What's the benefit of learning classical songs?

As many of you know, the curriculum for anyone taking voice lessons through the Department of Theatre includes study and performance of at least one song in a classical genre (opera, oratorio, art song) each of your first six semesters. For the first couple of years, this tends to involve songs from the good ol' 26 Italian Songs and Arias book. 

Why do we put you through this unique form of torture? Don't we understand that you are theater majors and not opera majors? These are fair questions. There are actually a number of practical reasons it can benefit theater majors to develop a vocal technique appropriate for singing in multiple genres, especially classical. 

First, there are musicals (and specific roles within musicals) that require a vocal sound that is much closer to classical than to contemporary mix/belt. This includes many musicals of the Golden Age as well as some modern shows, like A Light in the Piazza and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. 

Second, an increasing number of professional opera companies are adding musicals to their seasons, and they generally perform those musicals with more of a classical sound. Case in point, several years ago, both the Pioneer Theatre Company and Utah Opera produced Man of La Mancha within a couple seasons of each other. Pioneer's production employed a more contemporary music theater sound, whereas Utah Opera's production was decidedly more operatic. Even so, both companies hired several of our department students and graduates for the productions because they had the vocal flexibility to adjust their sound accordingly. 

Third, many opera companies (summer-stock companies especially) hire resident artists or resident ensembles for an entire season at a time. Often, these seasons include shows like La Traviata alongside Pirates of Penzance alongside Hello, Dolly! Singers who understand the difference between classical and contemporary musical theatre technique (and who are comfortable singing in languages other than English) could be hired for an entire season of shows. 

Fourth, singers earning performance degrees are eligible for more jobs if they are able to perform with stylistic authenticity in multiple genres. That may involve singing in churches, temples, or synagogues, singing in professional choirs (like symphony choruses), or even being a singing server in a restaurant. One of my students was a waiter in an Italian restaurant and would often get asked to sing. Pulling off an a cappella version of Caro mio ben always earned him better tips!

Of course, in most of these situations, it's not enough to sing with a classical technique. You also have to have a body of classical repertoire that you can draw upon for auditions. Ideally, this would include at least two (if not five) contrasting operatic arias. It would be even better if these pieces are in multiple languages. 

Naturally, none of this is required of you. If you are only interested in performing music theater, that's fine. Even if you're only interested in performing contemporary music theater, that's fine, too. But it does limit your opportunities to get hired. I'm also pretty certain that performing in classical settings will build your musical and performance skills in ways that will make you a stronger music theater performer. It will also build your contacts in the performance world, and that may lead to additional opportunities down the road. 

How has your singing been this week? Now that we're in the last month of the semester, how will you adjust your practicing to make sure you are ready for your final performances? 

Now go practice.