Hello, it’s me….. again.
Almost 6 months since I finished my year as a young artist
in the Opera Studio of Oper Stuttgart which means almost 6 months since my last
blog post. When I decided to write a blog post, every Friday from the first to
my last week as a young artist, I didn’t quite realise how big a task it was
going to be and those of you who followed each week will be aware of the ups
and downs of my life as a singer, both during the year itself and in the year
leading up to joining Stuttgart. Now six months later, I would like to share my
experiences of life after an opera studio and to bring a final end to my blogging.
This really is it. So, if you will indulge me one last time, here it is.
Back home – the summer
When I returned to London in July, having spent most of the
previous ten months rehearsing or performing Opera (48 performances over 8
operas!), my initial plan was to have some time away from this most wonderful of
art forms. By the end of the first week back I’d seen Figaro at West Green
House Opera, L’amore dei tre Re at Opera Holland Park, had acquired a ticket to
see Saul at Glyndebourne and had already messed up my first audition back on
home turf.
When I say messed up the audition, I sang ok – really really
OK. In hindsight I was just completely drained from all that being a young
artist had thrown at me and I’m more surprised that the role was down to me and
one other guy (they chose him) than that they didn’t pick me.
With Mrs. E on an amazing school trip to South America, I
made the most of some time to catch up with people. Or at least I tried to. I
managed to have tea with a couple who had supported me over the previous 18 months,
and had lunch with another great supporter. All wonderful people who I now
consider friends and to whom I will be eternally grateful. I managed to meet up
with a few friends and saw some family but sadly not everyone I had hoped to
see and I must make more effort next time I have a prolonged period at home.
Mr Scott
I hadn’t been back in the UK long when my former Director of
Music from St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mr John Scott, passed away in New York, having himself
just returned from a long organ recital tour in Europe. The news hit me with a
wave of emotion and I sat alone in our living room, tears streaming down my
cheeks. I was a chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral under Mr Scott’s leadership for
six years, from the age of 7, and during that time he had taught me a huge
amount. He instilled in all of us a sense of duty, a steely determination to do
ones best and gave us an unrivalled musical education. Would I be doing what I
am today without John? I doubt it.
It was good, a few months later, to attend an Evensong at
St. Paul’s, with prayers for John. To see many staff and fellow students from my
time as a chorister was, though tinged with sadness, wonderful. I hope to make
a memorial event back at St. Paul’s on May 6th, 2016.
A few days after John’s passing, my wife and I travelled to
Austria for a mini break in Vienna – preceded by an audition for me in the
south of Austria. Again, this went OK. Something didn’t feel quite right
vocally, it’s funny how emotion can affect the voice (its not funny at all
actually) and the theatre in question was terribly organised with no direction
as to where to warm up, where to go for the audition, what time I was on….. It
was frustrating.
Vienna was lovely and on our return I was delighted to hear
that my audition in Salzburg back at the beginning of July had been successful and
I would be singing the role of Belmonte, the main Lyric tenor, in Mozart’s Die
Entfuhrung aus Serail in Bregenz (where I am currently rehearsing). Thankfully,
the ever supportive Stuttgart allowed me to cancel covering the tenor parts in
their new Fairy Queen in order for me to come to Bregenz. With 6th
of December the date for my flight over here, I now had a few months to play
with.
Next step
With Belmonte in the diary and three small roles in
Stuttgart from Feb to July 2016, I saw these few months as crucial for future
planning and opportunities. Despite the success of my year in Stuttgart,
including jumping in as Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte, I hadn’t been able to
acquire representation from an agency. In fact, such were the burgeoning
relationships with various agencies, I had hoped to announce who I was to be
represented in one of my final blogs….. but this was not to be and I grew
increasingly frustrated with either the lack of responses or the lack of any
apparent interest from agents who had shown initial keenness.
I pushed on regardless and emailed those who had been
interested, a new group of agents and a couple of agents who had actively not
shown interest, with the news of my role in Bregenz. I also decided to put on a
concert in London that would double up as a great opportunity for family,
friends and supporters to see me perform in London but also a chance for any
interested agents to attend.
The initial response to these emails was positive and I
ended up getting two quite last minute auditions (one in Belgium, one in Switzerland)
through one German based agency, and had confirmation of two agents keen to
attend my concert in London.
Always striving
Once again, the auditions I acquired didn’t go amazingly
well. They didn’t go badly as such, but something wasn’t quite working vocally
and I felt I could have represented myself better. Fortunately, on the back of
feedback I had received on a few occasions in Stuttgart, I had arranged to see
a new teacher in London, one I knew had worked well with some of my friends and
one who had a particular focus on an area I was looking to improve. Not to say
that there was anything wrong with my other teacher, in fact I still recommend
him to everyone, but I think it is important to work with new people
occasionally, they might be able to open up something that another person hasn’t
touched on yet.
