15000 people packed into berlins buggin to answer theater. T. V. Appearances attracting 1700000 viewers. To all some of the opera Worlds Largest audiences. The german tenor is one of the biggest names in opera today. What does it take to become an opera star. Only very few artists make the leap on to the worlds best stages why are some singers successful and others not with that question in mind i spent half a year meeting up with some of the worlds most exciting operatic singers. But. I think your most cough monster rear only really took off relatively late when he was in his mid thirties in london he tells me about the doubts he had early on. The hypnotist miscall im one of us also of course i thought more than once about quitting and despite all my love of music and theater i couldnt imagine sticking with a profession long term where the only certain thing is uncertainty in the height forecast. 90 percent of Opera Singers never manage to land a fixed contract at an opera house. The risk of burnout and vocal problems is acute as young as confidant realized early in his career. 2 2 2 2 says if either party and i sang many roles in the 1st 2 years foot it almost cost me my Mental Health or certainly my voice i was overstretched well thought out of all. The pressures are considerable. Especially on young performers. 28 year old devices has a promising career ahead of her here at the zurich opera house the french danish soprano is performing her 1st title role model well. Theres a dress rehearsal today. Her costar is one of the worlds top 10 hero too big. He previously sang the big 3 year in june last names opera in 2012 at new yorks metropolitan opera together with anna netrebko. Was. I think its a gift to sing alongside if she valiant like this. And i love you i did im talking about you across all in the morning very important. You are so sweet. I know. Shes been rehearsing for 6 long weeks. As a special and its been very exhausting. Id say the rehearsals other hardest because youre singing almost every day and had. A dance for you its a very demanding i think i hope the performances are easier because right now ive almost run out of energy ive pretty much reached my limit. For quest of its child. The premier is in 2 days time. Thank you. Thank us you 3 goriot knows what its like to reach her limit. Oh i had from when i went on stage i was totally not perfect i did and didnt have any single idea how to sing. The lithuanian singer finds time between looking after her children doctors visits and rehearsals to meet up with me in her hometown of vilnius. In 2006 she cofounded the private initiative the vilnius city opera it doesnt have its own venue and its productions are hosted by the citys congress concert hall. Its all still rather improvised. There are no dressing rooms and the stars do their own makeup yeah. But the performances are top notch. The film new city opera is fostering a new generation of talent. We want and 8 young people and i think in those 12 years we did kind of big revolution in this country really about the young people. These days the bill new city opera attracts world class performers who also sing at the bolshoi in moscow and the met in new york. On the way home from the rehearsal gregorian tells me that she was almost destroyed by war. I started with big roles i never sang any tiny roles or something and of course i hurt myself when i was 30 i was dead already and i was always doing too much too big roles. The breakthrough she was hoping for didnt come instead she started all over again and completely rely on her vocal technique. She also learned to stop overtaxing her voice the mistake many Opera Singers make just as softly nice to be taught as the fact that it sometimes hurts is a painful realisation because you love doing it it also hurts your bank balance especially when youre young. And thats actually quite an important point you are often forced to do certain things to survive financially. And so could. Once they finish their studies which can take as long as 6 years an opera singer with a fixed contract in germany makes around 2000 euros a month before taxes thats less than a stage technician earns. For getting fassbender is an opera legend who has sung on stage is all over the world now shes directing and despite a case of bronchitis shes rehearsing defile the woman without a shadow by the couch towels. Come by house. Sad or not for a moment. I could never say no youre always afraid youll drop off the map and never be asked again. Is this personal you know this grondahl of german opera knows the industry inside and out shes been a singer a teacher and a managing director now she mainly directs operas. All cant you do it like this. He only wants to she wouldnt mind climbing between a young mans legs. And again dont be a prude. And now you approach the woman. Past all snatch out that you dont make too many of these usual thing or gestures who want oh oh yeah how to get the gesture small focus on what you bring to the role playing but its not like this so yeah when most is all you need to truly inhabit your role also as an actor. This is me thats always been a priority of mine and you need charisma. When you go on stage everyone should look at you thats what you have to aim for. And zurich piotr a big star is about to go on stage. In 2 days time the curtain will go up on last nights opera manno got such joy. The polish tenor is preparing for his entrance in the 3rd act. So i think in october todays the dress rehearsal a lot is going well but theres also some room for improvement coming up and a lot can still go wrong its kind of to me sheesh. How well can he judge his own performance of the famous aria. Since the cold. Disco support one of the biggest problems for oprah saying is that we never hear ourselves i dont know how my voice. Sounds in reality right cleaned this rig and thats why its important to have someone you really trust in the audience such as your wife. I know his voice is very well yet up here im at all his performances i listen to his voice i take note of what his teachers sass. Us or for what he wants and how to find the optimal resonance and i hear if it was good to see. His wife gave up her own career as an opera singer to support his shes undoubtedly one of the secrets of p. R. Trowbridge our success. Was. Was. Still