To fans of classical voice, it’s a familiar feeling. I am referring to the excitement when opera lovers hear a beautiful new voice, an instrument with the capacity to thrill and delight. Here in Canada, there is no shortage of promising young singers emerging each year from our conservatories and university music departments. And when the stars are aligned for the lucky few, they may well go on to fine careers, following in the footsteps of past greats like Jon Vickers, Teresa Stratas, Maureen Forrester, Louis Quilico, and Ben Heppner.
That’s the best-case scenario. To be sure, performing arts professions are notorious for their impermanence. For every singer who has an enviable career trajectory, many disappear, not to be heard from again. Audiences and critics love success stories, while those who have faded away are quickly forgotten. It would be simplistic to assume that the ones who have dropped out weren’t good enough. There are many requisites for a career besides a beautiful voice—talent to be sure, solid training, drive and determination are the givens. In this tough business, luck of the draw doesn’t hurt, neither does having good connections, not to mention being at the right place at the right time.
The reality is that there are always more fine singers than there are gigs, especially in North America where classical music, only a 1% share of the performing arts market, is very much a niche product. To explore why some quit the business, I reached out to a dozen singers who have left singing as their primary source of income. When approached, quite a few were reluctant to talk. This reminds me of two of my previous articles. For one about ‘cover singers’ or understudies, I was turned down by several who said — “I don’t want to be labeled as a cover…” For another article on the singing voice, the vast majority decided
