FOR JENNIFER:
I sent this message to the original poster earlier. Sharing with you now, for those who are interested.
Chris
Dear Singer with a Mission,
I know you have name, and I don't think you gave it --- but it doesn't matter.
I want to caution you NOT to listen to anyone who tells you that 30 is the deadline. It isn't. I have no idea where you are vocally, but I can tell you that if you haven't done anything, anything at all, up to age 40, THEN, it might be too late. Then, I mean "maybe" it's over, depending on what roles you intend to sing.
It would help to know whether you have a big voice, smaller voice, soprano, spinto, dramatic flairs, or mezzo, contralto. Dramatic voices don't blossom until later. My own teacher, back in the 1980s, didn't start his career until he was 35. There is no rule, repeat, NO RULE, that you have to start a career by a certain age. That's a midwife's old tale. Bah Humbug!
Keep studying and get with a teacher who has had a career on stage, for this is the way to find your own way to the stage I spent twelve years in Europe already, but STILL have a career ahead of me because I have a dramatic voice. I still study and work on perfecting technique.
And it NEVER ends. It is an ongoing process. You will wake up some mornings wondering whether your voice is still there, and it will be. But don't believe anyone who tells you "you should have done it by now..."
It is very, very hard to work 8 hours a day, and then go home and sing. Virtually impossible. But what happens when you want to lose a few pounds to look better? You make up your mind, set in all the mindsets you can muster, and make yourself become very disciplined about losing weight. I started a regular job last February.
So, I talk all day. Bah Humbug!! I made a commitment to sing at least one hour a day, including vocalizing, and have stuck with it. I am doing some auditions soon. My wife supports me, so it's good to have people behind you, supporting you.
This is very difficult work, but I make it happen. Some days I come home, and don't want to open my mouth again. But, I relax, sit down a bit, look at the piano and feel it call to me, somehow. I go over, sit down, and start working. An hour passes. I decide whether to do any more....15 more minutes. Now it's time to stop for the day.
"Bed, bed, I couldn't go to bed" - so the song says, from MY FAIR LADY. My wife just says to me, "are you tired" ??
Yes.
This is important stuff, if you are as serious as I think you are. I was that serious, and still am. I sang in Austria and Germany for 12 years, and have sung in productions here quite often. But I can't make a living at it in the USA. I plan to be singing soon in another production somewhere. If only Germany hadn't reunified, I might still be there now. But, then I think about those poor souls in east Germany who were languishing under communism.
But if I hadn't returned, I might not ever had met my wife and gotten married. There's a time and a place for everything. If you believe in God, ask Him.
Sincerely,
Chris
-----Original Message----- From: cantare@p... [SMTP:MIME : To: vocalist-temporary@egroups.com Subject: [vocalist-temporary] Older students/school advice
Hello All -
I have a serious question, and I'm hoping to get some input from those in the know. I am 29 years old. I have been seriously studying with a voice teacher for the past two years (I've been singing since I was a child, but just recently started seriously training the voice for
opera). I've done many things in my life, explored many career options, many jobs, many ways of life - now, at 29, I know without a doubt that what I want to do in life is be an opera singer, and I know what it takes to get there.
I have been trying to learn what I need to learn on my own while working full time, and I know I am not succeeding - I can't prepare for a professional career and work full-time. I know I have to go to a good school to learn what I need to learn. I also know that I am "old" to be starting on this path. I know there are those younger who have many years of experience and training ahead of me.
What I want to know is, from those of you who know, if I will be paid attention to and taken seriously in a conservatory or good music department, at my age. I know that opera training circles highly value youth. I know that there are some in the business who say if you haven't
done anything by 30, forget about a professional career. I want to avoid
these people. I need to find people who love my talent, my drive, my passion and my willingness to work, and will support me and take me seriously, and help me get to my goal. I want to go to a school where I will be valued.
Am I crying for the moon here? Are there people in this business who will take a beautiful voice and a committed, passionate and musical soul and seriously work with her, even if she is a few years behind her peers?
Where and how can I find these people? Any honest and straightforward input at all would be appreciated, even if the answer is "no, forget about it." Please e-mail me personally if possible.
Thank you, K
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