As the curtain comes down on a successful opera performance or the last notes of a vocal masterpiece are played, the audience has seen only the final product. Many singers who perform on the operatic or concert stage have a large team of mentors and supporters behind each successful performance. To adapt a popular saying, “It takes a village to build a singing career.”
The artist manager is one of the key players in the development of a singing artist, yet many aspiring singers have only the vaguest notion of how that relationship works. CS asked two managers, Kristin Cowdin of Guy Barzilay Artists and Robert Mirshak of Mirshak Artists Management, to offer some of their thoughts about this complex symbiosis.
The first question that usually arises in the area of management is one of timing. How can a young professional singer know when it’s the right time to pursue professional management? Cowdin said that the best time to get a manager is when you have “something to manage.” When you are just coming out of a prestigious Young Artist Program or have performed well in a competition, for example, or when you have just completed successful performances in a local or regional house and have offers for future work.
“Management is more likely to take you on when you are guaranteed jobs in the future,” said Mirshak, adding that above all, he is searching for an artist who “moves him.” If a singer can get past the language, the technique, the physicality, and the acting to touch his audience emotionally, he or she is ready for that next career step. Mirshak reminds singers: “You will be competing against everybody in the world for the job, especially in this economy.”
Both managers stressed the importance of networking, in more than one sense. Mirshak emphasized that singers should have a group of trusted professionals: teachers, coaches, or directors who can help decide when the time is right to seek management. Networking is also important in the wider sense of having advocates within the music industry who are willing to speak up for you and your talent. These advocates might include an artistic or general director who knows your work well, a conductor who supports your career, or a singer who is on a management roster that interests you.
Cowdin suggested listing these professionals on your résumé, with their knowledge and permission, of course. If they are willing to write an e-mail or make a phone call on your behalf, he added, that speaks more strongly. It shows that these very busy individuals think enough of your career potential to take the time to “put in a good word” for you.
How do managers fill their rosters? The details vary from agency to agency but both Cowdin and Mirshak rely heavily on recommendations from trusted music professionals to pique their interest in a singer. Of course, they travel many days each year to hear their current artists perform, and an introductory audition at a summer festival or Young Artist Program is a great way to begin the “courtship ritual.”
Managers rarely invite singers to audition based on unsolicited materials, but it is not out of the question. Cowdin believes in the importance of network connections, so “name-dropping” can be a great help. It helps if a colleague of hers sends an e-mail or makes a phone call to support your unsolicited submission.
When sending materials to a manager, whether solicited or unsolicited, it’s important to prepare a package that is complete yet efficient. The cover letter or introductory e-mail is very important—this is the first “personal” interaction you may have with a prospective manager. It should be personable, respectful, diligent, and above all, carefully edited. A careless correspondence indicates to a manager that you may be equally careless in other areas.
Cowdin suggests that singers put their “big guns up front” in that first correspondence. In other words, the first sentence should include one of the following: the name of a professional who supports your talent, the name of the person who suggested the communication, or a reminder of a recent performance of yours the manager may have heard.
Your cover letter does not need to express your lifelong love of singing or relate personal anecdotes. It is best to let your materials speak for you. In addition to the standard assembly—headshot, résumé, and bio—a single page of review quotes is a good way to show public interest in your talent. A recording of some kind is essential, whether a CD or a link to digital clips. Mirshak said he prefers to hear one or two very strong examples rather than an extensive potpourri of “average” samplings, and that he will often skip to one of the central selections that might reveal weaknesses. Both managers said they listen to at least part of every recording they receive. Mirshak is also a proponent of singers using a well-organized website to promote themselves, and says he always clicks on a submitted link.
In any audition, whether for management or a prospective employer, it is essential to present the most polished audition package possible. It is certainly appropriate to present the standard “five arias,” but Mirshak describes the singing business as a “three-headed monster, comprised of opera, orchestral concert, and recital performances.” It’s important to let your prospective manager know about any special aptitude or affinity you have for concert and recital work. Never present any materials that are less than perfectly prepared, be it for management or for a job. Mirshak believes that the singer who will be successful is the one who moves Mirshak in a way to which he can commit.
