Opera behind-the-scenes
Feeling called to make my next written work of fiction about it. Being new to the genre, though, I need more insight.
So, anyone worked/working in opera, or close to people who do? Are there affairs? Power struggles? Gaffes? Drama, thrown batons & bows? Do the techs get involved?Are all the stereotypes true? Tell me all.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 14, 2022 2:51 AM
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For outlandish diva behaviour, look no further than Kathleen Battleās antics, well publicised on the internet. The woman was totally deranged.
Sexual harassment? Placido Domingo, David Daniels, James Levine, to name a few.
Affairs? Many. One of the highest profile being Jonas Kaufman and Angela Georghiu, years ago, when both were married. She, with Roberto Alagna, whose star was fading at the time vsā¦. Kaufmanās!
by Anonymous | reply 3 | October 18, 2021 2:01 PM
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Opera star in training, Will Tanski:
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 4 | October 18, 2021 2:18 PM
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Don't answer the call. Write about what you know.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | October 18, 2021 2:32 PM
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My husband works in opera - often in top tier international houses. All the stereotypes are true and then some. He works with people who posses extraordinary skill and technique who have dedicated their lives to pursuing their craft - from singers to musicians to designers and directors. It's a refined and expensive art form, and you have to be at the top of your game just to get a foot in the door.
As a result, almost everybody in his professional sphere is a cunt who'd step over their own mothers for fame and glory. While often seemingly quite socially pleasant, his colleagues are mostly either profoundly insecure or raging egomaniacs. Deep down, every relationship is transactional - even the nice ones wouldn't think twice about fucking you over.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | October 18, 2021 2:49 PM
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Feeling called to make my next written work of fiction about it.
OP What an awkward prose style you have.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | October 18, 2021 3:01 PM
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^^ I bet itās for a self-published EST on Amazon. LOL
Also, my tired eyes first read āOprahā, which might make for a better book.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | October 18, 2021 5:03 PM
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R5 if everyone only stuck to āwriting what they knowā, we wouldnāt have a lot of great fiction, or even so many inventive genres.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | October 19, 2021 11:46 AM
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R6 thanks, thatās just the kind of insight I need. Bet youāve heard some really crazy tales!
How does your husband cope with the stress of dealing with such high-maintenance people all the time? Has it affected his love for the genre? And does he have friends in the industry who see it the same way he does?
Also, what is the funniest most weird story heās told you about his working life at the opera?
by Anonymous | reply 10 | October 30, 2021 9:53 PM
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[Quote] Deep down, every relationship is transactional - even the nice ones wouldn't think twice about fucking you over.
How sad for an art with only an ancient, quickly dying audience
by Anonymous | reply 11 | October 30, 2021 10:06 PM
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A friend worked backstage at the San Francisco Opera, back when Kathleen Battle was still getting paid to be a nightmare.
She was SO bad, when she came to do "Daughter of the Regiment", what when her run of singing flat and screaming psychotically backstage was over, the whole crew was given "I SURVIVED THE BATTLE" t-shirts.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | October 30, 2021 10:09 PM
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R12š¤£š¤£š¤£
wonder if she ever found out about the t-shirts?
by Anonymous | reply 13 | October 30, 2021 10:14 PM
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Of course, there's the (apocryphal?) story about Kathleen Battle calling her agent from the back of a limousine and ordering him to call the limo service to radio the driver and adjust the air conditioning.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | October 30, 2021 10:24 PM
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Kathleen Kim has been known to make grown men weep.
(Just kidding--she's about the single nicest person in opera.)
by Anonymous | reply 15 | October 30, 2021 10:30 PM
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This may sound an odd or silly or obvious question butāare the roles of Conductor and Musial Director for a production always carried out by the same person?
by Anonymous | reply 16 | November 22, 2021 2:14 PM
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^^^āMusical Directorā, sorry (autocorrect hates me!)
by Anonymous | reply 17 | November 22, 2021 2:16 PM
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Stay in your lane. Keep writing about bathhouses and adult bookstores.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | November 22, 2021 2:17 PM
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R5 Has the best advice for you.
If you're really keen on including Opera, have it be through a novice character unfamiliar with the scene. You can throw in snippets of whatever you find attractive about opera, and you don't need to do research.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | November 22, 2021 2:22 PM
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Capitalizing Opera was a stylistic choice on my part, before you birches come for me.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | November 22, 2021 2:24 PM
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[quote]Write about what you know.
