Nevermind the Why and Wherefore!

The adventure of summer gigs in Ontario.

    Summer is always a mixed bag for most singers in Ontario. I’m not here to plug these events, but there are street festivals, some summer concert series, and a few larger music festivals where you can see the usual suspects from the bigger institutions sweating it out for the public—and doing some singing too. That list may sound like there's a lot going on for performers, but really, there isn't. Most singing teachers and répétiteurs become elusive creatures; they head to Europe to teach in summer programs and take a vacation as well.
    Early on in my artistic development, I ventured to Europe twice, but I learned the most from Toronto offerings when I performed Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann and Semele in Semele with Summer Opera Lyric Theatre. I highly recommend this program to singers at all stages. There is always room to improve your craft, and you don't need to go broke with a trip to Europe to do so.

Yugene Oh as Juno, Jessica Clark as Iris, myself as Semele and Meagan Reimer as Ino in Summer Opera Lyric Theatre's Semele(2018)

So, what is there to do?
    

    This year I’m performing Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury and some other favorites from HMS Pinafore and Iolanthe, which has been great fun. My car is in her 20s and has no AC, so I was grateful for the dip in the heat during my trek out to Brantford for rehearsal the other night. Since Brantford is past Hamilton, I made an entire day of it. I stopped off in Oakville to visit my sister and her family, which was sweet. I love catching up with her and getting to know my nieces. I wish I could see them more often.
Then I got to Brantford and was greeted by some familiar faces and new ones. Most of the singers I’ve worked with before in a choral capacity, so it was fun to see them sing some theatre pieces. It’s always a pleasure to meet new people—especially as you get older, because it only gets harder to make new friends—and this group was lovely. I love my singing community because of how cross-generational it is. Sometimes I’ll come to a gig and get to work with people I met when I was in children’s choir, or who used to teach me! Having the usual suspects who were part of that chorus when you sang this opera, or who played your scene partner in that thing years ago, is such a treat. It's a small world indeed.
The performance is on August 9th at 7:30 PM at St. Andrew’s United Church in Brantford. The next day, I’ll perform some Mozart in Markham at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian for their Sunday service.

Summer studying

    Other than these performances, my summer has been focused on role study—learning and revisiting repertoire, old and new. The new has been fun: Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Roméo et Juliette, and some contemporary adventures. The old has been a revelation in terms of my technical growth—like measuring your height on a doorframe. Before my singing teacher left for Europe, I asked her if I should just abandon my Germanic repertoire. Then I sang through Zerbinetta’s aria from Ariadne auf Naxos. She fit better than ever before! I’ll be recording over the next couple of months, so hopefully I’ll have her up by October.
    I’ve also been working on Mimi from La Bohème for a September performance I’ll write more about closer to the date. I love Puccini so much! I’ve been working with Brahm Goldhamer on the role. My current task is finding my Mimi. With Lucia, I found her pretty quickly since her character screams “teenager,” but Mimi is a little more difficult. She’s sweet and loves simple things—like a pink cuffietta (a bonnet) that goes nicely with her hair, and nice crema at the café. She also loves flowers and watching the morning sunrise in spring, making her an optimistic lady. She is hopeful, and her love of simple things makes me feel like she’s in her late 20s or early 30s.
    In Act 2, she listens to Rodolfo tell Marcello how he knows her health is failing and that she may die. Her asides, like “Ahimè, morire,” are more reflective—she already knows this. At this point in the opera, her death is not just an internal worry anymore but becomes more real because others now believe it too.
    I think Rodolfo is younger than her, or she is just very emotionally mature in contrast. She decides to break it off in a mature way, which is probably the most heartbreaking aspect of the act, since they do love each other. The quartet following Donde lieta is quite a special piece of art. The text and long-suffering phrases somehow make me feel that gut-ache feeling you get when your heart is broken or you’re in fresh grief. The high notes bring out the exhaustion that comes from a hard cry. These elements are what make verismo so profound.

Emotional cost of artistry

    The emotional journey of opera for the singer is a strange adventure in itself. I love opera with all my heart—and with that, the art form forces you to live many lives, and it can really hurt. Though the scenes aren’t real events, the emotions are real. I sang Violetta last year, and her journey was very painful for me, since I could see how her demise could easily be my own. No, I’m not an escort, but being an artist can carry a similar stigma with prospective partners, as their families might question the validity of your job. Another aspect that scared me was: What if I do become ill? What will happen to me? or What if universal healthcare goes south in Canada? Ultimately, what scared me was the uncertainty that comes with the singing profession. La Traviata is one of Verdi’s masterpieces because it’s so relatable. Anyone, from any profession or stage of life, can find themselves in Violetta’s situation. That’s why the piece will continue to live on.

Back to summer tasks…

 
    I am not a fan of recording for many reasons. For one, it can be very expensive: the space rental, piano tuning, répétiteur, and recording engineer fees all add up. Then there’s the issue of timing. You’d think that summer would be the best time to do recordings since nothing else is going on, right? Wrong. All the good répétiteurs are teaching in Europe or taking time off to recover for the upcoming season. And since my repertoire is rarely under six minutes long, you need the best of the best—because time is money. Unfortunately, recording exists in a cruel paradox: when the pianist you need is available, the recording space won’t be—and vice versa.
Lastly, I hate recording because I have a hard time fully channeling my artistry. A key element is missing: the audience. Recording feels like artistic purgatory for me. However, it’s part of the business and must be done when you can’t get a live taping of your performance.
My advice? Record everything you do. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Anyway—contract season is underway! I’ll be announcing my full season in late September or early October. Keep my website nearby for the latest updates: www.hollychaplin.com