How to Prepare to Sing an Opera Role

As you see by the drawing above, this is how an instrumentalist can learn an opera.  But what does a singer do to prepare an opera role?  A singer must not only learn the music, but research the opera on several levels.  It takes time, but it is much more rewarding when an artist is totally informed when performing.
I have had times when I have had to learn an opera quickly.  I once had to learn Luisa Miller in 36 hours.  I also learned Aida in 5 days.  Luckily I had the time and facility to focus and succeed.  As I get older I find it harder with the myriad distractions in life to focus as I did when I was younger, but when I do have time, anything more than a couple months, this is what I do to learn a role:

1.  I buy a score and a CD, and find a good translation, hopefully more word for word and not poetic.  I am fortunate that I speak multiple languages, so I can read a great deal of most scores.  I read through the score and when I need help I look at the translation.  If the phrase or translation doesn't seem right, I use a dictionary to find a particular word..  If this fails, I call someone who speaks the language of the opera and resolve the issue. Sometimes this leads to a wonderful conversation about linguistics and historical use of language.  But the important thing is to do as much as I can by myself so that I can make it mine: I have to understand and feel the message of the opera.
2.  I listen to all of the recording while reading my score.  I do this to get a feel for the scope of what the composer wants to present to the audience.
3.  I listen again to my role and read carefully so that I can circle words that catch my ear as maybe a bit odd to pronounce and how they fit in with the music.
4.  I sit at the piano and go through the score with the recording.  I stop every few phrases and sing the phrases, making sure the breathing and support are correct.
5.  I sit at the piano run thru my scenes and sing thru them with the score.
6.  Hopefully my musicianship is good enough so that by this point all is in order and I am ready to go to a coach who is experienced, knows the repertoire, and can correct me if I have missed anything.  By this point my score is basically memorized.

Learning an opera is a process, but also a joy that is exhilarating and very satisfying when done correctly.  If  done correctly we can come into the first rehearsal full prepared to share the experience of the great music with our colleagues.

How to study at a summer language school in Europe or the USA

I wrote the other day about staying out of China long-term to learn as much as possible about classical opera.  If any of you have ideas to attend a summer language school in Europe or in the USA, I have a recommendation on how to handle the situation:

While I was the Head of Vocal Studies in Hong Kong I was able to find scholarships and sent several students to Italy to study Italian.  The first year was of course, finding out what really works.  Five Hong Kong students went to the University in Perugia, Italy to study Italian.  They lived together.  

Another two students went to a language school in Florence.  They lived together but were not really friends so they found other people to do activities with.  

Who learned the most Italian?  Yes, the two who went their own way and did not associate so much with other Hong Kong students.  

The five HK students had a great time but came home after classes and spoke Cantonese.  They came back to HK and their progress in many was was negligible.  The two students in Florence who were more independent ended up studying in Paris and London, respectively, and have become better performers and better at languages.  

Over time I have found a great language school in Verona, Italy.  I sent several students there and they have returned having learned a great deal of Italian.  The key is there was only one student in the school each year.  They lived with an Italian family and were forced to speak Italian every day, a great deal of the day.  My top student studied there, returned to HK and we performed an Italian opera.  She arrived at the first rehearsal with the complete opera memorized and translated.  The next summer she returned to Italy and studied Italian again.  After just those two months she spoke excellent Italian.  

This is the solitary path that you must follow if you want to progress and be cost effective. 

Beijing Gathering

While I was in Beijing meeting prospective students for my summer program in Verona last weekend, I was asked by one of the students, "What must we as Chinese singers do to have success in the opera scene in and out of China?"  

My answer was:

Stay out of China.  Stay out as long as you can.  This is not a negative comment on China, not at all!!!   What I mean is young Chinese singers must live outside of China for years.  Not one or two years, but many years.  If you can live outside of China for 10 years, then come back, you can raise the level of teaching and singing in China.  If only two years, you have barely taken care of yourself and your needs.  If you stay overseas for many years you can truly become more competent in languages, style, repertoire.  We must realize that classical opera is a western art form:  it takes time to assimilate all the details of what it is.  If you can stay out of China and learn more about it and it's languages, then when you come back you can be a great teacher, coach, and better performer.  By staying away from home, when you do come back, you add so much more skill and expertise to what is China.  So in the long run, you are helping your country by staying away.  Does this make sense?