Life as an opera singer isn't all opening nights and standing ovations. Michael Dervanasks five leading singers to reveal how they stay at the top of their game
PUMEZA MATSHIKIZA
South African soprano
Vendulka in Smetana’s Hubicka
What’s involved in maintaining your voice?
When I was a student I used to do many exercises. Then I realised it’s not about just doing them, it’s about how you do them. I like doing breathing exercises, taking in the breath, holding it, and letting it slowly out. I sing a little every other day. I tend to rest, especially if I have a performance. I do go to the gym to do some cross-training, or some push-ups. I have just learned how to swim here in Wexford. It’s really good, because you have to think about your breath at the same time.
Are there things it won’t let you do, foods or activities that have to be avoided?
Not really. But I can’t eat nuts before I sing, or drink peppermint tea. Peppermint tea tends to dry the throat a bit. And of course alcohol – I can’t drink and also sing.
Voices can change from day to day as well as over time. Has yours given you any surprises, welcome or unwelcome?
What can I say? It’s changed for the better. It gets a little bit more difficult to manage – the more you grow the more you understand your voice, but by the time you understand it, it has already changed. You’re always chasing it, trying to keep it healthy, irrespective of the changes.
You might not know, but . . .
I’m a good cook. I have a tattoo.
The best thing about being a singer is . . .
Travelling. You get to travel while you are doing your work and you get infused in different cultures. The minute you start travelling your mind opens up to so many things in life. You meet all sorts of people.
The worst thing about being a singer is . . .
Interviews. It’s scarier for me to talk than to sing. I prefer to sing.
OWEN GILHOOLY
Irish baritone
Lord Salt in Ash’s The Golden Ticket
What’s involved in maintaining your voice?
It depends. There’s always the basics of a gentle warm-up to start. Personally, I start off in the middle range of the voice, then the lower range and finally the upper range, with a series of various exercises that I can only refer to as being bel canto in their origin. It’s the healthiest way. If the body isn’t warmed up, it’s much harder for the voice to be warmed up as well. You can support it in a whole different way if the body is warmed up. So, even on the day of a show I go to the gym. Even if it’s just for 40 minutes, to get everything moving.
Are there things it won’t let you do, foods or activities that have to be avoided?
Yes. I have some intolerances, which I’ve only discovered in the last 12 months. I used to have days when I couldn’t understand why my voice wouldn’t work, because I was doing things technically in the same way as I normally would. I was diagnosed with having silent reflux, which an awful lot of singers suffer with. You don’t show any of the symptoms, but you end up with the burnt cords all the same. It was triggered for me by things with a high tomato or garlic content. And I try to avoid dairy produce, because that causes me a lot of mucus problems.
Voices can change from day to day as well as over time. Has yours given you any surprises, welcome or unwelcome?
Well, some of it was to do with the reflux, not knowing what was going on. Then the diagnosis came, and it made all the difference. I haven’t really looked back since then. As I’ve gotten older and developed, my voice is still going through changes. I have these extra high notes I never knew I had!
You might not know, but . . .
In my early years, I didn’t even like opera. It all happened very gradually. I used to listen to rock music. Even now, when I’m not focussing on a project, and I need some time out, I will resort to a different form of music than classical. Just to extract myself. It’s all part of the downtime regime.
The best thing about being a singer is . . .
. . . that you’re constantly learning, you’re constantly being challenged. Your whole world is opened up to various experiences and people. You get to meet extraordinary people from around the world, you get to work with incredible artists, directors who can influence your life, and how you think. It just gives you a much broader spectrum of how the world is.
The worst thing about being a singer is . . .
10am dress rehearsals.
MIRIAM MURPHY
Irish soprano
Mrs Gloop in Ash’s The Golden Ticket
What’s involved in maintaining your voice?
Obviously, lots of technical exercises. It’s taken me a while to perfect my technique, because I went from mezzo soprano to soprano. And I have to say for many years I was doing exercises quite blindly. I spend about an hour warming up the various sections of my voice. Then I take a break of about half an hour, and I would work on whatever repertoire I’m doing for about an hour and a half. And I do go to the gym occasionally, because I think aerobic fitness is very important for breathing on stage as well. I would do the crosstrainer, and some yoga as well, for relaxation. It’s a very stressful profession.
Are there things it won’t let you do, foods or activities that have to be avoided?
Before performances I’m very careful about the amount of speaking and singing I do. And constantly taking lots of echinacea and Vitamin C. I would avoid alcohol specifically, because it’s very dehydrating. And also, people suffer from reflux because of alcohol. So I always avoid alcohol for at least an hour [she laughs] for at least a week before a performance. And you never catch me screaming – except when I’m singing.
