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I have sung for nearly 25 years onstage in live performances of opera, musicals, operettas, in concert and in recital.  Every performance was a challenge and I wish I could say every performance was great, but they weren’t.  Singing with a microphone is foreign to me.  I am used to hearing my voice bounce back from the back wall of the hall or carry over the outdoor stage into the universe.  It becomes an everyday thing with opera singers and it is such a special thing to be able to do.

Live Performance is Wireless in the Opera

Wireless is the way to go t hese days.  Live performance of opera are ”unplugged”.  Anywhere from 60 to 100 orchestra musicians, singers, choristers and dancers work together to make music that is not enhanced by technology.  Acoustically the vibrations that well up from a performance of opera has an effect all it’s own in comparison to electronically enhanced performances.  Unless you have experienced it, you cannot appreciate it. It goes under the skin and moves you like nothing else can.  It carries you away.

Live Performance of Opera is Sung with “Real People´´ 

In musicals and in film you have ”ideal” castings of the singers and actors.  Although the ideal of Live Performance in opera is moving more and more in the direction of ”type” casting for roles, in opera you can’t put someone on stage who can’t sing the role.  The singing comes first, or it should, and if you have ever been to an opera, you will understand why.  The quality of the singing is so important in opera, it literally ”outweighs” all other considerations.  Lets face it, Pavarotti was not the most heroic of figures onstage, but nobody brought like he did. There is simply no substitute for it in opera.  So what you often get are actors/singers who aren’t exactly Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in intimate love scenes and often a Bert and Ernie sort of constellation of couples.  Opera singers come in all shapes and sizes, all nationalities. It truly is a sandbox of cultures uniting to create a great evening of music.

Live Performance isn’t Perfect Nor Should it Be

Obviously there is no opportunity in live performance to redo or fake anything.   Singers miss notes, the chorus isn’t with the orchestra or an instrumentalist cracks a not and a director produces a bad production.  People are a little sick or tired or simply not with it that day.  Other days, a performance can elevate itself to magical heights. It is a thrilling thing to experience as a performer as well as an audience member.

I love going to a live performance because it is somewhat like a sporting event to see how people perform under pressure.  I love performing live because of the spontaneous and exciting and profound music making that goes on.  The intimacy of sharing music with talented people and being close to some of the most engaging women you can ever meet.  To hold a woman while she is singing is one of the treasures that few get to experience and I appreciate and admire the women who I have sung with at such close quarters.  It is a real privilege.

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