Both Mirshak’s and Cowdin’s agencies maintain their offices through singers’ commissions instead of monthly “retainer” fees. Such fees are not out of the question, however, and both consider charging a retainer appropriate sometimes.
Singers should consider certain factors when thinking about a company that charges a monthly fee, said Cowdin. What is the amount of the retainer fee, and how long will you be required to pay it? In some cases, the retainer charge lasts only until you are bringing in a certain amount of income for the management firm. Mirshak pointed out that singers should do extensive research to determine whether an agency’s fee is usual and customary or excessive and inappropriate. Additionally, some common, legitimate non-retainer fees might include a share of the high cost for the management’s advertisement in Musical America or the cost of mailings of your publicity materials to interested opera companies. Generally, the accepted practice among reputable managers is that the agency generates the majority of its income through commissions.
Once you’ve signed with a reputable manager, how does this somewhat mysterious relationship work? Both managers described themselves as being in a team relationship with their singers. Every singer is a special and unique case, so a good manager tailors each relationship to meet the needs of the individual singer. That may mean that one singer initially needs a substantial amount of advice, while another singer needs quite a bit less.
Each manager also emphasized the importance of regular communication. Cowdin agrees that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” but describes it as being “politely squeaky.” It’s appropriate to drop your manager a note or call him or her once a week or once a month. If you call every day, however, the manager is spending a disproportionate amount of time on the phone with you rather than communicating with potential employers.
It’s important to remember that even though you are invited to join a management roster, ultimately the manager is working for you. “It’s the singer who hires the manager,” Mirshak said, “so [singers] should know what’s going on in their careers. They should know how they’re being represented.” He adds that, as in any relationship, trust between singer and manager must be earned and built over time. His view of the difference between a manager and a “booking agent” is that a good manager will advise you on all aspects of building your career, from publicity materials to repertoire choices to future goals. Part of the manager’s job is to make sure each of his singers is presenting himself to his best advantage. Some managers—such as Cowdin, who has an English degree—even insist on preparing all written publicity materials themselves. If a singer is a particularly fine actor, Mirshak will focus that singer’s publicity materials on YouTube clips or other video samples. He markets each singer as an individual, focusing on his or her unique strengths.
Both managers said they expect their singers to be good colleagues. Mirshak’s thoughts on this are quite pointed. As a manager of a smaller agency, he wants singers “that are excited, that represent . . . my entire roster with integrity and compassion.” He expects a singer to be prepared, enthusiastic, and to be a “nice person.”
Singers must also keep the manager up to date on potential challenges in a rehearsal situation. For example, if a conductor asks a singer not to sing a high note, the manager needs to know, in case the artistic director refuses to rehire the singer because he or she never sang that high note.
A manager may be able to get a singer hired the first time, but it is ultimately the singer who gets himself re-engaged.
When asked what changes they are seeing in the music business as a result of the current economic recession, both said first that many companies are waiting later to cast their operas. Very often the companies delay because of potential last-minute programming changes as companies change their offerings to accommodate financial challenges. In addition, both managers and companies are approaching fee negotiations with more flexibility.
Mirshak believes singers and managers can more easily adapt if they know that companies are already taking “cost-cutting measures.” Versatility and creativity with career ideas also serve singers well in the current climate. You and your manager can work together to ensure that you are at your most marketable. Both managers spoke of their commitment to work with all presenters to ensure the future of the art form.
Mirshak and Cowdin took different routes into arts management. Mirshak performed professionally for a number of years as a baritone in regional companies, and was encouraged to pursue management by singer colleagues who believed in his potential. Cowdin trained as a singer, but soon realized that her gifts and talents are different from those required of a professional singer.
Perhaps most impressive about both Mirshak and Cowdin is their deep commitment to an art form they love. Mirshak believes that in challenging times “people get worried and scared, and [they] need music, and to be moved, to get away from their worries and problems.” Cowdin describes her job of developing and nurturing young careers as “how I contribute to the art form I love.”
With committed managers such as Mirshak and Cowdin working with singers, the future of classical singing looks that much brighter.
