Hi, I'm hoping you'll all have some opinions and advice on this topic!

A brief introduction to me and my situation… I'm currently 22 and have just finished a Masters in Music Performance at a University. I've done a lot of amateur singing and recently performed with a semi-professional opera company. My current singing teacher is wonderful and is a professor at a London music college and I’ve made fantastic progress with her over the last year. The problem is where I go from here...

I've put together a marketing plan involving contacting local choral societies with a view to possibly singing with them as a soloist and also have my own website with sound files for promotion etc.

The problem I'm facing is that, having not been through 6+ years training at music college, I'm certainly not at professional standard. I have applied for postgraduate places at music college this year with the hope that one day I will reach this standard, but clearly I'm not there now. Do you think it's unwise to put myself out there before I've become the best that I can be and risk possible criticism, or should I be aiming to get all the experience I can?

I'm not a beginner anymore, and on paper I have a lot of qualifications, but it seems a big leap to make from being a student/amateur performer, to being seen as a professional, especially when age is such a significant factor in singing.

Any views/advice very welcome!

<puts on choral society secretary hat>

Choral societies up and down the land are currently receiving speculative CVs from would-be soloists, most of which are just ignored. Who you know is arguably more important than how good you are, so put the word out; that said, you need ability too!

Get yourself known - organise a katy_mezzo concert (perhaps as a fundraising event for a local good cause) and invite everyone!

Make sure that your CV and introductory letter or e-mail is proofed. I've rejected several people because they can't get our conductor's name right . What does this level of sloppiness say about their approach to performance?

Don't bother applying for specific concerts. The conductor probably has the soloists in mind when the work is programmed, which may well have been a year or more ago.

If you're sending out your CV by e-mail, don't just BCC it to every choir you can find, as most ISPs will consider these e-mails to be spam and just junk them. If you're attaching a CV, ensure it's in a format that can be read by everyone. Don't bother with a photo as this will just irritate people on dial-up who are trying to download it. If you're directing people to your website, ensure that it's compatible with all browsers and operating systems (I'm a strong advocate of W3 verification).

Finally, have a word with our very own katyjay, who's going through the same thing at the moment.

It's probably a bit of a cheek my offering you advice, Katy, as you're well ahead of me in terms of musical development.

But I read your initial post on this topic and it struck some similarities with my thinking just now, and maybe the way I'm attacking the issues could help you.

Like you, I haven't been to a music college. (But unlike you, I haven't done a masters, and my first degree was in maths. And at my age - 38 - I'm unlikely to return to student life). So my first question is "what would going to music college have done for me that I can't do for myself?" And my answer to that is that apart from providing me with tuition from a great teacher - which I believe I have been fortunate enough to achieve anyway - I would have had performance opportunities and contacts galore.

So I have to make those contacts and opportunities myself. Contacts come from getting involved in all sorts of musical activities, even at relatively low levels. Apart from my main choral society, I sing in all sorts of local choral events, fill in for a variety of church choirs if they have a shortage, and a lot of the local organists know I'm good at turning up and sight-singing for a funeral or wedding at short notice. I also sing for parties and dinners and fund-raisers so that my name is known locally. It's not the ENO, but it's all experience.

And that's not to mention the concerts I've been involved in for these Forums - they have been a great way of getting experience, and making friends.

I make a point of keeping in touch with anyone I've sung for in the past, and update them on what I've done recently. And as a lot of the local choral societies' musical directors are the local organists, they know that there's a soprano soloist around looking for experience. And with choral societies' budgets always being a bit tight, the knowledge that there's someone who's prepared to take on solos for a nominal fee and experience when it's not worth a major player's time to do it, is a useful point in my favour. Remember, my first major solo job, this Christmas, is with a conductor who recognised me as having been a good gap-filler for an event last summer! I wasn't even singing a solo back then!

I may never reach the "professional standard" you aspire to - I'd be happy to reach the standard you're at now - but I do know that my voice and performance skills are improving as my confidence increases, and that the increase in confidence comes from increasing my experience. The bulk of audience members in any concert or event I'm likely to do won't be particularly aware of how much better than me a "real" professional could be - they'll just hear a soprano soloist singing her stuff. They'll still get their money's worth.

I think the point is that my marketing of myself is a lot more practical - sing with and for people, make contacts, make friends, keep in touch. Writing to choral directors and setting up a website is good, but people knowing who you are and what your voice sounds like is even more important.

It'd be really good if you could keep us updated with how you're getting on in your career - feel free to PM me if you want a chat/to compare notes.

Cheers and best of luck

Katyjay

Thanks you both so much for your advice - really helpful and I'd certainly agree with it not being what you know but who you know - that's how I've landed most of my experience so far!

In terms of making contacts, I do keep in touch with everyone I've performed with (and am looking to set up a duo with a soprano I used to sing with, which should be fun!) I do need to get my name around the local area more though, (having recently moved back after a few years away!) so I'll definitely get working on spreading the word, so to speak!

Oh, and I forgot to say, Thanks Deborah for the advice on how not to approach a choral society for work


And, of course, if you do happen to need a soprano or mezzo soloist at any time in the future, we Katys are here

*sees double*





How about a double act?

The way your singing is going to come on, is probably by 'doing' now. You've done a lot of training, and I think that starting to get out there and actually sing is probably the best thing you can do now. Plus, there's a lot about doing that which no one can teach you how to do!

David

I would again stress the "get yourself known" bit - there's nothing to stop you organising your own concert. I'm in a quartet - we've been singing together for years, and got ourselves on to the local WI circuit. Lots of experience, lots of excuses to try out new repertoire without it being too daunting, and as a result we are now quite well known locally. I think we did about 6 concerts last year. This year was a quiet one (we all had other commitments) but it's still going to be 3 or 4 counting Christmas (5 for me if I also include the Forum Concert )

In the end, as Katyjay says, you will be picked for what you sound like faster than how you come across on paper.

Good luck and keep us posted!

(PS Do go for the Virtual Concert being organised on this site - we'd all love to hear you...)
(PPS Also, try joining a local Am-Dram society - you never know who might be sitting in the audience...)

Oooh yes, do do something for the concert if you are able, that would be great