Sigma Alpha Iota

SAI PHILANTHROPIES, INC. Pursuing an Operatic Career in America By Alisa Suzanne Jordheim T he career path for an opera singer (or for anyone pursuing a career in music performance, for that matter) requires patience, dedication, tireless preparation, and above all, persistence. The pursuit of an operatic career in America today is vastly different from that undertaken by solo instrumentalists or other stage performers. While it is possible for many instrumentalists to begin performance study as a child and even launch a performing career during his or her teenage years, such is not possible for an opera singer. For a number of reasons, it is nearly essential that an opera singer study at a university or conservatory before trying to begin a career. First, the operatic voice matures later in a person's life (the peak of one's vocal maturity depends on the voice type and gender), typically in a singer's late 20s or early 30s. Consequently, the technical improvement possible during college years can be tremendous. Second, singers must sing in numerous languages and learn the grammatical structure and pronunciation of each of them. The most commonly sung languages are Italian, French, German, and English, but Spanish, Russian, Czech, Polish, and the Scandinavian languages are surfacing more frequently in performance. Third, collegiate singers need stage time and role experience to prepare them for auditions and professional mainstage work. College productions are a great way to build a résumé and the requisite skills for success on the operatic stage. Singers have two options when considering the type of institution at which to pursue their education: a traditional four-year college or university, or a conservatory. As the daughter of two music professors at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, I grew up valuing the liberal arts approach to education and took voice lessons and foreign language courses at the university from the time I was in middle school. However, I also grew to value the focus on one's instrument fostered by the conservatory approach to the education of singers, and I chose to attend universities that housed fine conservatories of music. Whenever I am asked to advise young singers on where to go for schooling, my response remains consistent: for undergraduates, I cannot stress enough Career Performance Grant and Doctoral Grant recipient Alisa Suzanne Jordheim. the importance of a well-rounded liberal arts education that shapes a questioning, thoughtful, perceptive, and wondering individual. In addition to providing a strong foundation in music and access to foreign language courses, an education at a four-year school encourages students to explore areas outside their major, exposing them to disciplines in which they may not have otherwise found themselves interested. After completing a well-rounded curriculum at the undergraduate level, a singer may decide to further hone his or her craft in graduate school. I attended Lawrence University for the first two years of my undergraduate career, and having grown up in that particular college and conservatory environment, I felt the time to focus more specifically on the art of singing came before my graduation. I had studied with Patrice Michaels at Lawrence University since the age of ten — an age that could be considered too young for many singers. Nevertheless, because I developed early and had an excellent and careful teacher, starting my studies at such a young age gave me a head start on repertoire, musicality, diction and language study, and singing technique. Having studied at Lawrence for so many of my precollege years and for two years of undergraduate study, I felt it was time to transfer to complete my undergraduate and graduate work. After visiting and taking voice lessons with several teachers at each of the four schools I was considering, I decided to move to Cincinnati and attend the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music (CCM) and study with William McGraw. Many American students choose their school according to name and prestige — and it may be a different ballgame if you're choosing to pursue a career other than CAREER continued on page 39 sai-national.org WINTER 2013 PAN PIPES 7 winter 13 PP.indd 7 2/12/2013 2:14:55 PM

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