Can’t We All Get Along? The Politics of Singing
Want to know something funny? I went into singing to be more popular. I was seven years old when someone noticed that my voice was pretty, and I decided right then and there to be a singer. Talk about a five-year plan! For me, the world of singing, where the allure of applause and recognition danced tantalizingly on the horizon, seemed the ticket in my young brain to what I wanted.
The Illusion of Popularity
In a way, you are more popular when you sing. If people bother to come and hear you to enjoy your voice and talent, then it follows that they like you, right? Well, not exactly. Beneath the surface lies a more complex reality.
Real-World Singing Hurdles
As with other professions, jobs slip away, not because they dislike you but to many factors existing pretty far afield from the music itself. It isn’t the auditions that get you, though they can certainly be challenging and look like a series of “no’s” balanced by an infrequent but welcome “yes.” It’s the long-term jobs like singing teacher, mentor, administrator, etc. There’s no applause there, and nobody goes into these jobs to be popular—nor should you expect that.
Bumps in the Road
I remember being carefully and conscientiously squeezed out of a job teaching singing at a high school, because I had made the key error of taking maternity leave. Was that a sin? No, they were moms, too. But they felt the competition of having me on board, and they wanted me out. “But I have a pretty voice!” I thought. “I’m good at what I do!” None of that could prevent the inevitable.
I’ve also been dropped from a yearly performance contract because the hotel where I sang recitals of my choice to an adoring, though small, audience was sold to a dot-commer who preferred non-classical music. Nothing I could do could prevent me from losing that opportunity. Welcome to the real world!
Singing Reality Check
When you do a singing gig, it’s a job. You’re judged on your job, and you’re only as good as your last concert; at least, that’s the common wisdom in the music world. We musicians become has-beens awfully easily. Not as quickly as athletes, but it is a kind of athletic-style, short lifespan, this singing biz.
Soprano Psychosis
You have to be very careful whom you associate with and whom you depend upon for favors. For instance, most of my best friends in singing have been mezzo-sopranos. I find them almost universally warm and good-hearted. Conversely, I hardly ever make a professional soprano a friend. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve had good camaraderie with sopranos but, sadly, almost never a true friendship. The problem is, once I showed up on the set to perform or at the studio to teach, soprano colleagues would seem worried about my presence for some reason, often behaving quite strangely, coldly, oddly . . . I guess it was the perceived competition? For years, I’ve called this phenomenon “soprano psychosis.” I just wanted to get along with everybody and do my job, and the negative energy was quite a burden. Over time, I’ve preferred to work alone doing solo contracts, teaching private lessons, and largely “running my own show.” No man is an island? Well, a little isolation isn’t such a bad thing.
Unity Over Discord
How often have we heard people praise one singer by comparing another equally marvelous singer negatively to the first one? Always, they were asking who was better: Renata Tebaldi or Maria Callas. The answer, in my opinion, is neither. Or better, we need both of them. As we navigate the complexities of our chosen paths, shouldn’t we embrace unity over discord? Collaboration over competition? We need every good soprano—nay, every good singer there is out there! I would love, for once, to see the day when we can all just get along.
