What To Do With Classical Voice Training

Sydney Opera House at Sunset, by Hpeterswald, under the license CC BY-SA 3.0

In the last couple months, we’ve discussed how to get into musical theatre and how to start a singing career in contemporary music. Today, we’ll talk about another question I get asked about a lot: what to do with classical voice training.

Congratulations! You’re a classically trained singer. Now that you’ve done all that rigorous training, what’s the next step? If you aren’t a classically trained singer and haven’t taken voice lessons, the first step to singing classically is, of course, to find a great classical voice teacher. If you’ve already done that and feel ready to take the next step, read on for ideas!

What You Can Do With Your Classical Voice

Join a Choir

If you’re a classically trained singer, joining a choir is a great place to get your feet wet. If you’re in school, there may be a choir you can join there, but if not, there are often some in your community. Try googling local choirs, and look out for whether you have to audition or whether you’re allowed to just join.

Audition For a Solo

Once you’re in a choir, try auditioning for a solo if the choir offers this opportunity.

Apply For a Vocal Program at a University or Conservatory

Whether you’re a high school student or an adult who got into singing later, going through a vocal degree program is helpful because of all the performance opportunities these programs have. This is, of course, not an option for everyone because of the time and financial commitment involved, but for some, it can be a wonderful way into the world of performance.

Sing At Recitals

Perform at recitals held by your voice teacher, or better yet, talk to her about putting on a private recital for friends and family, where you can try out a variety of repertoire.

Join a Young Artists Program

Some opera companies have Young Artists Programs, where students are hired to sing in choruses and do small opera roles, along with getting some other training and performance opportunities. A lucky, talented, and very hard-working few of these young artists can use the contacts they make in these programs to help them transition to professional gigs.

Do you perform classical or choral music, or are you trying to find a way into this world? Tell us about your experience in the comment section!

Molly Webb

Molly is the founder of Molly’s Music. She is a dedicated singer and pianist whose musical journey spans 2.5 decades, with stops along the way to sing for the pope, pass Certificate of Merit at the highest level, study with Gwen Verdon and Ben Vereen, and record an original album.