Ahhh… so you'd like to be a professional classical vocalist, but you're not sure about the hours. Well, let me tell you a bit about them….Each performance is backed by hours upon hours of intense voice, body and mind preparation that makes up most of the life of a professional classical vocalist.
When I was a student at the Royal College of Music (RCM), my normal day would begin with studies from 10.00am to 1.00pm, and then again following lunch from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. Study involved a range of different lessons, including:
- Language coaching.
- Singing lessons.
- Opera and Repertoire coachings.
- Movement.
- Acting.
- Yoga.
- Speech classes.
Did I mention lunch? Probably shouldn't have, because lunch hours were the perfect time to book a room and grab some colleagues for rehearsing.
In the evening, there were often "after school" rehearsals at the College or at the RCM Hall of Residence where I lived for three years. Sound-proofed rooms (especially important for those coloratura sopranos!) were available for 2 hour sessions initially, and after 10pm, on a "first come first served" basis. Needless to say it was quite common for rehearsing to continue into the small hours of the morning if necessary (and it was normally fairly necessary!).
No respite in the weekend either. Many performances were scheduled on Saturday, required travel and therefore early starts or late finishes. If no concerts were scheduled then the weekend was often the only time to get some extra singing lessons with Madame Vera Rozsa, or piano rehearsals for recitals and repertoire.
I hope I haven't put you off. Because all that preparation makes the actual performances really worthwhile. And it also makes any time you do get to yourself more special. When a weekend's free, I like to really wind down, get away from it all and just relax. And that includes sleeping - a close friend and an old time remedy for those niggling aches and pains that overtake you at the end of a long day. And believe it or not, when I'm not singing it, I quite like listening to music - popular styles that is - always keep those options open! - Jonathan
