The first European contract I signed was a two year contract with the Stadttheater Luzern in Switzerland.
Then by a stroke of luck I was asked by the Baseler Theater in Switzerland to sing one performance of Madama Butterfly, one of Don Pasquale, and then Junius in the Rape of Lucretia. The Butterfly and Don Pasquale were a week apart, so I had to come in completely prepared as I only had four days of staging for both productions.
Imagine my surprise the first day of rehearsal when I met the other singers in Butterfly: None of the other guest singers spoke English!
The soprano was Japanese and had lived in Italy, therefore she spoke Italian. The Suzuki was Chinese and spoke French. The tenor was from Cuba and spoke Spanish and German. I spoke Spanish and a bit of Italian, but really hadn’t learned my German yet.
How were we going to communicate?
Fortunately the assistant stage director spoke six languages and was the bridge between us.
The soprano was Japanese and had lived in Italy, therefore she spoke Italian. The Suzuki was Chinese and spoke French. The tenor was from Cuba and spoke Spanish and German. I spoke Spanish and a bit of Italian, but really hadn’t learned my German yet.
How were we going to communicate?
Fortunately the assistant stage director spoke six languages and was the bridge between us.
Not all theaters had this luxury, but the Basel Theater and our cast was lucky.
I can’t emphasize how important it is to be actively engaged as a life’s work in learning and improving your language skills as a singer and international artist.
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