Voices can change from day to day as well as over time. Has yours given you any surprises, welcome or unwelcome?
The unwelcome surprise for me was when I changed from mezzo to soprano. I found myself in a world of not being a mezzo and not being a soprano. And it went on for quite a while.
Going from being somebody who didn’t really think about my voice, to suddenly it not working properly, was a very big shock. And a very big wake-up call as well, to realise that, as you get older, the voice just doesn’t work naturally. You have to work on it, and you have to be very aware of what you’re doing with it. And, obviously, when it started working, it was a great surprise when the top started to come more naturally. When you sing your first top C, and it feels like it’s a natural part of your voice, that’s a wonderful moment.
You might not know, but . . .
I once wanted to be a nun. But that changed very quickly when I discovered boys.
The best thing about being a singer is . . .
The freedom of creativity. No two jobs are ever the same. You’re constantly challenged. You have different conductors, a different creative team, and you’re allowed express yourself in ways you never would normally. You get to be crazy, and people enjoy it.
The worst thing about being a singer is . . .
That’s a hard one to answer, because, since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I’ve always been somebody who’s enjoyed performing. Singing is something innate for me, and I love it. I find very few things negative about it. But I suppose one of the hardest things is criticism, whether positive or negative. When you’ve put your heart and soul into something, it’s always hard to see that criticised.
It’s a necessary evil in this business. If you don’t take on board those criticisms, you don’t’ improve. But when you’ve put everything into something, the negative side of that is that some people don’t enjoy it.
ANGELA MEADE
US soprano Title role in Mercadante’s Virginia
What’s involved in maintaining your voice?
I have been very lucky in my voice development. I don’t have to spend as much time doing technical things as some other singers. My technique has always come very naturally. I usually do a short, 10-minute warm-up before a show. I always exercise on the day of a show, because I feel it gets my blood going. I try to stay really hydrated, and avoid talking the day before.
Are there things it won’t let you do, foods or activities that have to be avoided?
I try to avoid loud places, where I have to talk over people. There are only a couple of foods that I avoid eating. I’ve never felt like I had a real reflux problem. I avoid spicy things, but that’s because I don’t like them. And I don’t drink milk products late at night, because they tend to sour in the stomach.
Voices can change from day to day as well as over time. Has yours given you any surprises, welcome or unwelcome?
Not really, no. I’m kind of boring in that way. I think it’s pretty consistent. If I get up and I can hum high, then I’m usually fine. If I get up and I can’t, then I know my cords are a little swollen.
You might not know, but . . .
I’m very down to earth. I love to bake on the day of a show. I always bake for the chorus or other cast members. I think people find it funny that I spend energy doing that on the day of a show.
The best thing about being a singer is . . .
I love to travel and meet new people. When I was in school, I always worried about travelling by myself. But the more and more I get into this business, I know people wherever I go. Which is really great. It’s like you have friends all over the world.
The worst thing about being a singer is . . .
The same answer. Travelling. You’re never home. And I love to be home. Before I came here I was in Minnesota. I flew from Minnesota to Philadelphia, which is where I live. I went home, unpacked my suitcase, washed a little laundry, and repacked and went back to the airport. Days like that I hate. But I love what I do, so I do it.
PETER BERGER
Slovakian tenor
Lukas in Smetana’s Hubicka
What’s involved in maintaining your voice?
It’s very important to be always ready. That means I have to vocalise and warm the voice daily, and work technically on each part. It’s important to be always prepared and in shape. You can’t stop and allow your body and vocal cords to relax. Physical exercise is very important, too.
Are there things it won’t let you do, foods or activities that have to be avoided?
Food, maybe it’s a bit of a problem, because I love to eat. And, really, I can eat everything. And it’s a problem for me that I like to eat during a performance, especially in the interval, and in the evening after a big performance. It’s unhealthy, and I’m not very strict. Of course, when I sing I don’t drink alcohol.
Voices can change from day to day as well as over time. Has yours given you any surprises, welcome or unwelcome?
Of course the voice changes, and it’s really important to choose good repertoire for your voice. With age, the voice gets bigger, and you have to choose different roles as you grow older. There was an occasion when I’d been working really hard and had travelled a lot, and the voice just didn’t work like it should. It was a real shock.
You might not know, but . . .
I love flowers and gardening. My mum runs a flower show. If I ever have to give up singing, I have something else that I can do.
The best thing about being a singer is . . .
Being on stage and being able to give your heart to an audience is a great feeling. I never want to change it. Singing is a gift from God and I like to use it as a form of thanksgiving.
The worst thing about being a singer is . . .
I can’t say there is much I don’t enjoy. It’s a nuisance to have to be careful about alcohol or going to parties. But it’s just a nuisance, not a real problem.
