How did it all start?
I did my A-levels and then went to Trinity College of Music for a year. I took a year out working and then went to Bristol University and did a music degree there. Then I did a Master’s course in Musicology at the King’s College in London.. I have been having vocal lessons and coaching since the age of about 17. I went to the Centre for Young Musicians, which is a wonderful Saturday music centre founded by a local authority for children who wouldn’t normally be able to afford private lessons. I also played a few instruments there. I wouldn’t be here without it.
I was brought up in a single-parent family, in a council flat, in South London. I went to ordinary state schools. It started at my school when a load of flutes were brought in because the school next door had closed. As I showed a fair amount of talent on the recorder, from the age of seven, I was given a flute. I just loved playing it and found it really easy. Within a few years I was tuning my radio to the classical music stations. I used to have a notebook where I noted down the tunes by ear, Beethoven, Elgar… It was me on my own finding out about things. Opera definitely wasn’t played at all in my home.
I saw my first opera in 1995 or 1996, when I was doing my A-levels. We had a trip to the dress rehearsal of La Boheme at Covent Garden, with Gheorghiu and. Botha. I was wowed by opera.
How did you decide that you wanted to sing opera?
At the beginning, I was a flautist and I was much better at playing the flute than I was at singing. I really wanted to go to music college, but singing seemed so much more fun than playing the flute. I decided to switch at my auditions for Trinity College and I was shocked when I got in. But I must say I was too young, I don’t think they should let in people that young.
What was your first operatic role?
My first ever operatic role was Pamina with Hampstead Garden Opera (HGO). Prior to that I was with Morley College Opera, which is an evening adult course, I did that for a couple of terms.
I’m a real internet junkie and I found out about HGO auditions that way. I work very hard and I still have a long way to go. That’s why I am really grateful to HGO who took me on without proper stage experience. It was a perfect training ground. I learned more than I would have learned from a post-graduate course. Now I feel ready to go and try other companies.
Have you participated in any vocal competitions?
I would consider participating in a Handel competition. I love Handel.
It might be a huge generalisation, but sometimes the finalists, who I’m sure are the best of the bunch, all seem to be from the same place or from the same teacher. That kind of practice could put you off entering competitions. I’ve never felt a huge urge to do competitions, to be honest. Maybe the big ones, like Ferrier, which often launches careers.
What do you dream of doing in the future?
I’ve always been very passionate about Wagner. If I could wake up one day with a dramatic soprano voice, I would be in heaven, singing Brunnhilde…
But that’s never going to happen. I would love to turn into a lirico spinto in 5-10 years. At the moment, I’m a lyric, so it’s the Paminas, Adinas etc. I would love to do the Countess. It’s your standard lyric repertoire, with a bit of coloratura. I’m working on that.
Who are your favourite composers?
Wagner. Mozart. Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute. It’s funny because Wagner can go on for five and a half hours and I would have none of it cut out. I saw Sigfried, at ENO, in those awful seats, full house, but it was a wonderful experience and everyone was gripped by it.
Verdi is amazing. Don Carlos is wonderful, Otello is to die for, especially with Domingo. Traviata. And also Madama Butterfly is one of my favourites. I also love Bach’s oratorios.
You also sing oratorio.
Yes, Handel, Haydn. I sang my first Messiah last year.
Isn’t it really difficult to sit there for hours in a cold church, looking serene, not moving, waiting for your aria? And then get up and deliver. How do you do that?
Well, don’t fall asleep when you’re not singing! Sing through the music of the other solos in your head. There is enough adrenaline pumping through the body not to get cold. It is hard, but you have to think it will be fine and you won’t get a frog in your throat.
You have also sung in the celebration of the Battle of Trafalgar. What was it like?
It was wonderful. We recorded it a couple of days earlier in the composer’s studio. We had lots of rehearsals, mainly standing out in the cold (she laughs). The actual night was amazing. The Navy, the lights, ten thousand people, TV cameras, the Duke of Edinburgh… It was fantastic.
It was the first time I had to mime. I thought, “Yes, Top of the Pops, just like I always dreamed!” (she laughs). I wouldn’t have minded singing live, but due to the technical arrangements it had to be recorded. My first experience. Nothing like it!
Who are your favourite opera stars?
I love the voice of Ann Evans, a wonderful Wagnerian soprano. I’m a big fan of Maria Callas. I admire the way she takes risks: the drama is paramount. Sometimes the sound is a bit rough, but she never fails to move me. Leontyne Price: her Aida was absolutely amazing. Bruce Ford has a phenomenal voice.
If I were to cast an opera, it would be Verdi’s Otello, with Domingo as Otello and Tebaldi as Desdemona.
What qualities should a great singer have?
The X-factor. Of course, an amazing voice too. When you hear a crackling record with Caruso, you still hear the amazing quality.
This is the age of the producer's opera. Are producers overrated?
I think if productions are becoming more memorable, it is because they are associated with certain producers. Everyone remembers Calixto Bieito, even if everyone hated it at the time. Everyone will remember Minghella’s Butterfly because it was out of the ordinary.
The majority of directors I worked with have been very positive; they brought another dimension to what I thought about the role. But some didn’t have a clue, didn’t even know the music. There are lot of people who think they can do it. However, a good director transforms the whole show and makes the music more alive.
How do you feel about producers who are overly physical?
