It is a special and rare occasion when I get to write something for Classical Singer. Sara is very selective about what goes into our pages and I do not typically meet the standard. With the 20th anniversary of our humble beginning, however, this is my chance to reminisce a little bit.
Kresha has given you a delightful synopsis of our history. Her retrospective has provided me an opportunity to look back over the past two decades. I must say, it has been an entertaining score of years.
We are all aware of the very curious characters that emerge from the plots of many operas. Well, we’ve had a few curious characters who have worked for us at Classical Singer! We have had some wonderful people work for us at the magazine and all of them were very conscientious in their work for singers, but they had idiosyncrasies that made each one unique and added to the broad spectrum of viewpoints we foster at Classical Singer.
Take, for example, the fellow who came to his employment interview in a purple suit and hat, or the woman who made a pass at me (quite flattering, but inappropriate!), or the woman who spoke in tongues while she was working at her desk. We had vivid philosophical clashes between our gay liberal writer and our conservative, hetero ad manager. We had an employee who became everyone’s second mother, and one whose personal “scent” was so strong no one could work with her—and quite a few more!
I don’t mean any of these comments in a malicious way at all, because as I reflect back it becomes clear that the many employees we’ve enjoyed over the past 20 years have all contributed to the open and inclusive posture we have striven to provide to the singers of the world.
I am particularly proud of the sense of community we were able to contribute in our stewardship toward singers. I am proud to have helped foster communication between singers, to have brought to light information that was previously difficult to uncover (health insurance, singer fees, etc.). I am proud of the sensitive topics we hit head on (depression, age discrimination, race discrimination, teacher abuse, summer program scams). These topics needed airing, and I feel good we had a role in fostering the conversation about them.
My love of classical singing originated early in my marriage when I accompanied my spouse, Carla, to her voice lesson at the Joe Klein studios in Los Angeles. Every year, tenor Ron Stevens came to Los Angeles from his home in Australia to spend a couple weeks studying at the Klein studio. Ron was an established professional down under and regularly sang with Dame Joan Sutherland. The first time I sat in on one of his lessons with CJ, his incredible voice literally re-parted my hair. I was stunned, stunned that the human voice had this kind of power—not just volume, but power to move a soul through the pure beauty of the instrument as well as musical expression.
I feel the same way today as I did then. This genre of music and this musical technique has the ability to move souls in a way no other genre can. To me it is the pinnacle of human vocal musical expression.
The message of Classical Singer (and The New York Opera Newsletter) has always been that if you feel the call to sing, you need to sing. Not many will become marquis names and perform on that scale, but if you have received that call, you need to respond on the level that works for you. That response will bless your life and the lives who benefit from hearing your music. Too few have this gift for any of them not to be using it. I wish I were one of them.
Thank you for your support of Classical Singer, but more importantly, for your part in keeping this musical art form alive in your corner of the briar patch. We will continue to do all we can to facilitate your important work as singers.
— David D. Wood
