| Brenda Roberts |
What does it take for a singer to develop a successful career?First, let me say that I have been very fortunate to have the career that I have. However, in addition to good fortune, it also takes a lot of hard work and many years of training to build such a career. So what does it take for a singer to develop a career for her or himself? All the usual suspects, no doubt: talent, discipline, ambition, hard work, relentless training, a strong desire to succeed, support from family and friends, determination, love of what you are doing, a genuine passion for singing, the feeling that you cannot do anything else - a calling. And this is just the beginning…
You also have to have perseverance, the ability to take and absorb criticism, a talent for acting and expression - both in the body and the voice, good looks help, and then when everything else is in place, a great deal of luck - and, I think, a belief in a higher power guiding you. Let me take this opportunity to tell you about my first professional experience in auditioning, for it illustrates another important point: I went to Europe with a U-Rail pass in my hands and a certain amount of money in my pocket. I went to the agents and sang auditions. I had just sung the Salome Final Scene for my recital at Northwestern University and presented this piece to the agents. They, however, were appalled that such a young person would undertake such a difficult piece of music, and advised me that I should sing something else when auditioning for the opera houses, as otherwise, they said, the theatres would think they were crazy sending me to them at my age with this repertoire. So, I was sent to some opera houses and sang such things as “Musetta’s Waltz”, “Fiordiligi”, etc. No luck. Most likely my auditions were “nice”, but, since I wasn’t singing the roles I felt destined to sing, I couldn’t show them what I knew were my best qualities. Finally, I had no more time on my U-Rail pass and had hardly any money left. I had scheduled one last audition at the Saarbrücken State Theatre. I spent the night in the city at a very cheap hotel and ate lots of rolls for breakfast (the only thing offered). Before the audition (noon or 1 o’clock) I went to a cafe and ordered a tea with the only money I had left, and put lots of sugar in it for energy. Then I made my way to the opera house where I warmed-up and practiced shortly with a pianist. I was shown to the rehearsal stage and asked what I wanted to sing. I had decided that since I was out of money and my train ticket was elapsing, I was going to take one final chance and sing what I thought was best. Otherwise, I anticipated, I would hate myself for the rest of my life for not doing what I felt was right. If I failed, so be it, but I could not go home thinking I had not given it my all, departing for home without singing the best work that I had in my repertoire. They asked me what I would like to sing and I said, “I would like to sing the Salome Schlussgesang.” They informed me that the “good” pianist was scheduled for a rehearsal and no one but him could play it. Could I sing something else, they asked? I said “no”, and so they reluctantly sent for the pianist and arranged for me to sing on the main stage. It went very well, however, and half-way through my audition they called out to me from the auditorium that they had heard enough, and that they would meet me behind stage. Immediately, they took me to the artistic director’s office and offered me a contract! I was elated: my first contract! We agreed to the terms - actually, they agreed to the terms and I just consented! Then they told me to go out and eat my lunch and return at 3 p.m. to pick up the contract. I couldn’t tell them that I didn’t have any money to eat lunch, so I walked around the city for 2 hours until 3 p.m. came along and then went back to pick up my long-wished contract! The moral of the story? Be prepared and take advice, but in the end you must also come to know yourself, have faith in your abilities, and, ultimately, do what you believe is right! *** I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to contact me anytime or post comments - I am always happy to answer any questions you might have, whether in English or in German. • Author and date: Brenda Roberts (2008-05-24)
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