Health, finances, opportunities, competition, cancellations: The challenges are myriad. Opera singing as a career has never been in a more precarious state. The varied levels of opera – staged, in-concert, recorded, rehearsed scheduling, coaching, studying, networking – haven’t always been fully acknowledged, but have gained awareness over the past two-plus years because of the challenges wrought by the pandemic. Joan Sutherland is forever associated with her performances in the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Maria Callas’s name alone conjures the sounds of her luscious “Vissi d’Arte” as Tosca. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti’s signature silvery tone is indelibly linked to his buoyant performance as the Duke of Mantua and the famous aria “La donna è mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto. They can elevate a production, detract from one, blend in with the scenery, or stand so outside of time and place as to be utterly singular. Singers are a vital element of opera on which audiences always have an opinion.
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