What do artistic directors have to say about body image, weight, and hiring practices? Are singer and teacher perceptions about industry standards false?
For an article in Classical Singer last year I posed several questions directly to the people who hire singers. The first was, “Has your perception of body image changed over the last decade?” Surprisingly, only 18 percent felt that their perception had changed, with 82 percent stating that it was about the same.
“I personally have not changed my attitude,” reveals Sheri Greenawald, director of the Opera Center at the San Francisco Opera. “It has been and always will be that singers come in all sizes. However, with the advent of so much television and film in our business, I believe the business itself is more sensitized to casting needs.”
An artistic director for a small, professional East Coast opera company shares this opinion: “Depending on the role, good singing, good acting, and stage presence can sometimes overcome many bodily flaws. Other times, they’re not enough.”
Several directors said that the importance of weight varied from singer to singer, and that how a singer carries himself could greatly influence how size is perceived. Many large-framed singers can convincingly carry their weight, whereas some smaller-framed individuals cannot. Larger singers can handle their weight according to how they walk or how they dress for their body type. “Often spirit trumps the whole body issue completely,” explains Diana Borgia-Petro, general director of ConcertOPERA, Philadelphia.
My next question was “Is body type a consideration when auditioning singers?” At 91 percent, the overwhelming majority of survey respondents felt that yes, body type was a factor. However, directors had both practical and philosophical reasons as to why physical size would impact the outcome of an audition.
“Absolutely [body type is a consideration], especially if I already have the costume and I am trying to fit someone into a certain size costume,” says Ann Noriel, executive director for Southland Opera. “You can take it in, but letting a costume out has major limitations.”
Many of those surveyed commented on character believability, using the example that a hefty Violetta is not going to be credible as a consumptive or romantic lead. “Having sung lyric roles, I was on a diet before every run of Traviata or Bohème because, as an actress, I knew that I would be able to convey so much more if I were in a shape that made sense,” says a former singer-turned-general director. “It’s a harsh reality, but the Netrebkos and Flemings of the business have set a high standard and, let’s face it, the business isn’t an equal opportunity employer. It’s subjective.”
Dramatic credibility is important to today’s audiences and, as one artistic director explains, “If I have a choice between two equally fine singers, I would choose small over large.” Rod Gideons, general director of Sacramento Opera adds, “Very, very few singers in the 21st century can get by on voice alone. Those days are long gone.”
My next, more specific query, “Have you ever not hired a singer because of their weight?” elicited a variety of answers, with results nearly split down the middle—45 percent disclosing yes and 55 percent maintaining no.
Again, artistic directors stated that weight could be a factor, especially “[i]f a singer of equal quality but more appropriate body type was available.” A general director of a West Coast opera company thought that weight was not a factor “if they could sing the role. However, if another, weight-proportionate singer of equal talent auditions, they will receive first consideration. While arguably opera is primarily an auditory experience, I cannot stress strongly enough that it is equally a visual medium.”
Another artistic director for a small, non-profit company felt that a singer’s weight probably impacted hiring decisions, especially as opera expands to a wider audience. “Weight used to be more of a problem with small houses and intimate stages,” he says. “However, now that the big companies are broadcasting operas with lots of close-ups, it is a factor for them, too.”
Michael Spierman, on the other hand, never considers appearance when hiring. “I have never considered weight or any other physical characteristic as a factor when choosing performers for a cast in my 44 years in this field,” says the artistic director for the Bronx Opera.
“Most opera plots require a suspension of literal reality on the audience’s part,” Spierman continues. “How indeed does Fiordiligi go for almost an act and a half without recognizing her boyfriend in that silly disguise he is almost always given to wear? The one factor an audience can never forgive is a lack of ability. And vocal and dramatic talent, life force, and instinct continue to come in all kinds of packages and always will. Those who ignore this basic truism do so at their peril. Get the best folks possible and you will never get hurt.”
What if an artistic director finds the perfect voice during an audition, yet their weight is not quite right for the role? Would directors ask a singer to lose weight? I specifically asked, “Have you ever suggested to a singer that they should lose or gain weight in order to advance their career?” Results were split exactly down the middle with 50 percent answering “no” and 50 percent answering “yes.” One artistic director blatantly exclaimed, “Hell, no.”
My final question, “Has this trend had an adverse impact on the quality of voices prevalent today?” received mixed reviews. Eighteen percent of respondents objected to the question entirely, and some took umbrage almost to the point of being insulted. But 73 percent of directors said that the quality of voices was as high as ever, and only 9 percent disagreed with the majority.
“I’m not sure what ‘trend’ is being referred to, but I’m guessing you mean that opera singers are feeling pressured into keeping thin,” said one artistic director. “Assuming that’s true, we have not seen an adverse impact on the quality of voices. And, to be honest, at auditions we are still seeing the same diversity of body types we’ve always seen.”
“The voices are all still there,” agrees Greenawald. “But one has to remember that this is a business, and whether or not we will hear certain voices on stage or not may depend on how well they fit the part physically. Do we love actress Kathy Bates any less because she is heavy-ish? No, but you probably won’t see her cast as Juliette any time soon, and she wouldn’t have expected to have been cast as that. Is it fair that certain singers may not get cast in a role because of their weight? You tell me, but even back in the Commedia dell’Arte there were ‘types,’ and that has caught up to the world of opera—the exigencies of the physical stage and the emotional responses that those images evoke.”
Conversely, a general director of a prestigious East Coast opera company felt that the quality of singing is lacking today. “It is my understanding in the fierce competitive world of opera that too many directors consider looks above the voice. I hear bad training in major houses. There are so many fabulous voices, with great technique and artistry, but they are overlooked, rejected. I personally do not like this trend. Non-aficionados who hear opera done poorly, with exaggerated mouths and screaming top notes, don’t like opera. We are creating a whole generation of opera haters because without a pure, gorgeous technique and artistry, an audience member is not captivated. However, that same audience member will be drawn in by a captivating singer, despite the physical attributes of the singer.”
Another opera director suggests that if the quality of voices is lacking today, the fault does not lie with overemphasis on looks, but elsewhere. “Much more important has been the use of amplification and the expectation that singing be ‘loud,’ the expansion of auditorium size from the cozy 19th-century opera houses to the ‘big box’ houses like the Met, and the altered public perception of ‘good’ singing after hearing microphone-assisted singing for years.”
The lesson learned for an aspiring singer? Opinions vary widely among artistic directors when it comes to the importance of appearance. In this highly subjective world of opera, different directors will place varying degrees of importance on physical appearance, vocal ability, and artistry. In turn, singers must personally decide how much emphasis to place on those things to survive in this business while also remaining true to themselves.
The full article this appeared in Classical Singer magazine.
