AboutPamela Thomas Expertise Questions on Opera performance, repertoire, vocal technique, acting for opera. I have some 20 years experience in opera in both leading roles and chorus. I have sung with New York City Opera since 1981. I have studied voice in NYC for over 20 years and have also taught technique and coached singers in acting.
I am the mother of a young lady who is a junior in high school. She is currently studying with a voice teacher and coach through a program with our local, professional opera company. My daughter has a "beautiful, promising voice" and her father and I are very supportive of her choice to pursue a possible operatic career. However, she is a LOUSY academic. Getting her through regular school subjects (history, math & science) is going to make me go bald! She does wonderfully with any music classes, of course. I cannot imagine how she will fare in college! So my question is twofold, #1 IS it possible to train for an opera career without college and/or what type of college program would work bast for a singer like her?
Answer Hi Theresa,
I definitely think she should go to college. She would be in the music school where she would probably study voice, languages, theory, music history, dance class, and any other music electives. They usually have some general courses - but very few people really "make it" in performing professionally. So going to a music school would expose her to other opportunities she might not think of now: teaching, arts management, etc.)
I have been telling people to check out www.classicalsinger.com
It's a great site for singers but if you click on "university vocal programs" you will see a very long list of universities, colleges with music schools and information about them. Then if you go to their internet site you will see what the undergrad curriculum would be.
For example, the Manhattan School of Music site http://www.msmnyc.edu/voice/
if you click on Voice Degree Sequence Plans - that will actually show you what courses are required to graduate. That will give you an idea of what she will be doing. Other music schools sites will have that as well.
Also - I would tell your daughter that singing is the least of what she must learn to do well to succeed. She'll need to work on languages (Italian, French, German), acting, music history (so she knows about performance practices of the pieces she is singing. She seems very right brain (creative) oriented - but sometimes kids don't realize how important the general courses are (my niece is the same way - it does drive you crazy!).
Succeeding in performing opera takes a huge amount of dedication and concentration. Almost all of the opera singers I know are smart and they work really hard. Since your daughter probably has the voice - she needs to learn all the stuff to back it up.
I just think if she doesn't go to school - she will be so far behind it will be hard to compete in a very competitive world - and sopranos have the most competition.
Besides - you usually need the time to mature vocally and personally.
