Sing Opera

Opera is an all-encompassing art form, engaging body, mind and heart. Professional opera singers must master and integrate classical singing technique, musicianship, acting, and foreign language diction. However, studying these skills can make you a better singer of any kind of music you would like to perform.

Steps

Learning About Opera

  1. Learn about classical singing. Classical singing technique optimizes the range, resonance, power, and vibrancy of your voice. Classical singers perform unamplified and access a much wider range than singers in most other genres. Learning to do this requires the assistance of an excellent teacher. The National Association of Teachers of Singing directory can help you find one.[1]
  2. Listen to opera recordings. Listen to great singers performing a variety of operas for inspiration and to discover which composers and periods of opera most appeal to you.
    • Browse videos and audio clips online, check your local library for recordings of operas, and consider subscribing to services like Met Opera on Demand. As you listen to these recordings, remember that it is important to develop your own unique voice rather than strive to imitate other singers.
    • It's important to seek out video recordings, not just audio recordings. Observing singers' stage movement and facial engagement is an important part of your introduction to the acting skill opera singers must develop.
  3. Attend live opera performances. Watching videos can help, but nothing can compare with attending a live performance to truly experience the full impact of opera. Many major cities have opera performances seasonally, if not year-around.
  4. Familiarize yourself with the languages in which opera is most frequently performed. If you want to sing opera either as a professional or as a serious hobbyist, you must gradually develop a working knowledge at minimum of Italian, German, and French. That means understanding the basic grammatical structure of each of these languages and have enough vocabulary to be able to translate your own scores. You must know what every single word you're singing means, and what every single word your scene partner is singing means, even if there's a prompter to help you. You should have creditable diction in every language you sing in, although the will repetiteur working with the entire chorus and soloists may cover this too; so you also understand the cadence and flow of the language of the work that's being put on. Learning some some simple art songs in Italian is a great way to begin. [2]
  5. Immerse yourself in the study of opera history, beginning with the most popular operas and composers and branching out from there. Become conversant about this body of repertoire, familiarizing yourself with the music, composer, and performance histories and styles of frequently performed operas.[3].
  6. Begin to explore your vocal range and type. Opera singers are categorized as soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, countertenor, tenor, baritone, or bass, and within each of these ranges there are subcategories determined by the color, volume and flexibility of each voice. The term for operatic voice type is "Fach". It will probably take a number of years of training to determine what your voice type and most appropriate repertoire and roles will likely be. [4]
  7. Learn how to read music. All classical musicians must become highly skilled at reading music. You can no more interpret an opera score to learn a role without reading music than an actor would be able to learn a Shakespeare role without reading English.

Studying Classical Singing Technique

  1. Assess your alignment and breathing. Good alignment is essential for singing and has an impact on every aspect of your technique [5]. Taking very deep breaths is a necessary skill for singing opera, and a relaxed but upright posture is important for effective vocal delivery.
    • Examine your breathing for any unnecessary tensions in your abdomen or throat, such as holding in your stomach or creating an audible gasp on inhalation. [6]
    • Practice taking deep breaths first slowly and then more quickly without introducing tension in the throat or abdomen.
  2. Hire an excellent voice teacher. Weekly one-on-one lessons with a qualified voice teacher are essential for developing your technique. The National Association of Teachers of Singing hosts a directory that can help you find a teacher in your area [1]
    • Work with a professional coach. Voice teachers train vocal technique, coaches specialize in helping singers improve musicianship, dramatic interpretation, diction and performance practice. They will help you polish your repertoire and presentation.
    • If you live in a city with a strong arts community, seek out the coaches that the professional singers in your area work with. They will often be willing to work with less experienced singers and will hold you to a high standard. They may also may be able to introduce you to influential people in the opera world.
    • Contact local arts organizations for referrals to professional voice teachers and vocal coaches. You can also turn to online databases or a websites, but be sure to read reviews or testimonials. If not available, get in touch with the teacher or coach and to ask for a few references.
  3. Keep an open mind when studying with a new voice teacher but be willing to move on if working with them results in vocal strain or discomfort. Vocal exercises should never cause pain or hoarseness.
    • If you feel any strain or discomfort during your lesson, let your teacher know right away. This will help them understand your voice better and adjust their methods to keep your voice free while you are working.
    • If you feel any strain or discomfort while practicing on your own, it may be that you are trying to sing too high. low, or loud for your current level of ability. Back off, and be sure to ask your teacher how you can practice more efficiently.
  4. Sign up for an opera workshop. Many conservatories and college music departments have a preparatory or extension division that offer classes for musicians in the community. Opera workshops offer opportunities to study arias and opera scenes in a group setting, providing useful feedback and performance experience in a low-pressure environment.

