About Gisele Afeche Expertise I have been a musician and music teacher for over 25 years. I sang in the most important theatre in Brazil for 7 years, in the choir and solo. I also conduct choirs and teach singing and I did my studies in music in Brazil and France. I play the piano, harpsichord and am a singer - soprano.
Experience Professional Opera singer
Organizations I sang professionally in an opera choir in Brazil for 7 years
I just read somewhere that you are in the UK. Do you know anything about the Birkbeck Opera Performances Studies program? I am wondering if that would possibly allow a mature student like me (mid 20s) to move onto a post-graduate diploma in vocal performance at a UK conservatoire even though I don't have a music degree from college.
2) Secondly, I really just started and I have no idea as to what kind of repertory/arias I should look at for practice, since I obviously don't know my fach yet. Where do opera beginning singers begin? You know how in piano, people start with a bit of Bach, bit of Burgmuller, some Czerny, etc. Where is a good place to start? I know I'm definitely not a complete soprano, potentially a mezzo, but I don't even really know yet.
Thanks for your help.
ANSWER: Hello
I don't know about the Birberk Opera Performance Studies, sorry. I just had a look online to see what it was about and you are too late to apply anyway as applications closed on the 31st of July.
As far as I am aware, For any post graduation courses in the UK you need to have a degree first. I don't think there is any age limit though as I applied myself for a post graduation course at the Royal Academy of Music after 30 and got through. It depends on how good you are obviously.
You need to have a diploma in singing first as it is never good to jump up stages. It is not necessary to go through formal education to become an opera singer (though advisable) as you can be very good and go for the auditions for the roles. What maestros look for are good musicians and voices, which doesn't necessarily mean formal education.
If you are just a beginner you need to take a step at at a time. I know you are anxious to get started but some arias demand vocal maturity and if you try to sing them too soon you can damage your voice as your training is not complete and your vocal system is not ready to 'attack' difficult arias of the repertoire. Singing should not be painful or cause vocal fatigue or vocal strain. It is a matter of patience and perseverance.
You need to know your type of voice. You need an advice from a good singer teacher. Then there are books like Vaccai, for vocal training, or Richard Miller's books about vocal technique which are excellent. Then you have the recommended repertoire according to your voice. Ancient Italian Arias are always an excellent start, arias such as 'Caro Mio Ben'(Giordani), 'Sebben Crudele' (Caldara) for example, are found in books of arias and you can even purchase them with a backing track CD with piano accompaniment.
It won't harm you to try a medium voice book till you know what voice you definitely are.
My advice is: get a good teacher, let her/him guide you throughout your learning process and take one step at a time.
Anytime you need my help just buzz! :-)
All the best
Gisele
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Gisele, thank you so much for your response.
I think I was a bit unclear with the first question though. What I meant was, I'm at an age where it would be too difficult to go back to school just for a Bachelors Degree (3 or 4 full-time years) in Music. Therefore, I was wondering if, let's say, getting a certificate for opera studies at Birkbeck (this is just an example) would allow me to get into a Diploma Course in Vocal Performance (Here, I meant a pre-Masters level Graduate Diploma, not a Post-Graduate diploma, which usually comes after the Masters: Diploma--> Masters --> Post-Graduate)...I hope I've been clear? Granted, I must be at a very competent level to get in, I'm just wondering if it's a possibility at all, because I'm sure there are so many singers who discover their passion/interest in the opera too late,after they've already gotten a university degree in something else completely different. Thanks again for your response.
Best regards.
Answer Hello
How are you?
I was most surprised with your feedback that you considered I wasn't polite to you. I think I was trying to help you the best I could. I needed to know more about you because otherwise I couldn't go much further. That's why I asked how old you were, so I could better judge the time you still had.
This is a site that people give free time to advise others. I wouldn't do it to be discourteous to anyone.
