PHOTO: www.ayi.com
Good morning everyone!
Sorry I have been somewhat MIA lately, it has been quite bonkers with my students and their upcoming festivals and I haven't had as much time to write as I would have liked.
Today I present to you:
Conflicting Advice Part II: Inside the World of a Male Opera Singer
When I wrote the first version, I thought it would be both fun and interesting to hear some useless advice on the men side of things.
I have enlisted the help of Michael Pistorio:
Michael Pistorio is a 25 years old lyric baritone from Pasadena, MD a suburb of Baltimore, MD. He graduated with his undergraduate degree a year ago from a small liberal arts university in Music: Vocal Performance. Since then, Michael been an independent musician performing in concerts, recitals, and operas along the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. You can find Michael on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and SoundCloud all under his full name: Michael Pistorio.
"These are some of my favorite questions and comments I’ve received since I began training as a Classical singer in September 2011. For the record I am a 25 year old Lyric Baritone. I have a very versatile voice which allows me to sing a lot of rep in Musical Theatre, Art Songs, Spirituals, and Sacred Music. The operatic repertoire that best suits me right now is Handel, Donizetti and Mozart. I know this, and it’s not changing in the immediate future.
“Are you a baritone? You sound like a tenor.”
“Is your voice right for that?”
“I think this piece is too high for your voice.”
“I think this [same piece] is too low for your voice.”
“Are you sure that you’re not a tenor?”
“Your voice is really starting to settle.”
“Your voice is starting to sound more dramatic.”
“You're too young, your voice is still changing too much.”
“You need more dramatic rep.”
“You need lighter rep.”
“You’re singing too dramatic.”
“Your voice isn’t big enough to sing Puccini.”
“Here, you should work on this Puccini.” (For the record, I’m currently working on the Puccini.)
“Your voice is perfectly suited for Mozart.”
“You’re too young for Mozart.”
“You’ve lost weight.”
“You need to lose weight.”
“You’re too skinny.”
“You need to bulk up, put some muscle on.”
“You work out right?” (Got it, I need to hit the gym, thank you.)
“Directors want your voice big and your shirt off.” (GOT IT, really!)
a comment on my voice: “Well, at least you’ll fit the costume.”
“You know you have constant dark shadows under your eyes, right?”
“The features of your face are too bold.”
“I like how bold your features are.”
“Keep your hair short.”
“Grow your hair out.”
“You look too young on stage.”
“You’ll never get cast, you look too young.”
“Keep your facial hair.”
“You should trim your facial hair into *insert pattern/shape here*.”
“I love your hair like this, don’t change it!”
“I hate your hair like this, change it immediately!”
“Make sure you wear a plain tux for every recital.”
“Don’t wear a tux, no one likes them anymore.”
“Yes a tie.”
“No, no tie.” (These last 6 were two different people weighing in for the same event.)
I believe 100% that I have a complete advantage being a male in this industry. But that doesn’t mean I go without my criticisms and opinions from everyone. People are definitely more forgiving of me but I still strive to make as many people happy as I can. The truth is, I can only be happy with myself and the music I am making.
My voice teacher says it best, “Opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one. Best to just listen to your own judgement from here on out.”
Thanks again to Michael for all your help with this article! I couldn't have done it without you!
As I said to the ladies, be resilient, my darlings!
