Questions about Opera and Process

[u/Confident_Help1693]

For all of the knowledgeable classical singers, teachers, and really just anyone who has information/advice for me, I've been wondering about a few things so I know more of what to expect in my dreams to sing opera. I am a 16 year old male junior in high school in the United States, and I have only ever known singing bass/low in choir for about 2.5 years. I'm starting vocal lessons within about 2-3 weeks, but overall I would consider myself a very amateur singer. Here are my questions:

How long may it take for me before I am "fully trained"?

When would I generally get my Fach classification?

What does the rehearsal and performing practice roughly look like? (i.e. how long might it take, or the different things you may be doing in practice)

And finally, what might generally be the earliest path for me to get to a taste of what professional opera is like?

[u/oldguy76205]

I've just retired after teach college-level voice for 40 years. One thing I can say with absolute certainty is that no two paths are alike. That being said, let me do my best:

1) Some will say that you are training your whole life. They're not wrong. In general though, but the end of a master's program (or the equivalent) you should (hopefully) be ready to move on to the next step, whatever that is.

2) Again, this is often a lifelong process. For me, personally, I was a tenor in high school, a bass as an undergraduate, a baritone as a graduate, and after that, people told me I was a Heldentenor. (I'm not.) I would often tell students, "Don't get your business cards printed up just yet..."

3) Ideally, young singers should plan to practice at least an hour a day for a MINIMUM of three or four days a week. That doesn't necessarily mean screaming your brains out in a practice room, but includes dedicated study of your music and text, etc. along with learning your music. When you're in an opera, you can expect several hours of rehearsal every day. (Sometimes as many as nine or more, depending on the repertoire.)

4) If you get a chance, try to visit a professional opera company or university program to see what it looks like "behind the scenes." I know there are videos online with interviews, etc. that might prove helpful. When I was your age (WAY before the internet) I was a voracious reader. I read every issue of Opera News from cover to cover. I read the biographies/autobiographies of the great singers. I listened CONSTANTLY, without all the resources you have today.

Good luck!

[u/HuskyTown]

Fully trained? Never? Or 15 years? Somewhere in between.

I would say that you won't start touching on specific fach for roughly another 2 - 4 years. There's not a set time, more how quickly you learn and encorporate processes.

But I went through the baritone/tenor debate most of my undergrad.

Rehearsals typically require you as a choir member to spend a couple of weeks in music rehearsals and then a couple of weeks for blocking. The last 4 rehearsals likely in costume.

A principal would be expected to have learned and coached the music privately before arriving. Maybe some one on one coaching with the conductor to collaborate on tempos and artistic choices. Then a few weeks of blocking and character work.

Then collectively

A sitzprobe - singing with the orchestra. A tech rehearsal or two (setting light cues). A couple of dress rehearsals. And then possibly an invited dress.

Earliest path... Do you live somewhere with an opera company? Do they have a "children's" choir? If not. Look to audition to be a super.

[u/itsfineimfinewhy]

1.) "Fully trained" will get you a "you can never be fully ready" as a response like...every time. The closest objectives to get "fully trained" for me would be full preparation in "technique" and "career."

On technique: Full preparation would be my technique becoming an afterthought while singing at a professional caliber. Constantly practicing, constantly curious about how to better understand and use my instrument got me there, and lessons/practice helped me handle the next challenge once I got there. Get out of your comfort zone as much as possible, keep helpful advice, ditch advice that doesn't help or make sense.

On career: Your first art song, your first aria, your first scene, your first role, your first jobs singing each of those items...these are huge milestones and each deserve your full attention. Don't skip any of it, all of it cascades and informs the rest. Don't be afraid to fuck up and be wrong, it's all new and that's okay. But identify each career milestone and use those as mile markers. Helps keep you sane when things are quiet and you're chipping away in practice rooms.

2.) Fach is only useful when you're put together and talking to an agent about how to best market yourself for jobs. For a very long time: sing stuff that moves your technique forward within a manageable tessitura correctly. The profession will let you know when fach matters if you decide to go that deep into it. Fach doesn't matter to you until then (likely a long time). Also, this is a liberating thing, not a bad thing or a "you're not ready" thing. That is true, but enjoy the fact that you don't have to pick a lane or worry about lanes at all. You might end up a tenor, who knows at 16 lol

3.) Practice: translating the whole opera, learning the music, memorizing your role, then memorizing your cast mates' roles so you know what they're saying to you when you're talking, then getting into the nuance, style, and language of the opera, being sure to be extremely sensitive to the piece you're working on. This should be put together before you get to rehearsal, and you should definitely work with a coach and a voice teacher to make sure you're getting everything and doing it in a technically sound way according to the person putting your instrument together. All of that preparation needs to happen but not necessarily in any particular order.

Rehearsal: 1-5 week process. Longer if you're green (Pay to sings, YAPs), shorter if you're experienced (jobs). Rehearsals are typically ~6 hours/day, happen all over the map. You spend rehearsals confirming tempi and musicality with cast mates and conductors and putting scenes together with the director. It's pretty fast, and you're expected to get it down in a handful of attempts. This means you either need to have a photographic memory, take good ass notes and practice it after you get home, or have a process that allows you to show up prepared. Shows up in lots of ways, you'll want to figure out your process as a student.

4.) Earliest path: Do summer programs and get involved with a local professional opera chorus.

Summer programs are a simulation of the real thing in super slow motion for younger singers. This is good practice before 25, and it's typically not sexy for many reasons that you can read about if you look up pay to sings. If you love opera at its worst, you will love it at its best.

Being in the chorus of a pro opera company allows you to see what the real pace is, and you get to watch leads actually put shit together in rehearsal if you want to. You'll want to pay attention to how quickly they're downloading information and start thinking about how you would do the same. Treating it as a cover or understudy is especially helpful for simulating the pressure of getting it done. I used this route to climb way faster than my peers with a fraction of their credentials.

Source: I built a successful regional career in less than 5 years, and decided the lack of pay and social isolation wasn't worth the applause.

Good luck, and above all: make sure you enjoy yourself. Also don't pay to go to grad school

[u/Lillian-Duncan1]

You're 16 and just starting lessons. We're talking a decade plus. Fach happens when your voice settles, not before. Rehearsals vary wildly by company. Go see everything you can.