I really hate the idea that opera is the fat lady singing. As a singer, you have to be very flexible, especially in a modern production. Why shouldn’t we be fit? You’re a singer, i.e. you’re an athlete. You can have the voice of an angel, but you also have to deal with the plot and the dialogue. You have to maintain the health of your body and your voice: no milk, minimum alcohol, no smoking, keep fit, keep hydrated. You should not sound out of breath running from one end of the stage to the other. If you want to sing the role, and find out it involves wearing bikinis at the same time, will you turn down the role? It’s a really bad scenario, but it might happen. It’s your job, you cannot refuse to sing because you are too conscious about the size of your a***.
|
What do you think about amateur opera companies?
They are a bit of a closed group. They don’t publicise enough. The people who audition for them have already sung with them, and you get a bit of a closed group feeling, although they always say it’s very open. If you want to present the same standard, that’s fine. But if you want to present something new, alive and improved, then you need new talent. And there is no reason new talent cannot be mixed with the well-known, reliable people who form the company. I think they have a perfect combination at Hampstead Garden Opera.
How about politics?
I don’t know if it’s good to be political. You could sell yourself short or not keep to your moral standards.
How does young talent get through?
Here’s where luck and opportunity come in. You could have the voice of Maria Callas, but if you don’t get out there and show it off, no one is going to know. You can’t just sit there and complain, “Why hasn’t it happened?” You have to get out, sing your head off and show your best. You have to be absolutely the best you can be. And it will happen!
How about set-backs?
Sometimes, with hindsight, I feel I’ve been quite hampered. I feel I had a set-back of about a couple of years because of bad teachers. I was incredibly frustrated by it, but I’ve got over it now. The key is to get yourself a good singing teacher, but how do you really know your singing teacher is really good, I mean honestly? You are a student! You haven’t got the impartiality or years’ experience. You just go with your gut instinct. And looking back, my gut instinct was telling me something was not right, but how was I to know. In ten years of singing I’ve had about seven teachers. It’s quite a lot. But I’ve heard some singers had more.
There are quite a few teachers out there who make you feel guilty that you’re not learning, while actually it’s not happening because they cannot recognise your real voice…
That’s true. And they are stuck in their own technique, they are unable to adapt it. Every student, every voice, every set of vocal chords are different. You have to adapt your teaching approach to each student. I’ve been with so many teachers who just can’t do it: I would be fine for about a year, and then hit a brick wall, not able to go any further because the technique just wasn’t right. It didn’t help me in auditions.
Auditions can be very stressful.
I went for a BBC Singers audition about three years ago and they gave me the only honest feedback I’ve ever had. At a choir audition! I got a letter, pointing out things that were good and things that could be improved. It was the best thing.
I took it to my teacher but she dismissed the whole thing. She didn’t agree with any of it. I realised it was time to go…Singing lessons shouldn’t be something you dread going to. You should not be afraid of being de-constructed. I only learned that in the last year and a half. I am looking forward to my lessons now. And I’m getting more positives than negatives at the auditions. A coincidence?
What would you change in the opera business if you had a chance?
Every singer struggles with their confidence and self-esteem. We are in the business of opening up our hearts on stage. When we get rejected or rubbished, it feels unfair.
This is why feedback at auditions should be much more detailed. If you were a foot taller than the tenor, or too big, or had the wrong colour hair, then fine. I’d rather know that. “She had a great voice but she didn’t look the part” – that’s fine. I wouldn’t then be thinking that I didn’t sing well. If it was about singing, tell me about that too. We always need another pair of ears: a singing teacher, a friend we trust. Mum – not really. Mums always say you were great. No matter how much work you have done on your own, there is always something that can be added.
When you’re emailing your feedback to singers, do check that you’ve got the right name. The basic lack of attention to detail makes a singer feel like a second class citizen. It’s essential common courtesy and politeness. The singer has put a lot of effort, time and money to sing for you, and yes, it may be the 50th person and it is Friday night, but do have some respect.
Honesty in casting: if you already have two Musettas in mind, don’t say you are looking for a Musetta. Do not put out an advert that you are auditioning if the people you want at the recalls are your old company singers. Why bother? Keep your company fresh and alive. Mix and combine.
It’s such a different situation in other professions. If you are a P.A., there is a job interview with certain requirements. The wage is not a secret. You sign a contract. Why are these things left open in opera? You cannot stand in front of the audition panel and say, “OK, I will sing this, but first you have to tell me what I will be paid”. Of course you are not going to do that. But if you’ve accepted a job and committed a lot of time but cannot find out how much you’ll be paid? It should be made open early on. Quite a few companies who officially promote young talent don’t stick to their policy.
What are your plans?
It’s the audition season now, when companies are hearing people. I have a couple of things lined up for the summer; one of them is Donna Elvira with Opera de Bouge. I always think in six-month chunks and this is how far ahead my goals are. All that boring stuff, mortgage etc.
If you were to choose another profession, what would it be?
Journalism. I enjoy writing. Something artistic. Maybe something involving teaching and writing
What do you do when you don’t sing?
I love listening to music. This will sound awful, but most of my time is spend thinking about singing. It can be going to the opera, listening to other people and thinking how I would sing it or admiring their skills and getting tips for my own performance.
I don’t have any interesting hobbies like cheese making or pottery. I like socialising. The usual stuff. I’m a good cook and I make a great lamb tagine. I’m half-Portuguese and half-Iraqi; I would like to start learning Arabic and travel to the Middle-East at some point. I’m also interested in politics and I’d love to do a Master of Art’s degree in politics, but singing is my priority.
View Susan’s page HERE.
|
