is able to see through numerous deceptions which are inevitable in such a career. This is an invaluable asset. On the other hand, we find amateurs (from the Latin word amare, or to love), those who love an art to the point that they practice this art form without being professionals. Amateurs have a life outside of the artistic path. They find, in their own practice, a healthy and nourishing balance that should be supported to a reasonable extent. It is however indefensible to let someone believe that a career is possible when obvious necessary qualifications are missing. This robs the singer of a happy path, loads of concerts as an amateur, and will probably turn him into a bitter and sad person because success will not have happened as planned. Being a professional singer in a world of constant work is determined by a cruel selection, the rarity of one’s voice and excellence of style, choice of repertoire, personal discipline, technical study with the voice teacher, repertoire and style-study with the coach, and confrontation with stage directors. One should also mention auditions, agents, competition, foreign languages, public relations.

Technical Work with the Voice Teacher

One of the most delicate steps on the path of the professional singer is the choice of a good voice teacher. How can one value a type of teaching, when precisely one needs to learn new concepts? Identifying several points is crucial. During the very first lesson: the teacher must be able to diagnose a vocal problem at once (or as quickly as possible), he must offer effective solutions and be able to explain – in several ways – a technical concept, he must show academic and psychological qualities, and most of all one should never feel the slightest bit of tension in the throat area during or at the end of the lesson. This may sound absurd. Unfortunately it is common to meet a singer who complains about pain in the throat (due to teaching methods) and still he/she goes back to that particular teacher thinking that it is normal. Feeling any kind of vocal tension or fatigue at the end of a lesson is the utmost warning. It is my experience that one can sing for an hour or more (according to the level and resistance of the singer), and feel that vocal training is a warm-up, a massage to the vocal cords, a healthy physical activity for the entire body.

It is essential that the teacher be able to explain technical points in a simple, effective, and obvious way without using too much obscure or scientific language. The philosopher Seneca once wrote, in his Letter XL to Lucilius: the speech which holds truth as a goal must be simple and straight-forward. In fact, I have noticed that the more one uses words that are immediately accessible, the deeper their meaning echoes in the singer, and the sharper and clearer the singer responds. I don’t think that speaking of open velar port or reduced first formant intensity or any similar terms can spontaneously help most singers. There are too many teachers who talk well and sing poorly (I don’t mean the beauty of the voice, but the way it is used). The main purpose of a voice lesson is not to show off one’s scientific knowledge, but to help a singer move forward. Using simple and powerful vocabulary, linked to well-known emotions or organs, allows for a clear understanding. The other major advantage of a straight-forward teaching style is that one connects singing to daily life. Numerous daily actions are close to singing. Coughing and laughing, for instance, are directly related to concepts like cord closure, lumbar muscle support, breath management. Laughter also has beneficial virtues on several levels and it offers a more enjoyable work environment that is more effective.

This leads me to mention an essential element which is the basis of the teaching once given by Alan R. Lindquest: to consider the singer as not simply a voice, but a complex person. A true Master teacher must be able to teach beginners, amateurs and professionals, female and male singers, young or old (each of these categories have specificities and pedagogical tools). A Master teacher identifies at once what causes a vocal problem, offers a solution in simple terms, understands the difficulties of a singer, psychologically supports him and helps him grow vocally and humanly. All of these elements are offered in a positive and joyful environment. These conditions narrow the number of high-level teachers. When a teacher possesses and uses these rare qualities, the singer finally meets a true partner who guides him on his professional path. Teaching becomes a passionate sharing between a Master teacher and his student. Teaching can only be understood as  team-work, with its ups and downs, but always as a team. Alan R. Lindquest said in 1980: you see, it is not just teaching the voice or the instrument, it is molding the person as well, all you can. You cannot separate this. This is why it is a spiritual and eternal gift. A true Master teacher passes on more than technique. He allows the singer to become his own teacher.

