A Singer’s Life Pt7

I have been asked to give some insight into the actual physical life of a professional singer, so this article will be a break from what I have been doing up to now.

Nearly every singer has an agent who works on his or her behalf. They know all the managements and casting directors, either in the UK or worldwide. The further one climbs up the ladder of success, the more the agent comes into his/her own, until, at the very highest level (beyond me, but I know people who are there), they are sorting out schedules and diaries, and prioritising contracts for their singer. At most levels, an agent is absolutely crucial to one’s success. We don’t have access to the people who matter, and have no idea what to charge for our services. We have the option to challenge the money suggested, but usually accept the word of the agent as being the best they can get. Typically, they take a percentage of the fee (varying from 10-15%), but will also negotiate travel and accommodation if necessary. Travel is almost always included, and sometimes includes one or two return journeys during the contract period to allow the artists briefly to return to their families.

Accommodation is not usually included, except in cases of last minute replacement, but most managements have a list of places to stay, ranging from inexpensive to less inexpensive! In Europe, especially in Francophone countries, there are often Appart’hotels available, which are like hotels but with studio and 2 bedroom apartments, self catering but usually with servicing facilities every week. These are fairly popular in most cities and are usually the best bet for us, as they tend to be reasonably near to the theatres for rehearsal and performance. In other countries, and particularly in the UK, we tend to find short let flats are the best solution, which are totally self catering, but are furnished and prepared for us before arrival, and are cleaned on departure for a small fee. Some companies have ready made accommodation available, and this is very helpful but rare.

Contracts cover the rehearsal period from day one in the rehearsal studio to the last performance, but this can vary in length. We tend to find that in Europe, where opera is usually subsidised by state or municipal government, the contract period lasts about 5 or 6 weeks of rehearsal, followed by 2 or 3 weeks of performances, typically 4 or 5 days apart. Since opera singing is not amplified, and we are using our total vocal resources every show, it is rarely possible, certainly for the major roles, to sing more than 3 performances a week, and 2 for Wagner, Verdi and Strauss. In North America, which is privately funded, the rehearsal periods are typically much shorter, between two to three weeks. Privately, most singers are happy with 3 to 4 weeks, and we find that it is usually the keen directors who need/want so much more time! Obviously, the more time we are away, the more it costs us to live. Singers vary enormously in their liking for self catering or going out for meals, depending on financial circumstances, and personal preference. I try to get a balance between the two. It also depends on the conviviality of the cast – for example, the cast of Peter Grimes in Monte Carlo which I wrote about in a previous article, went out for dinner a lot!! Any opera I was in with my friend Ian Caley was the same!

Once we have our contracts, one with the Opera company and the other with the agent, we plan our schedules to learn the music by heart, so that we arrive on the first day of rehearsals fully prepared to start stage rehearsals. Almost always, we would meet and greet the stage director, the stage management, the conductor, the repetiteur (the pianist who will play for the rehearsals, often multiple pianists in big houses) and hopefully, the top opera management (who have chosen us), and the other members of the cast. Sometimes in big companies like Covent Garden or the Met, the superstars don’t appear until further down the rehearsal line, but this is rarer these days. The old system by which the star arrived a day or two before the main Orchestral Stage Rehearsal, with their own make up, costume and gestures, are long gone. Often however, in the grand houses, several singers have been cast for the main roles, and one discovers the hierarchy of stars then!

The musical director usually will take us through the opera to work out tempi and breathing and interpretation. The best know already what they want to do, but are open to suggestions, although the singers on the whole are down the pecking order of decision-making.

Once this process is over, the stage director, who, on the first day, will have outlined his/her concept for the production, takes over the rehearsals. The conductor is usually present from now on, but the rehearsal is run by the director, and organised by the stage manager and assistants. There is a prop person, a costume person and a wig/hair person involved from the early stages, and we get an idea of what they are looking for at this stage. Serious decisions are not on the whole made at this point, but if there are particular desires on the part of what is called the Creative Team, they come to the fore now – for example, hair/ beards, toplessness?, serious athletic problems. The singers have much less say in these matters than they had in the past, and seniority is important. I found it much easier to tell a designer or a director that something might be problematic in my later years than at the beginning. Some directors have a ludicrous propensity for asking singers to do things which will impede their singing, especially those directors who have come recently to opera from the straight theatre, and it is up to us to set them right, if we are worried for our safety or health. They often imagine how a stage picture looks, without understanding that the singer may find himself singing into the wings at the side of the stage, and consequently being unheard by the audience. It is something that I am always telling my students at St Andrews University, where I am Honorary Professor of Singing; “Always cheat out front”. The audience wants to hear you, more than see your profile! Young singers, used to cinema and TV acting, feel that they are not being honest if they don’t look into the eyes of their stage partners, but I try to tell them that they can still sing out front while appearing to be looking longingly into his/her eye! I was given several wonderful stage hints at the very beginning of my career by Bill McCue at Scottish Opera, for example, always find your light on stage (no one wants to look at a pool of light devoid of the singer) and always come on stage slightly earlier than the director asks, so that you can be comfortable before you sing, rather than panicking! Another, perhaps THE, golden rule I learned (from John Abulafia at Mecklenburgh Opera in the 80s) was to understand focus on stage. If you are the centre of attention, take the limelight, if you are giving focus to someone else, don’t get in his/her way!

Depending on the period of rehearsal, the whole dynamic of the opera changes with the arrival of the orchestra. Usually, we meet them towards the end of stage rehearsals, when there is a session without staging where we can focus purely on the musical aspects and, now, the rehearsals come under the conductor’s control. From this point on, what is rehearsed is at the complete beck and call of the Maestro. The stage director can pop up on stage to suggest changes when the orchestra is being worked with, and at the end of each rehearsal, we receive notes from the director, so we can correct things at the next rehearsal. Music staff in the auditorium report back to the conductor and the singers about audibility and accuracy. If there is a chorus, they are managed by the chorus master/mistress, along with the conductor and the director. The soloists always try to stay on warm terms with the chorus, as they can be brutal if you get on the wrong side of them!

Right through now to the final Dress Rehearsal, things should, if well-organised, run like clockwork, with a performance virtually identical to the First Night, with a non-paying but usually sympathetic audience to let you feel the vibe of human reaction. We receive notes from stage and music staff, and wig, costume and props advice, so that we should be ready for the excitement of the First Night. Unlike in the straight theatre, we don’t have Previews, so the First Night, the Press Night, is quite stressful and demanding, and I always find that day difficult. I can’t eat much, I am convinced my voice is breaking down, I feel sick and nervous etc. Fortunately, I know what to expect now, and thole it. Once we get on stage, things relax slightly, although most singers will tell you that the First Night is rarely the best, and it amazes me that this is still the night when the critics turn up to write their reviews. A run of performances always changes dynamic and usually for the better, so that by the last performance, something wonderful can arise, missed entirely by the critics. I suppose we still need them to, hopefully, give a good review, to allow the management to sell the remaining seats. Singers always say they never read the reviews, but they are lying. Mind you, the variety of what are subjective opinions is staggering. I have myself been described as utterly magnificent and totally miscast in the same show!

The next part of A Singer’s Life will endeavour to tell you about life on tour or away from home, and how we pass the time.