Notoriety for the National Anthem
I went today to pick up my graduation regalia and ended up chatting with the woman standing in line behind me. She was graduating with a PhD in Engineering and when I told her I was getting a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance, she seemed intrigued. When she asked what kind of career options I was considering after graduation, I told her I was going to try to and sing professional opera abroad. The initial intrigue turned visibly to puzzlement as she asked me to explain the process of getting hired. I told her about the separate processes of singing for an agent and then, if successful, being sent on auditions at specific houses, where I then had the chance of being offered a contract.
The conversation fizzled at that point (she already had a job lined up as a college professor so maybe she couldn't relate to the audition process), so I told her she'd get a chance to see me in action as I was singing the National Anthem and Alma Mater at the commencement ceremony next week. She became really excited about that, and the comment also seemed to catch the attention of several people standing around us. She asked me if I got nervous singing for such a big crowd (45,000 in this case) and I told her that it was part of my job and nerves weren't a big issue for me.
I always find it interesting in situations such as this that people get so excited about a singer who performs the National Anthem in football stadiums, but don't understand singing professional opera. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I still find it interesting that mainstream culture only has appreciates classical singing within the sphere of short performances of patriotic songs at sporting events or ceremonies.
The stereotypes of singing in Germany
Yesterday I had lunch with two singer friends. We are in our mid-twenties and, after determining that the US opera scene is an extreme long shot for jump-starting a career in the opera business, we are all looking into auditioning in Germany. Germany seems like mecca to us American singers because in even the smallest towns there is normally a repertory theatre, meaning there are lots of opportunities for lots of opera singers.
After making inital plans to audition this fall, one friend said she changed her mind after her voice teacher advised against auditioning abroad until her vocal technique was perfect and she could make the right first impression at the right houses. According to her teacher, if you start your career in some of the smaller, less-prestigious houses in Germany before you're completely polished, you can still find work, but will be pigeon-holed into a lower singing circle that is nearly impossible to break out of. According to this teacher, if you want to be a star someday, singing in a small town in Germany is not the way to do it.
On one hand this waiting game seems like a valid point. Of course every singer want to make a good first impression at any audition and be as successful as possible. But on the other hand, the only realistic alternative to auditioning in Germany seems to be finding small scale, temporary, low paying work in the states in order to make ends meet. Bleah.
I think my technique is pretty solid at this point and with some intense practice over the summer I think I will make a good first impression. As for the stereotyping involved in singing for small houses, I think I'm willing to take the chance. I definitely don't want to live my entire professional life in Germany. At this point spending a few years in Germany getting to do what I love for a living sounds like an enriching and exciting experience, whether it's at an "A" house or a "Z" house.
