Brian Jagde
Baritone
South Nyack, N.Y.
Please tell our readers about your career highlights, so far.
Most recently, I performed the Count in “Nozze” with Purchase College Opera, Dr. Falke in “Fledermaus” with Opera Company of the Highlands, Hermann in Les Contes d’Hoffman with Des Moines Metro Opera, and Guglielmo in “Cosi” with DMMO’s Opera Iowa troupe.
What are your goals for the next five years? The next 10 years?
Naturally my goal for the next five years would be to continue developing my technique, and to continue working in the field of opera as much as possible until, hopefully, in 10 years I am supporting my life with singing.
What is your dream role, and why?
Without a doubt, Marcello from La bohème! I find his character to be so integral to the opera’s development. He is so natural, so human. He makes me think over and over about what I would do in all situations, normal or critical.
How do you handle the inevitable rejection that is part of a singer’s life?
Right now, I think of my job as an auditioner. I think of every audition as a chance to perform. I can go in there and show the audience, no matter what size, what I am made of, for even the briefest of moments. I’ve been rejected and yeah, it’s not the greatest feeling, but when it all comes down to it, there are a billion reasons a company wouldn’t take you and only a few reasons why they would. So I try to have fun, and enjoy every minute of the audition, because, hey, they may never hear me again.
What is your favorite article you’ve read in Classical Singer, and why?
I wish I could remember the singer, but it was an interview of this semi-famous soprano, and she said something I [will] never forget. She said that she wanted every person who she performed for, even the ones way in the back, to know who her character was. Whether she did it with her voice, her acting, or both, that they always knew her intention, and how the character developed through the opera. She made me realize in this article how much I wanted the same thing—and how important it is to research everything possible about a character, the limits, the colors, everything.
I love that about opera. We get the chance to be so many people going through so many things. It’s like we get to experience everything life has to offer. Loss, death, love, happiness, and everything in between and still go home every night to our own crazy lives.
Who is your favorite singer and why?
I am really torn right now between Thomas Hampson, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. I love Hampson’s voice and all the color changes he can make even in one aria. I love Hvorostovsky’s ability to be very grounded and powerful yet still extremely expressive. If I could study with these two men I’d be very lucky. For now, I watch their every move on the stage and in their vocal choices to learn what or where I might be headed in my future.
What is your favorite techno tool you use as a singer?
I recently purchased a PowerBook and my life as a singer became so much easier after that. I have so much ability at the touch of my fingers, and I am way more organized. Every singer should have one.
Do you have a motto by which you live?
Some people say, “Singing is my life!” I say that my life is happy for many reasons, and although singing is by far one of the most important things, it is not the only thing. I believe a well-rounded life lets one experience all that it has to offer, therefore increasing happiness and at the same time increasing one’s abilities on the stage. On another note, positivity is the only road to success, in my book. If you let everything get you down, you might hinder something that could make you really happy. I try to find something every day to make me excited and feel great.
Do you have any final words you’d like to share during your moment in Center Stage?
I feel extremely lucky to be able to express my feelings through singing. Not everybody can sing when they feel like they need a pick-me-up. Sometimes the greatest cure for a bad day is a great lesson, or just singing in the shower!