After all, Agatha Christie knew all about murder, and J K Rowling knows all about wizards. Best not to be too imaginative.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | November 22, 2021 3:29 PM
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R21 She did know genteel English country life like the back of her hand, give her some credit. The campy aspects of her books are the solutions to the mysteries and Mr. Hercule Poirot.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | November 22, 2021 3:38 PM
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Thanks for the responses, but (besides R3 & R4, R6 & R12, and R14 & R15) most of you are rather missing the point. I wasnāt asking for *permission* to write about opera; I would like real-life anecdotal *information*.
Not everyone has grown up in cultural centres, environments and families. Iām interested in the art outside of fiction and beyond what I want to write, but frankly my exposure and knowledge is limited by my lack of experience. So it is I turn to the aesthetes of Datalounge.
Grateful for anything other backstage tidbits or even more general mundane housekeeping info anyone has. The day-to-day running of an opera house and the staging process is something I really would like to know about in more detail.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | November 22, 2021 3:44 PM
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If you donāt know much, you may want to tighten your scope, Bel Canto is about an world famous opera singer, but takes place as she and others are held hostage inside a Chilean embassy.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | November 22, 2021 3:58 PM
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R23 Is this for a mystery novel?
by Anonymous | reply 25 | November 22, 2021 4:03 PM
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[quote] Don't answer the call. Write about what you know.
Toni Morrison thought that was terrible advice. "Write about what you [italic]don't[/italic] know," she would tell her writing students, "Don't tell me about your little lives."
by Anonymous | reply 26 | November 22, 2021 4:09 PM
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[quote] Affairs? Many. One of the highest profile being Jonas Kaufman and Angela Georghiu, years ago, when both were married. She, with Roberto Alagna, whose star was fading at the time vsā¦. Kaufmanās!
R3 Alagna was really attractive and handsome back in the day, not to mention his sexy voice. Bet he had everyone chasing after him.
His first wife died young, back in the late 1990s as his career was taking off. It's really quite sad, though he soldiered on and didn't stop working due to it.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 27 | November 5, 2022 5:32 PM
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It's very expensive -- voice teachers (for technique) and vocal coaches (for learning the repertoire/operas) charge a lot of money in a field that doesn't pay that much unless you're among the highest profile people. It's mostly transactional, as many don't want to deal with people unless they are on the clock at their lesson or coaching or it could help their own careers
There aren't really many household names in opera any more. Variety shows and late night talk shows rarely have opera singers on them anymore.
Opera is extremely competitive and lots of jealousy is very present. But that's what happens when each vocal type, with its varying sub-types (sopranos -- can be lyric, coloratura, dramatic, etc.) each all do about the same 20-30 roles in the standard repertoire and newer operas and roles are far and few between. So there's fighting for the Lucia or Susanna or whatever, since plenty of others who can sing those roles and get pissed off if you talk about someone else doing the role that either doesn't mention your take or that you like something about their take that you aren't mentioning about yours. Lots of backstabbing as well. I found that true in smaller and regional houses as well. There are nice folks, too, but one has to a good sense of self and practice self-protection from some of the others.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | November 5, 2022 5:57 PM
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R28 so opera kind of ate itself....
by Anonymous | reply 29 | November 7, 2022 10:17 PM
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The problem is not that you donāt know about opera, itās that you have no interest in learning about it. Your manuscript (it will never be a book) is going to suck out loud.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | November 7, 2022 10:25 PM
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If anyone's looking for opera-centric content from an insider perspective, the Opera Offstage podcast is recommended. The two girls who host are nerdy enthusiastic working singers & actresses who had done all their YAPs and gone through the arduous process to become current-day professionals, so their insight is on point and comprehensive. They have a lot of cute funny stories about the everday life of a working young hopeful navigating the business.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 31 | November 8, 2022 4:21 PM
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Opera's ok but pop music pays a hell of a lot more!
by Anonymous | reply 32 | November 8, 2022 4:27 PM
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^call yourself a lyric coloratura, Mimi?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 33 | November 9, 2022 11:13 AM
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Did not know about Kaufmann/Gheorghiu but it was rumored that he also had an affair with Kristine Opolais, which is what ended her marriage to Andris Nelsons, conductor of the Boston Symphony. Also heard Anna Netrebko (a piece of work in her own right) found her superstud then husband and baby daddy Erwin Schrott in bed with another man, which is what ended things between them. Third-hand rumors, but maybe someone can verify!!!