Musical work with the coach

Let’s imagine a professional singer who has worked technically and vocally on a part or a score with the teacher.  The singer is capable of modifying correctly and healthily upon request his/her way of singing. Now is the time to work with a coach. This musical work is imperative in order to refine one’s style and to prepare oneself to meet agents, opera managers, conductors and directors. A singer should only meet with a coach when he/she has secured a reasonable part of his/her technique. I insist on this because the coach is going to ask the singer to prefer this or that tempo, to emphasize this or that note, and because each of these modifications should be accomplished in the most correct way technically speaking. There are coaches who allow themselves to give technical suggestions, for instance to sing a pure ee vowel in the highest register in order to understand the singer more clearly. These coaches simply ignore basic vocal and technical principles. When a young professional singer adopts these opinions, he/she suffers vocal consequences. I have been fortunate to work with two of the most eminent coaches in Paris, Callas’ former pianist Janine Reiss (Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Geneva Grand Théâtre), and Irène Aïtoff (who coached me for Carmen and Don Giovanni). Both of them clearly told me that vocal technique was not their specialty and that the technical preparation had to be accomplished beforehand. When a coach asks for a change in interpretation, the singer must be able to produce the expected result on his/her own. This is why it is preferable to work with a coach when one’s technique is already well settled. One must also mention the necessity for a singer to train his/her pronunciation in various foreign languages. Listening to recordings cannot replace the true preparation with a coach. It is only through proper coaching that the singer will display flexibility, professionalism and self-assurance that will appeal to the conductor.

Stage work with the director

The singer has now worked technically and vocally with his/her voice teacher and has prepared his score with a coach. Now comes an audition for an agent, an opera manager, a conductor and/or a director. Physical appearance and dramatical characteristics are important to cast specific operatic roles. More and more directors have the power to decide on the choice of singers. A professional singer must be able to convince that director that he/she is the character. It has been my experience that a well-prepared (technically and musically) singer is more ready to achieve success in an audition. He/she will not always be hired (for appearance reasons for example) but will leave a strong impact of his/her audition. Singing a poor audition is one of the worst things that can happen to a professional singer. He/she often needs to wait for six to twelve months and might then be offered another chance by the same jury. In addition, it is most likely that the mediocre results of a previous audition has been made public, thus reducing the chances of getting auditions in similar or larger theaters. I have mostly prepared each role, each aria, each audition with a stage director just like I did technically and musically. You must read your text, work on it like an actor, improve acting skills by using technical exercises, play your audition arias. The result is stunning: the paralyzing audition fright that happens when lacking preparation vanishes totally. Furthermore, singing during an audition consists merely in reproducing the mental image of what has been built on stage. The voice becomes more impressive because singing is fed by dramatic images. The specificity of a role is immediate and powerful which is particularly useful when one is only allowed a few minutes to convince the jury. I can only recommend that every professional singer work in depth on acting skills with actors, directors, choreographers, and dancers.

When the singer has been hired and has learned the part, he/she meets with the conductor, the director, and his colleagues in the cast. It is commonly requested that the singer has memorized the music before the first rehearsal. Here again, meeting with the director and the conductor means that the singer must be able to react at once to musical and acting indications: to sing while lying down, to run on stage right before hitting a high note, to sing with one’s back to the audience, to dance, to fence etc. A singer must also respect the director and the conductor’s indications, even if he/she has already sung the part in another production. It takes humility, respect, and professionalism.

It seems clear now that the path of a professional singer, from studio to stage, leaves little if any space for improvisation or amateur behaviour (in the pejorative sense). Becoming a professional singer requires specific and high artistic standards which do not grace every singer. A beautiful voice is not enough. I often meet colleagues who complain about the fact that they have no career. They are convinced to be great artists on the verge of being discovered. Yet they never question themselves and often accuse the rest of the world to be responsible for their stagnation or failure. They forget that competition is harsh. There is no other way but to respect:

1. a high-level vocal and technical training;
2. a solid musical and stylistic preparation;
3. a deep and intense work on roles and acting skills.

© OperaLab Gilles Denizot – All Rights Reserved.