You're Only As Good As How You Treat The Little People

You're only as good as how you treat the little people. That generally applies to most if not all professions in life. The ubiquitous stories of now top-level execs who worked their way up the ladder from bus boy/mail room clerk/stock person/etc with class and professionalism seem to exemplify why one should never take for granted the role underlings have. Only the smallest fraction of us singers go from Bachelor's of Music Degree to MET Finalist. Most of us have to work our way, networking and taking low or no paying roles with small regional chamber opera or operetta companies.

But most of us all have to start somewhere -- anywhere, to get much needed stage experience after we've left the cradle of school. Of course there are year-round and summer-long apprenticeships out there. That's great experience if it works with your life style. But, the occasional Christmas-eve service, the occasional local opera company looking for a small chorus, opera run-outs, etc, can also be viable ways to get your foot in the door to work with really great people.

What I care to talk about in this blog is how a singer starting out with a seemingly unglamorous, unattractive role with an opera company that leaves much to be desired, can make the most of it without burning bridges as he/she goes.

Remember that most of the time, you're not the only one there who feels he/she deserves more or better than what they're given. If you're a perfect Susanna, but you're given Barbarina, treat your role as if it's as important and deserves as much effort from yourself as Susanna. There are probably other singers/directors/conductors/accompanists around you who feel the same way about their position in different ways. The director probably want to direct for a bigger company with a bigger production budget, while the accompanist is working on creating a new orchestra. They're all probably working their way up as well, so your good attitude will get you further than you think. Treat everyone at "Jo Schmo Opera Co" with all the professionalism and respect you'd give to anyone at the NYC Opera. Some of the same people you work with now are some of the same people you will work with again for years to come. If you act like a prick with "Jo Schmo Opera Co" the people who you work with there remember that for the rest of your career. And some of those people may be involved in hiring next time, and for a different opera company.

Young stage directors and young music directors are just that -- young stage directors and young music directors. Things that are young eventually turn old. If you look around at top notch opera companies in the US, most stage directors are quite seasoned, and well... old. It would be very short-sighted to assume that the current roster of directors in the US will remain the same for the next 10-15 years. Some will retire, some will shift to Conservatory/University positions, and some will just disappear. The young directors you may be working with now as a "favor" or for an honorarium at "Jo Schmo Opera Co" are some of the same people who will be hired by bigger opera companies with deeper pockets in bigger cities in a few years. The professionalism you display now is the first and most important impression you can give to these young directors. You can piss them off by not showing up by deadline memorized and by being late continually (and not apologizing!), or you can be on time, have your music memorized by the deadline and be preferred to take that one-in-a-lifetime operatic role at "Even Better Opera Co" in a few years.

So, maybe you've made it to "Even Better Opera Co" and you've been given the role of Lucia. You're not a "little person" anymore, but more of a mid-grade working professional. Fine. Yet again, how you treat the little people in your cast -- say, the opera chorus, can have an effect on your future success as well! These people are quiet observers and, boy, they do talk. And just as the young directors age, they do too. One of them may be your ambitious young tenor co-star one day soon -- you never know! The next step after "Even Better Opera Co," if you play your cards right, could be "The Best Damn Opera Co..."

My main point is that nothing in our industry is static. People get better, more experienced, go to and leave different companies, and often times alter their career paths. The nerdy girl who you went to college with, who may have been the least talented singer in your class, may also be a very savvy business person and within 10 years will be production manager for LA Opera. If you're ever auditioning for LA Opera, you'll wonder if you were very nice to her or not. At least, you'll hope you were nice!