I had a good talk with my teacher yesterday, starting to flesh out my plans for the next few years. You see, my Master's degree is almost upon me. Assuming I make it through all of my academics on time in the next few months, I should be graduating in May, with a shiny second degree to my name! So, what then?
Well, there's the rub. Many singers go directly from their Masters' into year long Young Artist Programs (a sort of apprenticeship with an opera company, where you cover lead roles, and/or sing for elementary schools, concerts etc). The thing is, many singers are more technically secure than I am. Recent flush of success notwithstanding, I have a long way to go before I'm in the place I want to be with my voice. Part of it is age, but also it's just hard to train a big, heavy voice. So I don't believe that it would be to my best advantage to go out and do a yearlong at this point.
So what are my other options? Well, what I really need is more training. No, there was no sarcasm there. I have no need for more academics - coursework has nothing to offer me in terms of artistic growth at this point. So I'm looking at Artist Diploma programs.
An Artist Diploma is a certificate program, like something you might take at a community college in a technical field. The big difference is that an AD is considered a significant accomplishment on top of a bachelors' and graduate degree. They typically give significant performance training and experience, and singers are trotted out as the prize pigs of the institution during their time there. There are (generally) no academics to speak of.
Sounds great to me! So I'll be applying to CCM next year for their AD program. They say that the program is for big voices who need more time to develop, but I've seen some other big singers get put on the "waiting list" track. That is to say, they do not get admitted the first year they apply, in the expectation that the singer will take a year off to continue training, and then re-apply the following year. I know some very fine musicians who went through this waiting list game, but personally I don't have much interest in it.
Since Bryn has one more year in her degree, I'll stay in Cincinnati for 07-08 regardless of whether or not I get into the AD program at CCM. If I'm not accepted, I'll study with my teacher and with various coaches privately, to continue my development on my own dollar. Once Bryn graduates, we're out of here. Hopefully, we'll finally be out of the Midwest entirely!
