What do you want to be when you finish your music degree? A choral director? A professional singer?
What about both?
As a vocal music student in college, I found that I had two great interests: singing my solo classical repertoire and singing in choral ensembles. I loved performing, whether it was on the operatic stage or the choral risers. Like many young college students, I didn’t quite know how I was going to “make it” financially with my training—I simply enjoyed singing.
I took an “Intro to Music Education” course as an elective and enjoyed it greatly. The thought of teaching choral music to public school students seemed interesting to me. I also saw in choral education the prospect of a steady paycheck, which was enticing. Ultimately, I decided to graduate in music education and gain employment as a choral director, which I absolutely love to this day.
But I still wanted to sing! I had been a successful solo performer at my university and I didn’t want to give that part of my life up. So, for the past decade I have tried to balance a career as both a choral director and a professional singer. Here is some practical advice for those who may have similar interests.
If you see choral directing as merely a “fallback” job, don’t do it
Conducting choirs—whether at the church, public school, collegiate, or professional level—is a difficult, stressful, and time-consuming occupation. To be successful and happy in the field of choral music, you need to truly love what you’re doing. It is important to be honest with yourself, and not let the lure of the monthly paycheck entice you into doing something about which you are not truly excited.
Keep up your vocal training
In many university music programs, the students on the “education” track receive less units of vocal instruction than those on the “performance” track. Regardless of these limitations, anyone who is serious about pursuing a performing career needs to get the best vocal training possible, which may entail paying a private teacher while you’re still in college.
Particularly when a new choral director gets that first full-time teaching position, it becomes very difficult to find the time to have a weekly voice lesson. All prospective singers, however, need to continue to hone their technique in this very competitive field.
Be realistic about the possibilities
Most of the music teaching jobs out there are truly “full time.” This makes full operatic roles difficult to accept, since they typically require extended absences for rehearsals and performances. University positions are sometimes more flexible about a professor’s absence (particularly if it is for professional reasons), but public schools are less accommodating.
Perhaps large operatic roles are not possible for a full-time teacher. That does not rule out many other possibilities, however: oratorio and concert solo work (which require much less time outside of class), singing in a professional choir (which typically rehearse in the evenings), opera choruses, church soloist positions, etc.
Make friends with your colleagues
One of the added benefits of being a choral conductor is that you rub shoulders with many other conductors, who are often looking for soloists. As you meet fellow conductors, be sure to let them know that you are available for work as a soloist. Have a résumé and CD available for their perusal. “You’re conducting the Verdi Requiem this year? That’s great! Did you know that I’ve sung the soprano solo for that work? Can I send you a CD?”
Choral conductors also appreciate singers who can speak the “choral” language, know the repertoire, and are excellent musicians. Conductors love to hire soloists that they can trust not to make musical errors and trust to give a well-sung, reliable performance. Soloists who can think like a singer and a conductor are particularly valuable in the choral/orchestral repertoire.
Network for promotion and tenure
Some choral conductors pursue advanced degrees and obtain a full-time college or university position. In these positions, the institutions place heavy emphasis on outside professional work to gain tenure or promotions. Your school will be eager for you to promote its name throughout the country and abroad. Because of this, colleges and universities often have travel funding and other grant opportunities to support a faculty member’s professional growth. Some departments accept only choral-specific activities as a conductor’s professional work, but others are more than happy to include solo vocal performances in your portfolio. Having some travel funding at your disposal makes you an attractive candidate to regional orchestras or choral organizations with smaller budgets. Since your faculty travel funds can pay for the flight and hotel, concert promoters have the flexibility to pay you a higher fee.
University faculty members all over the country need professional activities for their portfolios, and you may be able to do a sort of “professional bartering” with your colleagues at other institutions. Perhaps you can invite a professor friend to present a guest lecture at your institution. In return, your friend invites you to sing the solo baritone role when he conducts Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem at his institution later that year. This way, you both receive credit for professional activity, and you can now put Dona Nobis Pacem on your repertoire list.
Stay put
Some choral conductors are always looking for the next great position, the more glamorous job. As a singer, however, it takes time to build a regional reputation as a soloist. If you are always job-hopping around the country, you may never make enough connections with local conductors and organizations to become known as a singer. I have found that the longer I stay in one geographic area, the more gigs I get, both locally and abroad.
Don’t give up!
There is a particularly annoying adage that says, “Those who can’t, teach.” I think far too many choral conductors feel this way about themselves. Maybe they tried to sing professionally early in their careers, but things didn’t work out. With the added pressures of the full-time conducting position, they find they have no time for practicing, taking voice lessons, and networking. Their voices atrophy and they lose interest in performing altogether.
As a choral conductor, which is essentially a voice teacher en masse, you should be able to practice what you preach. In daily choral rehearsals, you talk about vocal technique, performance practice, stage presence, etc. Shouldn’t you be able to prove to your students that you can do these same things yourself? What better way than to maintain an active performing career?
It is certainly difficult to balance these two worlds, but it isn’t impossible. I have been very fulfilled in my roles as both choral conductor and professional singer. Thinking back to my early days as a college student, I’m so glad I was exposed to solo classical singing as well as ensemble performance. Being involved in both allows me to enjoy a wide variety of vocal experiences.
