At the end of her legendary series of Juilliard masterclasses in 1971, Maria Callas is reported to have left the stage with one last instruction: “Whether I continue singing or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you use whatever you have learned wisely. Think of the expression of the words, of good diction, and of your own deep feelings. The only thanks I ask is that you sing properly and honestly. If you do this, I will feel repaid.”
Entire plays, novels and movie scripts have been written about mystical relationships between students and their teachers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a musician, a journalist or an actuary, you never forget your best teacher—or your worst one. They can become second, surrogate parents. Their words, whether toxic or supportive, stay in our heads long after we’ve moved on from them.
For this issue’s spotlight on vocal training, we asked some singers and voice teachers to share the most and least helpful things they heard from instructors, coaches and mentors along the way, as well as anything they wish someone had told them sooner. Even though these artists represent different ages, backgrounds, voice types and career stages, many shared similar experiences or observations. Several called out opera’s draconian culture of perfectionism, and the tendency to focus on incremental “leveling up,” which can lead to crippling self-doubt and missed opportunities.
If these first-person observations (some have been edited for length or clarity) can be summed up in one piece of advice, it’s this: “Trust yourself and your training. If you’re always worried about not being ready, you’ll never be ready.”
MEZZO-SOPRANO
Maria Soulis
Most useful teaching…
My teacher, Niel Semer, with whom I’ve been working for nearly 30 years, has a simple maxim, which he repeats often: “The worst Plan A is better than the best Plan B.”
