While many of this year’s graduates pursue premeditated,
well-paying occupations, UCLA voice students look for bread and
butter side jobs as they shoot for their passion: a solo singing
career.
Pursuing a vocal career in opera nowadays is not so different
from trying to be the next big pop star, especially with the lack
of mainstream classical vocalists. Who, after all, recognizes names
other than Luciano Pavarotti, Charlotte Church and Josh Groban?
Because of this fact, students constantly face skepticism of
popular and economic success in their career choice.
“When we tell people what we’ll be doing with our
lives they say, “˜How are you going to live off that? That and
a quarter will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks,'”
said graduating masters of music student Kelly Krantz. “You
have to prove yourself and be able to say, “˜I’m the
best and you’re not going to find any better “¦ I can do
it differently than everyone else.'”
Leaving behind UCLA’s graduate program will mean parting
with the tight-knit, yet competitive community they have been a
part of for the past several years. Because there are so few
students in their program, they are fortunate to receive an
abundance of hands-on training. This has allowed for a lot of
improvement in their craft and plenty of opportunities to shine in
leading roles.
It has also meant that the voice students are on close terms
with each other– studying, performing, and hanging out
together.
“It’s such a small program that we all work and
socialize with each other,” Krantz said. “We call it
“˜Schoenberg High,’ because it’s like a high
school in some aspects.”
But the handful of coursework is not enough preparation for the
entrance into today’s fiercely competitive music arena. With
UCLA serving as a microcosm of competition, voice majors have no
choice but to arm themselves with non-music related jobs in order
to pay the bills. In addition, they’re tangled up with
independent study, auditions, competitions and programs in order to
garner attention from agents and build their resumes and
repertoire.
Leaving behind the sheltered UCLA community that the voice
students have lived in will force the students to take on many new
responsibilities.
“I’m disillusioned because I feel like we can get
away with so much stuff here,” said graduating masters of
music student Patrick Bell. “There are life skills we still
have to develop”¦ basic, functional things that are not part
of this system. It’s like you fight your way through school
only to fight your way through the bigger system.”
Although one continual struggle that they have had to cope with
at UCLA is proving to other music students that the voice is just
as important as the instruments.
“We’re not instrumentalists, so we’re not
considered musicians a lot of the time,” said graduating
masters of music student Christina Borgiolo. “We get looked
down on because we’re singers, even though we work just as
hard. I believe that your voice is your instrument. You carry it
around with you all the time.”
Aspiring vocal performers also face the problem of the Hollywood
element that has infiltrated the classical sphere, since now
visuals are often being emphasized over vocals.
“Originally, the beauty of the soprano’s voice was
supposed to overcome any physical boundaries that she might have,
and woo everyone in the audience to love her,” said Krantz.
“Nowadays, it’s more of a visual thing.”
Usually, better roles are given to more physically appealing
performers over better-trained vocalists, making it even more
difficult for talented vocalists to be picked from masses of
aspiring singers.
“It’s more about learning the logistics of this
business,” said Borgiolo. “It all comes down to knowing
how to sell yourself. I’m tired of waiting.”
Bell, Borgiolo and Krantz, who have sung together in a quartet
for five years, are ready to move on and put into practice the
lessons they have learned at UCLA.
“You have to look at where you are as a stepping stone and
not get comfortable,” said Bell. “If you want to be
successful in this business, you always have to be progressing and
looking for new angles.”