by Anonymous | reply 34 | November 9, 2022 11:52 AM
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Does anyone know anything about Jesse Norman's personal life? It's so mysterious. She was such a Musical genius.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | November 9, 2022 12:01 PM
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R31 The opera world has its own kinds of scams, which got me to do more musical theater after more than a decade doing opera. A vocal coach from the Met told me that YAP (young artist programs) mostly exist to give opera companies a very cheap chorus, which they proceed to give them some kinds of small roles and coaching, classes in exchange. I'm not sure if, with the price of long-distance, Skype-type calls, etc. now available for practically free, but some opera managers would charge some of their singers a monthly retainer -- supposed to cover calls, faxes, mailings, etc., which for the most part, especially now is bullshit. Also some opera companies when coming to do NY to do their annual auditions for their upcoming season, would charge application fees (non-refundable whether you got an audition or not), and then some of them would charge you a fee for the accompanist, too. These kinds of fees are bullshit for actors and singer in theatre/musicals, whose producers pay for the audition space, accompanist and the audition listing in the trades. Quite a scam by some of these opera companies.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | November 10, 2022 12:19 AM
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R38 really juicy! Thanks so much for that. Listening to the linked podcast had me thinking the same thing--how do young artists afford to do this? How are companies getting away with charging all these expenses back to the artists in exchange for free/cheap labour? Now I know.
Then again, with the industry shrunk so small and audiences dwindling to almost nothing, perhaps there's little other choice. Or is the elitism and pricing out of audiences & workers completely to blame for this as well? Much to unpack.
If you have more interesting stories or scandals or anecdotes from your decade-long journey in opera, please do share.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | November 10, 2022 12:23 AM
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Well, thanks for the appreciation. Teachers and vocal coaches had kept raising their fees over the years -- who knows now what they've done since the pandemic, as they still have to pay for their apartments and such. But some of them would talk about you having to sacrifice for your art -- but they don't make it easier by what they charge. One voice teacher years ago caused a stink since she was the first to accept credit cards. Lots of her students went into debt apparently, which is kind of disgusting.
I went to a seminar years ago and some of the well-known people lecturing said that only about 35-40 American opera singers make through singing as soloist (choristers at the Met do pretty darn well). Again, today, there aren't that many "stars" and even a lot of the singers at the major house are foreign artists who might be good, but had a lot of money influencing their being cast. Plus even if you're in a run at the Met, that's maybe 6 or 8 performances, double cast, so that's 3 or 4 performances, and on to the next gig, if you're lucky. Most opera companies, soloists aren't paid for rehearsals. If you get sick the day of the show, you're not paid. Many times there's not enough rehearsal time anyway.
In the theatre, you're paid for rehearsals, previews, and then the run of the show. You get to perform a whole lot more - 8x a week usually. If you have an agent, you only pay them 10% if you are signed with them and you get a job. A manager get 15% usually and not everyone has them (nor does everyone have an agent, though a good one helps a lot). Unlike some opera managers (they use the term more like a theatre agents) some of whom might still try the scam of charging retainer. There's not enough work anyway! NY City Opera is gone and other companies as well.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | November 10, 2022 3:12 AM
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Re: Jessye, I've never heard any concrete rumors. But I have to believe - and sorry to indulge in stereotypes - a big black diva like her who never married....would likely have had some lesbian dalliances. Again, I know this is so not PC these days, but the number of lesbian (Brigitte Fassbaender, Tatiana Troyanos) or closeted (Joan Sutherland, Janet Baker) great female opera singers is quite high.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | November 10, 2022 11:20 AM
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R42 he looks so slobby for a professional tenor. As if he ought to be a bum rummaging in the bins behind stage door.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | November 10, 2022 12:40 PM
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I've been intimately involved with a small regional opera company for a couple of decades, in administration and onstage in the chorus. Many of our regular artists are local (voice faculty at local universities etc) and tend to be lovely people. The leads are usually established people on their way up (almost always American) and a number of people I've worked with over the years have become significant names. The world is small, a regional company like ours has to act decently and treat people well or managers wouldn't let their up and comers perform here. Our audiences are steady. Like any other theatrical production, there's off stage drama, sexual peccadillos, and a certain amount of chicanery. Give me a specific area to explore and I'm happy to give some examples. I can't get too specific as I don't want to allow me or the company to be easily identified.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | November 10, 2022 12:52 PM
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[quote] Also heard Anna Netrebko (a piece of work in her own right) found her superstud then husband and baby daddy Erwin Schrott in bed with another man, which is what ended things between them.
