This week I debut my 50th role as Athanaël in Thaïs. Before I enter any final week of rehearsals (or tech week) of a vocally substantial role, I do this one thing in order to sing my best. Lots of opera singers knowingly do this, but there’s a real science and necessity to it and … More What Every Opera Singer Needs Before Opening Night
In just a few weeks, I’m reaching a milestone in my operatic career: my 50th role. That doesn’t mean years of merely memorizing music; role preparation is a process and an essential part of life as an opera singer. Over the years, I’ve honed that process and I’ve found exactly what works for me in … More My 6-Step Process to Learning A New Role
Do you ever wonder what you would do if you weren’t a musician? Without a doubt, I would own a rescue dog sanctuary. Sometimes I think if I ever retire, I’ll buy some property in North Carolina and get one started. Until then, my love for dogs lives through my rescue dog, Teemo. Teemo’s Story … More Life With An Opera Dog
There is no formula for starting a career in opera. There is no step-by-step program to get you to the professional level at which you want to be in your career. There are no guarantees and no fail-proof approaches to becoming a professional opera singer even after investing in years of voice study and education. … More How To Transition From Young Artist To Young Professional
There is a shortness to my breath. A bead of sweat drips down my forehead. My throat closes up. A pain appears in my chest. It’s tax season. Nothing stresses me out in this world more than doing my taxes. I would trade singing the most difficult baritone aria on opera’s biggest stage any day! … More Taxes for Musicians: A Beginner’s Guide for 2018
Nothing is as easy as it seems. Especially a career in the performing arts. It took me a long time to get to where I am today with the success that I have, and I worked my ass off. What we see in a performing artist is the end product of a long journey of … More That Time When I Was So Poor I Stole Food To Survive (and other starving artist stories)
Compared to other opera languages like French, German, English, Russian, Czech, etc., Italian seems easy. The language itself consists of only pure vowels, some of which are open and closed. There’s no mixed vowels like French or German, and no crazy consonants like Czech or Russian. And unlike English, for the most part, what you … More The Ultimate Hack for Singing your Best Italian
Life as an opera singer is hard. Our voices are precious instruments that can be affected by many unforeseeable factors. The pressure of performing complicated pieces of music in front of an audience can be overwhelming. Couple that with the treacherous life on the road, and you’ve been dealt a tough hand. Anything to make … More 21 Things Every Opera Singer Should Own
After 12 productions and 57 performances, I’ve come to learn a lot about Figaro, Figaro, Figaro. And yes, we’ve all seen the Bugs Bunny cartoon. Largo al factotum Boom! Singing Figaro is like getting shot out of a cannon! It starts out with the most challenging—and most recognizable—aria for baritones in the repertoire. Five sustained … More How I Role: Everyone’s Trusty Barber
You spend hours every day practicing. You put yourself out there for any and every opportunity. Your determination never falters and you have the drive to push through even the toughest moments. You experience a few setbacks as well as a couple of hard-earned accomplishments. You sacrifice things that most people don’t understand. And you … More What No One Tells You About Success As An Opera Singer
