As a professional opera singer, I recognize that I have an incredible job. I get to stand on some of the world’s most beautiful stages, dressed in gorgeous costumes or gowns, and invite total strangers to enter a different reality for a few hours. It’s an amazing experience – one I do not take for granted. And I realize that to many, the life of an opera singer looks insanely glamorous. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been told, “since you’re doing what you love, you must never feel like you’re working!”
But the truth is, being a professional singer (or performing artist of any kind) IS work. Hard work. The performances and accolades, while lovely, are a tiny piece of a much larger process. So for all our aspiring performers out there, here are a few things to keep in mind about that bigger picture:
90% of your work will be done away from the stage
Performing professionally requires study, preparation and skill building. Singers invest months of time translating text, perfecting language skills, studying source material, learning about the historical and social contexts of the work, and developing a rich and fully realized character. This is in addition to learning the score, working the music into the body, and memorizing the required role. All this must be done before rehearsals even begin. The rehearsal process lasts anywhere from 5 days to 6 weeks, and may end with only a few performances. The performances are our reward for months of preparation. So if you love to perform, learn to love the process even more!
Practice NEVER stops
Just like athletes, professional musicians never stop training. Every single professional singer I know continues to invest in regular voice lessons, in language specialists and in coaches. There is always another level, another layer, another refinement that can be sought. And since no human is ever a finished product, the work will never be finished. For this reason, professional singers must be infinitely curious in their craft, and hold deep love for the process of practice and skill building.
Internal motivation is crucial
No one will remind you to practice. No one will schedule that recital for you. No one will make you work through those technical weaknesses you know you have. You must want to do those things for yourself. You must want to do these things even if you don’t have any work on the horizon. You must want to do these things even if you receive a bad review or a discouraging rejection letter. You must be more interested in your own joy and development than in any form of external approval. Even the top 1% of singers, the superstars of our profession who perform at the largest opera houses in the world, go months without work. They are passed up for jobs. They get hurtful reviews. Accolades and fame come and go. If your drive to perform is based solely upon the praise of others, you will struggle to press on during lean and discouraging times. And there will ALWAYS be lean times.
It takes a lot of sacrifice
Singers are unique in that the body IS the instrument. Illness, fatigue, dehydration, stress…it all affects our ability to perform. For that reason, singers must be extremely protective of themselves and their resources. That sometimes means saying “no” to that party or concert you really wanted to go to. It might mean avoiding alcohol or social gatherings. It may mean cancelling your day job, or those plans you made months ago, because you need to conserve your voice. So if you want to perform professionally, you will have to be prepared to make some tough choices in the interest of preserving your instrument.
If these realities seem insurmountable for you, if you’re not excited to embrace them, then it may be that the profession of singing is not for you. And that’s okay! Not every hobby is designed to become a job. I love baking, but I know that I wouldn’t be suited to the life of a professional pastry chef. That doesn’t keep me from baking and plying my friends and family with cakes and cookies.
There are limitless ways to engage in music, to keep it an meaningful part of your life, without making it your livelihood. So be honest with yourself, and be confident in choosing the path that is right for you!