to the rehearsal is over those advice i think you are a big job i have been onstage for 4 hours. So its ok to be completely divorced yes indeed it has to do shelf the steps and i thought that was the 1st time ive sung the whole part from beginning to end but as you can see i havent lost my voice and thats the main thing but i feel completely drained the more over the next 2 days ill try not to talk too much ill do some cooking some exercise ill try to relax a bit go over my role and work on 3 or 4 bits. I really need to take a break thats us as a couple of the steak house. When she takes a break the young singer likes to enjoy a good cup of coffee like in this Coffee Roaster in berlin this is they need. To fix so many things will be. So in my mind wants. I always wanted to join an ensemble in germany because i think thats where you really learned the. Job. As a device he has been a member of the berlin state actors ensemble since 2017 when it reopened after years of research. She sang the role of gretchen and Robert Schumann scenes from go to spoused the production the kicked off the 1st new season. Its not only important how an artist sings but where they sing. As an ensemble member in a prestigious opera house she was soon noticed by major orchestras. When the berlin philharmonic got in such on short notice she was on vacation with her boyfriend. The question i have is that we were eating breakfast and i told him and he said was why on chew you have to answer them you have to fly there. And then things went very fast when i went on ricky pedia and i only saw the 1st pass easy i thought i can learn that kind of i didnt even notice that theres a 2nd and a 3rd. So i said yes because i thought it would only be those 4 numbers. Yes. Until then shed never sung hardens oratorial the creation and the concert was 2 days away. From noon to midnight i practiced nonstop with the music in my is my piano my phone and the school room my tablet and by midnight i knew all the music that contest against this. 2 performance moved members of the berlin philharmonic to teachers. But also devise its career had kicked off 2 years earlier when she won the International Singing competition noirish demand for new voices. So i vocal about the 2 weeks later the example bones festival in france a very important festival called me to ask if i wanted to sing like a lion carmen come and sing it for me there was no question i was sure this would be the trampoline that would help catapult me into my career and tumbling so in my make up yes a spring it. Was a land. That i can say from an s. M. S. Moment i also believe that was actually my 1st engagements apart from berlin by then so little by little like a spider you build up your network of relationships and different opera houses suing in question. Competitions are one way that singers can make a name for themselves. Ozma gregorian says that shes never taken part in one in her life. I just could not do that. Because i always had this huge fear of stage and i was just so afraid and i could not show even 20 percent of really years ago i really thought that i can come on stage and because it was like it was so big and its really physical its not just a fear you know you stop to feel your arms or you know your face is decking and of course you know it here you know theyre hard beats so it disturbs your grieving and everything. Even now backstage at the frankfurt opera shes palpably nervous shes performing the title role in thai cos these lyric one act opera the old on time. The 1st part of the program has just ended now its her turn but 1st a brief exchange with the conductor sebastiaan. This is. What helps me is like really be taz and present in the role and its easy. Down to live managing director of the frankfurt opera discovered her 5 years ago as the jockey for the 1st time this year. I always love. It so. You know its not for me because. Our boss youre very very serious. If this is so i wish you well of thank you very much thank you michel in the 1st and yet shes always fascinated me is even so not only her singing but also her simplicity and talked through on the way she can command attention by holding back great emotions of most uncut. I know that maria callas was similar. But in vain in film and use in the little footage that exists of maria callas what you see is a woman whos singing commands attention because she has presence even when doing very little comes out nice to. Meet it. Yes i mean thats something that as mick picks up on you i wish more singers had the sophistication and intelligence in key moments to do less rather than more on stage. I think she may get there i listed in when the voice gives everything like the singer themself is still and theres only the voice that atmosphere that creates an atmosphere that takes the audiences breath away from art and that helped is that is the power of a voice not. I nish him. Less is more its a phrase i often hear while making this film. Along with talk of pacing oneself and being in the moment. At the war opera house in london music director antonio pano regularly works with stars like you want to cough man and the track of i ask him why so many Opera Singers end up ruining their voices. I know theres the doing of a fine singer is one of the Biggest Challenges for Opera Singers is knowing how to calibrate their intensity and then im out there and also in terms of their volume see itself. Far too many singers are too loud. The atmospheric singing piano creates a much more interesting atmosphere zing and if see the sound as if you sing too loudly always loudly youre going to get tired out in the lot. Worse world war one drop. The current holder 1st was was. Was was was. The. War. In the. World. Really the voice is very possible i know. A voice can be ugly yet very theatrical and seductive and. The c. F. A. Furious i know. A voice can be very beautiful and totally boring. Personality whats inside has to come out through the voice thus most. Common. But these days an extraordinary voice will only get you so far Opera Singers cant afford to ignore social media. Posting is now part of the job even the stars are doing often sharing glimpses into their private lives. Thats also true of celebrities like and in the trip here shes posted a rehearsal with maestro on instagram. It was a beautiful. Cool to keep going to. See a. Bunch of open. Does inflight see some Opera Singers who are almost like movie stars and thats ok. By your job but that job demands a certain respect and concentrations of the suspect. And the constant at sea on thats the most important thing in the media cant make a career when you have to get up on stage and prove yourself i knew every single time. This model. Is think im unfairly yes and this in. I feel that the job is losing some of its magic because people can see that we just know why. This is so i see it in myself. When i go to the opera and theres a singer i like. I go straight to instagram or facebook to find out who they are who he is where she is he would have it. All that he or i go to youtube. But i think you can also lose yourself in social media men can see. It is a medium failure then you can end up thinking and youre a good singer just because you have 30000 followers. 