No, she didnāt find him in bed with another man. Thatās an old homophobic show biz rumor that loves to circulate about closeted gay men and has been around for decades in every part of show business. What she was finally made to understand (and she knew the rumors going into her marriage with him) was that he was sort of bi but mostly gay and married her for the career opportunities, which worked for him for a time. Once she figured out he wasnāt interested in fucking her or fathering her child, she bailed and his career pretty much wrapped up.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | November 10, 2022 12:54 PM
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r45 thank you for the clarification. Glad to know he swings our way, though. He is delish. And not untalented.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | November 11, 2022 11:42 AM
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[quote] Most opera companies, soloists aren't paid for rehearsals. If you get sick the day of the show, you're not paid. Many times there's not enough rehearsal time anyway.
R40 how come thereās so little space and time for rehearsal? Because opera companies have no money to book and offer it? Or they splash all their cash on marquee name singers to get punters?
And how can they legally get away with not paying chorus/solo singers or instrumentalists for serious rehearsal time, if theyāre hired pros under contract? Surely that makes the performers volunteers or interns, and therefore they shouldnāt be held to the same standards or responsibilities as someone getting full pay.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | November 12, 2022 12:46 PM
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[quote] I have to believe - and sorry to indulge in stereotypes - a big black diva like her who never married....would likely have had some lesbian dalliances.
R41 take that back!
by Anonymous | reply 48 | November 12, 2022 2:50 PM
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R47 At the bigger companies, the chorus and certainly the orchestra gets paid for rehearsals. AGMA is a small union, but the Met chorus there has a lot of pull within it. Some of the regional opera theaters are dicey in how they treat their singers though. If they need to get money for singers to apply for auditions and to rent out a space for audition in NY and also for an accompanist, they perhaps aren't doing a good job of financing an opera -- or are just greedy bastards trying to get money from singers.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | November 12, 2022 3:29 PM
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R49 thanks for posting, I'm in stitches!
Dawn walking in nibbling her cornetto and then mouthing to the camera "for my throat" took me out. Also love the overzealous earnest and pretentious MD/producer using gratuitous Italian for no reason, that's so true to life.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | November 12, 2022 4:25 PM
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Per diem for rehearsals are included in singerās fee in regional houses in America. Soloists usually receive one of their performance fees on the first day of rehearsal in order to pay for living accommodations, food and transport. The Metās rehearsal fees are separate from performance fees.
Thereās a big misconception about how fees work in opera and classical music. Thereās quite a bit of money to be made. I never made less than 2500 a performance at the very beginning of my career out of school annd young artist programs, and that was in small roles in the nineties. The major principals were easily making 7500 per. Usually I was doing four perfs at minimum meaning youāre waking away with 10k at the end of the gig, and youāre at a house for at most 6 weeks total, but Ruslan itās more like four to five weeks. Yes, you have to pay taxes, 20% to your manager, and housing. Travel is paid for by the house. Very small regional houses might pay less, but bigger regional and major houses like Chicago, SF, Houston, pay quite a bit more. Fee structure and rehearsal time in Europe can be different. Rehearsal for example in a major house like Vienna can be less than a week if itās a remount of a standard rep production like Aida. New productions get more rehearsal time. And then there are concerts where youāre also getting paid per performance (usually less than opera but still substantial) and youāre at the orchestra for 5 days total including rehearsal, sometimes less.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | November 12, 2022 7:08 PM
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I remember when the Met choristers were talking about striking I was surprised at how much money they made.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | November 14, 2022 2:41 AM
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The thing with Met choristers is that while they have beautiful voices, if you take that gig, you're basically agreeing to not pursue a solo career anymore, although the Met might have them in very small one or line roles like Parpignol in "La Boheme". But management does not want a chorister to think of the Met chorus as a steppingstone to solo career. It can get you canned frankly, but most of them know it; it's one other reason it pays so well, at least by classical music standards.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | November 14, 2022 2:46 AM
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Are any of you considering going to the Swedish Royal Opera next year for the opera based on Lars von Trierās film Melancholia?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 55 | November 14, 2022 2:49 AM
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Will Bjork show up at the premiere in a newly refurbished swan costume? Maybe as a duck this time?
by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 14, 2022 2:51 AM
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