Hello. It's Friday again. My 8th Friday in Stuttgart and I am in the middle of the kind of week I was warned about before I came here. I am aware that, by writing this blog on a Friday, there is a tendency for me to be tired and focus on some negatives more than positives but I am keen to be honest and give a true account of life here and as an opera singer, not a sugar coated one.
It being eight weeks in, I have some thoughts about why I am here in Stuttgart and what aspects of my personality have contributed to me living on my own in a foreign country when my wife, family and friends are mostly based in the South East of England.
(As I say, I want to be honest, as you will know from my previous posts but an important point to make is that I really love singing, I love being on stage, I love communicating the music and words to an audience. I do love the music of Opera, in particular Verdi, Mozart, Strauss, Donizetti and Bellini. I also love the challenge of trying to make the best of what talent I may have. If I didn't love what I am doing then I wouldn't be here)
Honest
Honesty is very important to me. The virtues of the 'honest' performer are often extolled by reviewers and the search for such a performance acts as an inspiration to improve in all aspects of ones life as a singer. Honesty in learning is important, honesty from coaches and teachers, directors, friends, colleagues. As long as it is constructive, and not destructive, of course. Because we singers can be quite sensitive souls. More so than other musicians, we can feel that any comment on our performances, our voices in particular, are deeply personal.
This aspect of the singers psyche can create a minefield for those coaches/teachers/ directors etc. which they do well to negotiate whilst also trying to give constructive help. Which is why as a singer it important develop an armor around that precious psyche which can deflect some of the flack if the occasional mine is trodden on (excuse me for extending that metaphor). It is also important to find the people who you trust and who can be totally honest with you and I find that I am particularly sensitive to those who are not honest and beat around the bush.
I very am happy to have a core of people I feel I can trust, I can go to them for lessons or coachings and I know they will be honest with me and we will do good honest work. None of them massage my ego and I feel that their end goal is the same as mine.
Driven (and Selfish)
You may have noticed that I occasionally use language one might associate with sport or business life. Such terms as 'end goal' and 'value added' evoke memories of 'The Apprentice' and not necessarily the world of Opera, this world of art and music, where we perform for the love of it.
Whereas I am not a singer in order to become rich and I do indeed love it, the business aspect of being a performer is extremely important. A realization I didn't make until quite recently. Because when it comes down to the bare facts of the matter, I wouldn't be able to be here singing if they weren't paying me. I also wouldn't be in Stuttgart unless I thought it would aid my future career prospects. Further to that, in order to continue such work and move up in the operatic world I need to create a business that is attractive to opera companies, concert promoters, agents, and one that is employable and sustainable. A 'Thomas Elwin plc'
As with any business there are many aspects to it succeeding and balancing these is always going to be a challenge. Ideally one would have an agent/artist manager to aid in this (more about that another time) but either way there is much to consider. There are all the financial management aspects, as with any small business, decisions about how many lessons/coachings you can afford, whether you can afford to travel to an audition, or whether you can afford not to travel to it. There are also all the PR aspects, trying to sell your business, the way you look, present yourself, online presence, whether it is good PR to have worked in a certain Opera house or for a certain company. Then of course there are all the artistic aspects, the voice of course, the acting, languages, interpretation, the actual thing you are trying to sell. And not forgetting the personal aspects, the relationships, personal and emotional well being of the employee (me).
When you are on your own in a small flat in a foreign country having rehearsed/performed for 30 + hours in 4 days it is quite difficult to maintain all these aspects but that is where the selfish drive to succeed comes in. Because without a drive to be the best Opera singer I can be I would probably be back in England, singing for fun and working in a job unrelated to Music, and in many ways that is a much more attractive proposition. I would see my wife every day, my family and friends more, I would have more money, I would go and watch West Ham play and maybe take up golf.
This selfish drive has brought me to Stuttgart. This selfish drive will I hope give me a good long career in Opera, I also hope I will have the honesty to admit when things aren't going well and when aspects of the business need considering.
Anyway.....I digress..... what about my week.....
Busy week
As I have mentioned, this week is the sort of week I was warned about. From Monday to today I have been in stage rehearsals for one opera, music and stage rehearsals for a second opera, music rehearsals for a concert on sunday and had performances of a third opera. Each day I look at the schedule and assume that any time I might have for myself will be filled. This doesn't leave much time for tending to many aspects of 'Thomas Elwin plc' life.
Happily, one aspect of 'Tom Elwin plc' was made easier this week with my wife visiting from England. As a teacher she is on half term so we were able to spend the weekend together and then she spent a few days exploring Stuttgart alone whilst I was working. It was lovely to see her and I am looking forward to sharing a German Christmas with her and her parents when they come over in December.
Production rehearsals for Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina have now moved onto the stage. The production uses most of the space Stuttgart's stage has to offer and with the large chorus scenes and various sets it promises to be quite a spectacle. The voices on show are also quite spectacular, I have never heard the volume of voice that one of the Russian singers has, I'm surprised some of you people in the UK haven't heard him from over there.
On Tuesday evening I performed in the 150th performance of Achim Freyer's production of Der Freischutz. A production that was created in Stuttgart in 1980, it was lovely to be on stage whilst the boss, Jossi Wieler, gave a speach which included inviting all those who have been involved with each one of those 150 performances to the stage. We finish the run of performances on Monday, and I will always have fond memories of my debut role in a German Opera house.
Rehearsals have started for Sundays 5 year Opera Studio anniversary concert which features most of the Opera studio singers from that time. Those who aren't already in Stuttgart are arriving in the next day or so and it will be great to see two Tenors who were at the Royal Academy of Music with me, Stuart Jackson and Roberto Ortiz. It will also be great to meet and learn from more singers who are further down the line in their careers. Though I hope the concert will be a great success I am sure the party after will be....
Thank you
Before I leave you for another week, may I thank those of you who have emailed/facebooked/tweeted/phoned me about the blog, asking questions or offering support or advice. I am always glad for the contact and more than happy to meet new people.
Should you want to email, my address can be found under the contact page of my website www.thomaselwin.com .
I leave you with a clip from a Masterclass I took part in during the summer, just to prove to you all that I don't just blog about it but I do also actually sing!
Have a good week!
Tom
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