Training Your Voice for Opera

  1. Cultivate good alignment while practicing. Wear stable shoes and keep your knees gently flexed rather than locked. Your pelvis should be in neutral rather than tilted forwards or backwards. Keep your chest high and shoulders back rather than slouching. Your neck and jaw should remain relaxed so that your head does not unintentionally tilt either up or down. [7]
  2. Learn good breath management. Learn to inhale fully, expanding in both the abdominal area and rib cage, and then release your breath effortlessly without pushing.
    • Maintain good alignment, with relaxed shoulders and a high sternum, while exhaling and singing.
    • Avoid pushing with your abdominal muscles or squeezing your rib cage closed while singing.
    • Learn to inhale with a relaxed throat, without making an audible gasping sound.
  3. Train your articulators for good singing diction. The way you habitually form vowels and consonants while speaking is not free and resonant enough for classical singing, so you need to learn new and better ways to make each sound. In speech, your jaw, tongue and lips all move together but they are capable of moving independently from one another in ways that are much more efficient for singing.
  4. Learn to sing legato. "Legato" means "line" in Italian. It is important to master singing sustained, steady lines before moving on to faster, more rhythmic passages.
    • Practice sustaining long phrases on pure vowel sounds. Give your vocal lines steady direction rather than letting your energy fluctuate when you move from note to note.
    • Practice releasing your breath steadily rather than allowing it to slow down and speed up over the course of each phrase.
  5. Learn the art of coloratura. Coloratura is one of the defining elements of opera. It is the inclusion of special vocal improvisations within a musical piece. This may include scales, trills, arpeggios, and appoggiatura. [8]
    • A scale is an ascending set of pitches. [9]
    • An arpeggio is when the notes of a chord are articulated, being sung one after another instead of all at once. [10]
    • Appoggiatura is a vocal embellishment where the singer begins with the “wrong” note (a different pitch than is required) but then slides her voice into the correct pitch—commonly thought of as a dissonance that resolves in a consonance. [11]
  6. Sing every day. Opera singing requires a great deal of stamina. By practicing every day, your voice will get used to being used frequently and you will condition yourself to the hard work of opera.
    • You may not want to practice if you are sick, particularly if you have a lot of nasal drainage. The mucous could irritate your vocal cords. [12]
    • Take the opportunity to practice informally too—for example, put on an opera CD in your car and sing along with it during your commute. This may not be a substitute for a more formal practice, but it will help.
  7. Record yourself practicing. Particularly if you are not working with a teacher, you need to get used to listening to your own singing and giving yourself constructive feedback. Listen for breathing, pitch, pronunciation, and tension in your voice. [13]
  8. Sing from your core. Using your core muscles, rather than just singing in your throat, will help you sing louder and develop your stamina. Your core muscles are the most important muscles for opera singing, and you may want to strengthen them as part of your practice regimen. [14]
  9. Practice without a microphone. Unlike other types of singers, opera singers do not use microphones; instead, they learn how to amplify their voice so that it delivers clearly over a large space. [15]
    • Find an acoustically appropriate practice space: a small room may cause you to limit your volume.
    • Try to increase your volume without straining your voice. Moving the source of your breath and song from your throat down into your core will help increase your volume.
    • Consider singing outdoors or in a very large room.
  10. Develop effective practice habits. Begin by focusing and breathing, then set goals for the day’s practice.[16]
    • Be sure to warm up your voice fully before attempting to sing notes at the top or bottom end of your range.
    • You may find that your voice is different in the morning. Consider practicing later in the day.

Deciding How to Use Your Talent

  1. Become a professional singer. You may decide that you want to become a professional opera singer if you have a very good voice, great tone, and good pitch. You may want to develop your acting skills alongside your singing.
    • Find out where auditions are being held. Be sure you know what you are expected to have prepared for the audition and be ready to perform your best.
    • Consider moving to an area where opera is very popular and more opera singing jobs are offered. This may mean relocating to a large city or even to another country. [17]
  2. Find a community theatre. While community theatres may not host opera productions frequently, they will likely host several musical theatre productions each year. Consider trying out for a part in an upcoming musical—you may even get free vocal coaching from the music director for being in the cast.
  3. Become a vocal coach. If you love to be around singing and singers but don’t want to sing professionally, consider training to become a vocal coach. You can help teach other aspiring singers how to use their voices beautifully.



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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.nats.org/cgi/page.cgi/find_teacher.html
  2. ↑ http://100lbs.typepad.com/mezzo_with_character/2015/03/how-to-sing-opera-for-real.html
  3. ↑ http://www.operaamerica.org/content/education/learningCenter/index2.aspx
  4. ↑ http://www.operaphila.org/voiceparts
  5. ↑ http://blog.nasm.org/newletter/the-voice-of-posture/
  6. ↑ http://www.classicalsinger.com/magazine/article.php?id=2790
  7. ↑ http://www.singwise.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=VocalTractShaping&page=2
  8. ↑ http://music-world.com/MC-Chapters/BTS-ChOperaClass.pdf
  9. ↑ http://method-behind-the-music.com/theory/scalesandkeys/
  10. ↑ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/british/arpeggio
  11. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/30724/appoggiatura
  12. ↑ http://www.thebusinessofsinging.com/sr_faqyoungsingers/sr_faq_04.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.classicalsinger.com/magazine/article.php?id=889
  14. ↑ http://www.classicalsinger.com/magazine/article.php?id=2666
  15. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-25462869
  16. ↑ http://www.classicalsinger.com/magazine/article.php?id=2764
  17. ↑ http://www.newsweek.com/2014/07/25/if-you-want-sing-opera-learn-german-259368.html

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