The work I did in the first lesson clicked immediately and
within minutes I felt I had gained a more solid base of support with which to
utilise what was a well-developed technique. The resulting sound became easier,
fuller and warmer than what I had been working with in my last months in
Stuttgart and suddenly the voice felt more me. Not surprisingly, I immediately
gained in confidence and took this refreshed voice into my upcoming coachings
and auditions.
Cosi once more
As if the Operatic gods were aware of my new state of mind,
and voice (often the same for us singers), a week after this first lesson I received
a call from Stuttgart to ask me to jump in as Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte once
more. Despite the initial nerves of trying to remember the whole opera and
production three months after I had last performed it, I jumped at the chance.
The performance was a success, it was lovely to be back at what felt like my Operatic
home and the changes in my singing were noticed immediately, particularly by
Bettina Giese, the head of the Opera studio. The morning after this
performance, the powers that be in Stuttgart offered me the first four
performances of a major role in the 2016/17 season, more than I could ever hope
for.
Suddenly I had more to offer to a potential agent and I once
again sent off a selection of emails with news of this new success. Again with
mixed results.
The concert
By the time of my much planned and self-publicised concert
(how else does an agentless, penniless singer get people to attend a concert….),
at the end of November, one of the two confirmed agents had cancelled and
suddenly my big opportunity to showcase this new voice and artistic package was
going to be relying on an agent who could only make the afternoon rehearsal.
The rehearsal went well, the agent was lovely and very
positive, the concert, with the fantastic Maite Aguirre, was a success – you can hear some clips here if you so
wish https://soundcloud.com/thomaselwin – and I was very happy to have the chance to sing to a room of
family, friends and supporters before I was to be away for another three months.
Bregenz
A week later, and following a concert in Winchester
Cathedral, I travelled here to Bregenz to start rehearsals. My first major
professional role, not as cover/Jump in, I was very excited to start. The
rehearsals did not disappoint and, but for a week back in England for Christmas
and two more ‘jump ins’ as Ferrando in Stuttgart last week, I have been here in
this charming small town of Bregenz ever since.
What I have enjoyed most about this is just being allowed to
work, and create the art. Not having to justify my place here, not feeling like
I am only here because I am opera studio or having any sense that I am constantly
auditioning for my next job. The atmosphere has been great, and the show would
be a great showcase for any agents I would like to invite would it that I still
needed one.
Delighted – (perseverance)
Happily, on the back of hearing my rehearsal back in
November, and the clips from my concert, I met with and was taken on by
Jonathan Groves, Helen Hogh and Lulu Chivers at Ingpen and Williams at the end
of December Thomas Elwin - Ingpen. It is very much a novelty having some people actively working with
me in this way and I am absolutely delighted.
I have been trying to get an agent interested in me ever
since I was in Postgrad. at music college back in 2009/10. Others in my year
picked up agents, friends had agents, but not me. In the lead up to going to
Stuttgart I contacted quite a few, and had interest from one or two….. but
nothing developed. I actually emailed Ingpen back in May 2014, but was politely
declined. I emailed again when I knew they had sent someone to watch one of
their artists in Stuttgart, and once more politely declined. Despite two polite
refusals, I emailed once more when I knew I’d jump in in Cosi Fan Tutte back in
June 2015, and slowly from that point interest developed. Getting Belmonte in
Bregenz pushed things along, jumping in in Cosi in November definitely caught
their ears and by the end of December the perseverance had paid off enough – I was
taken on.
SOAP BOX (stay with
me, I’m almost done)
It’s great for me to be able to end this 6 month, post opera
studio, chapter with the good news of getting a top agent. As with my blogging throughout,
from day one, I hope it is apparent that it hasn’t all been plain sailing to
get here. Being in the opera studio at Stuttgart afforded me numerous
opportunities, great opportunities that have allowed me to reach an exciting start
of a hopefully long career in opera. I get to sing amazing music in beautiful
places with great people. Yet being in the studio in Stuttgart also cost me
another year not earning a sustainable income, a year being away from wife,
family, friends, England.
As with any choices in life, there are swings and
roundabouts and for those of you who are reading this with the romantic notion
of wanting to be an Opera singer, great, congratulations! I really do wish you
the best of luck in your endeavour. I urge you not to make the decision lightly
and if you do make it, to persevere as much as you can. Knock on doors, knock
on them again. Learn from everything, every teacher, colleague, superstar,
performance. Ask questions, and be honest with yourself. Do everything you can
to justify the amazing support that family and friends will give you and never
take that support for granted.
For those of you who just read this as an opera supporter or
a friend of mine on facebook, or of my family, or just happened to stumble upon it and have made it this far, thank you for the support and
please don’t stop. The arts are a mad place to try and make a life in, it can
be lonely and tough and without the support of family and friends it would be
almost impossible. Whatever form that support manifests itself, thank you so
much.
That’s it from me. No more blogging……. If we happen to meet,
do say ‘Hello’. Until then…
Portrait by Gerard Collett