1000 followers. These days the industry is teeming with people who are talented singers but more importantly look good too. Nowadays you have to look like a model at least on your record covers. Sometimes when you see someone on stage you wonder how they managed to look the way they do on their record cover cover you cant blame the singers its the fault of people who know nothing about singing and base everything on looks and who only cast certain types. Of mean naming name me so. Yeah yeah. Yeah not me or not me or not. Yeah yeah naming me also also shown to me in the. Job is get him out i think it always has to be about authenticity onstage otherwise we can forget the stage the stage is and will continue to be a mirror of our lives and our humanity and in humanity on stage nothing is impossible and initiates wasnt just like in life. But the trend towards glamour and perfection is very aggravating it complicates our work. But how low income. You seem. Ok and so are you that is one part of this meyer has sung in our houses all over the world and she has experienced that trend and im one of you know what is it what would talking about this this guy. Yes the roles do go to a certain time you have to be thin you have to be young you have to be affordable its getting worse and worse emotionally much. Im going to. Be im god began her career in 1903 as a lyric soprano receiving an award in a competition in which you also took part. In something we were together in a competition in the meistersingers competition in nuremberg and he received an advancement award i won the 2nd prize and evelyn halitosis came in 1st thats pretty funny. So. For me it warming up is about warming all the muscles. I dont see the voices coming from just the 2 vocal chords but from the whole body. Just as athletes have to train daily singers carry out exercises like these to build up and develop the voice. But my voice is getting deeper i never felt comfortable singing soprano theyd say to me anyone who says good morning the way you do cant be a soprano and surprise. Oh yea prospect actually spent always said you know really a soprano you dont have joy you operate just. And i would say yes im always glad when im allowed to go deeper than that was a clue and now finally i found the file that really feels right to me. She isnt the only opera singer who spent years singing in the wrong or vocal classification. In germany in particular operatic Training Needs improvement it seems the country is home to one 3rd of the worlds opera houses. But germany is failing to properly nurture young talent. The soloists performing in germanys many opera houses tend to come from the u. S. Russia and increasingly from south korea and china. Here in cio in got this mine is something of an exception. I salute the singers from overseas a much better than us so why is that mundane to its down to training. There are 24 state conservatories in germany but their graduates often cant get work. From sponsorship on the icon and the mia forcing if 20 Young Americans audition for me i could hire 19 of them just like that. But if i addition students in german conservatories 19 of them are unemployable. I dont hire maybe one so obviously theres something wrong with our system perhaps we can learn from those other systems that are doing something right was message them on all station this. I always thought that germanys conservatories were world class but it seems that the standard of teaching lets didnt sit down. The not at best no its possible that the best voice teachers arent here theyre overseas because they were unhappy with the conditions here. And just keep. I think there are very few teachers who have actually experienced the stage firsthand. The skips if they know the theory but they dont know the practice. But this is a very precarious tendency. But i also know some excellent singing teachers at the conservatory. I have full not necessarily more there is a handful of good teachers but of course thats not enough. In the house. Even. The people who end up teaching are people who failed to make it in the music world. Frustrated seeing is who didnt have a career for various reasons they never really sang themselves but who have studied vocal instruction. This is. Its absurd this is the instruction is being carried out by people who want passing on technique but rather their own complexes and problems. In a complex and probably met. Moreover singers from russia the u. S. China and south korea are more disciplined than their german colleagues thats the conclusion reached by a recent study commissioned by the battens mon foundation. But regardless of where they come from all Opera Singers have to learn to resist the opera worlds many temptations. Including agents promising big bucks. Agents have always been dangerous because obviously they make their money from singers. There are respectable agents who really help singers develop. Voices because they have a vested interest. But if a singer goes in ruins their voice never mind theres always another one waiting in the wings pretty negative in this respect. In those in negative image question. As he said above is an instrument so you have to have a very good sense of yourself and your instrument and you have to be able to assert your instinct in your career decisions not to really thats an essential point because you usually have advisors wh