S3 Epiosde 7: Nepotism

12/15/22 • 33 min

We all want to try and pretend nepotism doesn’t happen in the opera industry but, let’s face it, it does. So, how can you use nepotism to your own advantage?

Make your own connections

If you’re in a room with someone you want to work with, what’s the harm in having a chat? You don’t have to directly ask for work, you don’t even have to directly ask for an audition, instead you can discuss an opera you saw recently, or something you read in the news, whatever! In making the initial connection it’s about making simple conversation and making an impression on said person.

Make connections in a way that works for you

Perhaps you’re not used to making conversation with people you don’t know, or perhaps you’re a socially shy person; if that’s the case then maybe you can use social media to your advantage? Sending a tweet to a casting director or agent in an attempt to make contact can have a lot of value. Form connections in the way that works best for you. You should never have to feel uncomfortable when making connections.

Use a business brain

Building relationships with people takes time. As with business relationships, you have to prime people in order for connections to prove fruitful. Take your time - calls, emails, tweets, meetings - it all contributes to the end outcome.

Create your own luck!

Based on a book Helen read over the summer, here are five ways of thinking that could improve your own luck:

Be more relaxed (ha!) If you’re open to the situation in front of you, rather than desperately trying to achieve one single thing, you can be more open to new situations and ideas, and form new connections.
Be open to new things and new experiences. The more people you meet, the more things you do, the bigger your chances are to create your own luck.
Build and maintain a social network - create new connections, sustain old ones. (N.B. this can be tiring so make sure to schedule to appropriate rest time in response to this kind of work.)
Expect good luck. Many people walk into auditions telling themselves that they WILL get this role. Can you do the same? Often people that expect good luck are able to turn difficult situations on their head and see the positives - is that something you can try?

Episode edited and produced by Daisy Grant Productions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all want to try and pretend nepotism doesn’t happen in the opera industry but, let’s face it, it does. So, how can you use nepotism to your own advantage?

Make your own connections

Make connections in a way that works for you

Use a business brain

Create your own luck!

Based on a book Helen read over the summer, here are five ways of thinking that could improve your own luck:

Be more relaxed (ha!) If you’re open to the situation in front of you, rather than desperately trying to achieve one single thing, you can be more open to new situations and ideas, and form new connections.
Be open to new things and new experiences. The more people you meet, the more things you do, the bigger your chances are to create your own luck.
Build and maintain a social network - create new connections, sustain old ones. (N.B. this can be tiring so make sure to schedule to appropriate rest time in response to this kind of work.)
Expect good luck. Many people walk into auditions telling themselves that they WILL get this role. Can you do the same? Often people that expect good luck are able to turn difficult situations on their head and see the positives - is that something you can try?

Episode edited and produced by Daisy Grant Productions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

S3 Episode 6: Can we separate work from politics?

This week Alex and Helen debate a big question which often plagues the arts: can we separate our work from politics?

In this episode they discuss the three following questions:

Can we put our opinions aside to perform music by people whose views we disagree with?
Can we put our opinions aside to work with colleagues whose actions/views we disagree with?
How are we able to reconcile our morals in the world of opera, an art form that is still plagued by misogyny, sexism, racism, homophobia and much more?

Episode edited and produced by Daisy Grant Productions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

S3 Episode 8: Fear culture

This week we discuss the fear culture which pervades the opera industry and how we can take care of ourselves in these situations.

Performance Anxiety

We are singers and performers because we love sharing the joy of making good music; however, in certain situations (such as high pressured auditions) we can become crippled by fear.

Is there a way of us reframing this? Do the feelings we experience before our first night on stage at the Metropolitan Opera have to be fear, or could they be anticipation instead? Could they be excitement at having the opportunity to connect with an audience through powerful music? Could they be adrenaline, gearing you up to give the performance of a lifetime?

It’s worth reminding ourselves that a performance on stage or in an audition needs something more than what we deliver in the practice room - could that be this adrenaline, excitement or anticipation?

Fear towards our superiors

The opera industry is a complex one, one in which we are all trying to impress our superiors in order to secure another gig, another casting or perhaps another audition opportunity. Not just this, oftentimes when we are working with colleagues we admire, we are fearful of what they think of us.

In situations like this it can be helpful to consider yourself five years ago: who were you afraid of? Who did you look up to? Whose opinion did you worry about? It’s likely that five years on you’ve come to realise these worries and fears were not as important as they seemed at the time.

Often the arts talk about being more open, caring, sharing and collaborative. That works both ways. We need to be less fearful of those in positions of power, but also the people who hold these positions need to make themselves more approachable, more accessible, more human.

Fear for our career security

A common fear discussed on the podcast is how to make a sustainable career in the arts. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the portfolio career allows musicians the flexibility to remain financially solvent whilst exploring and developing creative projects.

The combined effects of Brexit and Coronavirus have throttled the classical music industry and the government’s continual arts cuts act as a reminder that the UK does not value the arts in the same way other countries do (taking Germany and Austria for example). The realisation that a career in the arts is financially insecure is painful, however once you’ve come to terms with this you can make choices to develop a flexible career that works for you. Combine the skills you have in order to provide yourself with a portfolio career that offers a steady income and room to be creative.

Fear in the creative space

It’s sad to say it, but many music-making groups are guilty of creating a culture of fear, whether it be the fear of making a mistake, the fear of not sounding beautiful, the fear of a memory lapse, or the fear of misreading a gesture.

Environments like these require us to regain some sense of control, and we can do this by making a choice:

You can choose to stay, recognising it is just a job and you feel able to handle this situation.
You can choose to leave. You know your boundaries and you’re not prepared to work in such an environment so you make the decision to move on.

In sports such as cricket and basketball, players are trained to withstand trash talk, learning to give their best in a high-pressured, fearful environment. Perhaps opera should do the same?

Much of the operatic industry is based on a culture of fear, meaning we need to learn to protect ourselves. It is our personal responsibility to become robust and resilient enough to manage these difficult situations, remembering that if it becomes too much, it is okay to walk away.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.