MezzoGirl
Los Angeles, CA
Female, 29
I sing beautiful music -- primarily opera -- but I also do concert work, church music, studio/scoring sessions, and whatever other performance opportunities I can get my hands on.
Speaking from an operatic point of view, most likely, you'd be a tenor. However, 'fach' or 'voice type' is defined more by the passaggio and color of the voice rather than the range. There are many people who have extensive range within their fach, but their repertoire would be determined more by the color of their voice. Since you're 18, your voice will be maturing still. The male voice hits full maturity around your early 30's. But with proper training, you may notice soon if your voice wants to deepen and enjoy the lower, baritone register or release into the upper, tenor register more. That will determine whether you're truly a tenor or a baritone. Here are a couple of resources that can shed more light: http://www.cantabile-subito.de/Categories/categories.html and http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/umi-uncg-1296.pdf My best advice for finding your 'type' is to work with an operatic teacher and sing what you love to sing and feel the most free vocally in.
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Hi! I don't know anything about RDAM unfortunately. But, I would suggest that for any university that you're interested in, research the voice teachers and, if you can, take lessons with the one(s) you're interested in before deciding on where to go. Talk to the admissions counselor about your performance opportunities during your undergrad and any other goals that you have for your education. The more research and work on clarifying what you want from and expect out of your undergraduate degree, the better experience you will have.
It's very helpful to go to a place where you can network with other singers and have your teachers help position you to get into good training programs. For high school and college students, I highly recommend reading Classical Singer Magazine. They have great articles on training programs, universities and other educational and professional interests.
I hope this was helpful, even if it didn't answer your question directly!
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Ha! Fun question! Probably from the Wagner craze. When Richard Wagner created the Ring Cycle, it was the opera equivalent of Lord of the Rings, but probably on a bigger scale internationally back in the day. Wagner's Ring was loosely based on Norse legend, hence the Viking helmets.
And I think that the stereotype of a heavy singer came from the fact that in opera, the voice is the most important part of casting a singer. In most other forms of entertainment, looks play a bigger factor in the telling of the story. Nowadays, this is also creeping into opera, but you still see greater diversity in opera in many roles- 20 year old's playing 60 year olds, a 50 year old playing a 15 year old, a woman playing a teenage boy, men playing women, racial lines crossed... Looks are increasingly more important, but all of us singers and most companies are still trying to keep it about the voice. And, a sense of weight in the body can help 'ground' the voice- and with big voices, that can help. Physical builds can impact the way the voice is supported. Too much weight can cause trouble breathing of course, and being thin doesn't hurt a voice, although more muscle tone may be needed for better support. Opera singers use their bodies much like athletes do. The training is incredibly intense and specific. Since most women didn't exercise back in the olden days, I think having the extra weight would actually have helped in the absence of good muscle tone for the women. Hence, more heavy women singing. The modern opera audience member wouldn't find many of these stereotypes on stage any longer. Heavy, skinny, black, white, Asian, tall, short... and often, some of those singers are even "related" to each others characters!
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Wow. Sorry for the delayed response! Top stars can make great income from a combination of opera roles, concert work and recordings. Usually concerts pay better than roles. And at A houses, even the chorus makes a good living. But according to a study of 100 solo singers, the median income is $17,500 in America. Yikes! I don't have the study's name, but see this article's notes at the bottom: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-rivera/what-do-opera-singers-act_b_5569307.html I wonder if that factors in tax deductions, as singers usually have very high expenses associated with their careers in addition to not having consistent work.
In other countries however, singers are paid more in general. Many American singers go over to Europe to make a living and then some can come back to the States with more stature and hopefully get more money for their work. Europe also has many more opera houses with larger seasons, which makes getting work at least statistically easier.
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The most important thing to do is find the right teacher for yourself. There are excellent universities and conservatories. Here's a list: http://musicschoolcentral.com/best-colleges-for-opera-and-vocal-performance/But I'd recommend exploring the colleges for the right teacher- and also a place that has opportunities for you to perform and learn outside of school as well. And consider that it may take your voice years to develop for the professional stage, so a graduate program also may be useful. Degrees are not necessary to be an opera performer, but they will give you the basic tools, networks and time to develop your voice. There's so much to learn as a singer- especially languages: study German & Italian at least. At least getting an undergraduate degree will help you get your basic tools together: language, repertoire, technique, acting, movement, overall stage craft. I highly, HIGHLY recommend taking a small business or personal finance course as you will be your own business as a singer. Not enough people speak about this, even guidance counselors! You need it. Social media marketing & website development would also be good skills to learn as well.
I'd also recommend getting a subscription to Classical Singer magazine. It has a strong focus on college bound students, so you may find great articles that help you get started.
And take part in any competitions that you can. This is something you should speak to your teacher about. Competitions really help you get performance experience, understand the market, network with your future colleagues, and hopefully get you some money, too!
Good luck!!!
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In traditional opera, almost everything is sung. There are a few exceptions, particularly during the reign of the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Carmen is the best example of an opera that includes dialogue in between the previous scene and the sung recitative lines (although the dialogue is frequently cut out of performances). There is also a style called operetta, which was the forefather to musical theater. Operetta has a true mixture of spoken dialogue and song. The genre requires legitimate opera voices and classical technique, so it's still different from music theater. Die Fledermaus is a famous example of operetta.
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Hi Dale! Have you been studying privately or at your college with a teacher who is a classical technician? If not, that's the best place to start. NATS.org is a reputable place to start looking for a teacher. But if you have any opera singers in your area whose technique you admire, ask them about their teachers. Opera technique takes a while to develop, but after you and your teacher feel that your technique and performance ability is strong enough, you can start applying for young artist programs and local productions. It also is worth investigating majoring in vocal performance as well. Grad school is where most people's opera careers begin. Good luck!
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