I recently pulled into a Wendy’s drive-thru and ordered a Big Bacon Classic Combo, only to be asked, “What do you want on that?”
The question shocked me. What did I want on it? Well … bacon, a hamburger patty, a bun … you know, the usual. Isn’t that why it’s a called a “classic,” because you always know what you’re going to get?
After a very confused conversation with the employee at the window, I learned that this was all part of a new campaign: custom-made hamburgers, just the way you want them.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. What I really wanted was to drive in, order, grab my jumbo portion of artery-clogging food, and drive out, all in less than two minutes. The Big Bacon Classic had always been fine before. Why would I want to waste my time specifying exactly what I wanted on it? Forget choice, just give me my food, and make it snappy.
In a nation of fast-food consumers, are our attitudes about food reflected in other areas? Is our desire to get what we want, and get it now, pervading other areas of our lives?
Credit card debt in America is higher than ever before. Banks recently had to almost double the typical monthly payment amount so that cardholders could manage to pay off their card balances within their lifetimes. Contrast this with the post-Depression and pre-plastic American era, when debt was not an option. People budgeted, saved, or went without for a time until they had cash for their purchases.
In our day and age, why go without? Just charge it now and pay later. Give me what I want, and give it to me now.
But surely, I digress, you must be thinking. After all, this is Classical Singer magazine—not Quick Cooking or Money—right? What does all this talk of hamburgers and credit cards have to do with singing?
In a recent New York Times article, arts writer Anne Midgette announced “the end of the great big American voice.” Often touted as having the best vocal teachers in the world, America fails to produce great new dramatic voices, according to Anne.
This country boasts remarkable voice teachers, outstanding university vocal programs, and excellent Young Artist Programs, but the system is plagued with many aspects that make the emergence of a new star with a big voice difficult. One major contributing factor is the idea that if a singer hasn’t made it by the time he or she is 30, it’s too late. For the singer with a big voice, this attitude can smother any hope for success. Most big voices are not ready for a career before age 30. It takes time for the voice to mature, which requires patience, both on the part of the singer and those adjudicating and/or hiring.
Patience is a virtue on its way to extinction in this day and age. Don’t ask me too many questions at the drive-thru window, just get me in and out—fast!
Everywhere a singer turns the emphasis is on younger and younger singers. The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions recently lowered its upper age limit yet again, to 30. Numerous other competitions and young artist programs impose the same age limit, or even lower.
Again, the message remains: Get your career going, and do it fast, do it now—ready or not.
Whether you’re a dramatic soprano, a lyric mezzo, a tenor leggiero, or anywhere in between, you can feel crushed by the pressure.
In an effort to make a career happen fast, sometimes it’s tempting to cut corners, to look for short cuts, rather than patiently putting in the time on diligent and careful preparation of your instrument, languages, dramatic skills, and musicianship. Being patient may also mean waiting for the physical, social, and mental maturation needed to succeed as a professional singer.
This issue highlights several of the great, “big” American voices of today, as well as an emerging artist program that is discovering and nurturing such singers. Jennifer Wilson, after 20 years of patient hard work and dedication, is just now enjoying the fruits of her labor. Evelyn Lear and Thomas Stewart discuss how they nurture and support rising Wagnerian stars.
Jane Eaglen, perhaps the most sought-after Wagnerian singer of this century, shares her insights on the music she loves to sing most. Gordon Hawkins, featured on this month’s cover, discusses how he learned to manage his big, unruly voice. He also encourages singers to be patient, to allow themselves to fail.
Regardless of your voice type, resist the urge to fall prey to the fast-food, spend-now, pay-later mentality of today. Take heart from two themes in this month’s issue: patience and time.
