CONTRALTO EMILY BAUER-JONES

I’m afraid to say that I have never heard the choir in live performance! However, in listening to various recordings, I have been so impressed by the quality of the boy’s singing and also their musicality. So, I am looking forward to being involved in one of their performances and hearing that sound that is so unique – the purity of boys’ voices that you don’t get from a mixed choir. This is a first for me, singing with a boys’ choir!

I love the purity and precision of the music from the Classical Era. And Mozart really is the pinnacle of that elegance. It is technically unforgiving though, I used to have a singing teacher who claimed that if you can sing Mozart, you can sing anything. Its seeming simplicity is deceptive.

Personally, I love ensemble singing, making music with other human beings just makes you feel good - it releases all those endorphins! One of the joys of being part of an ensemble as opposed to being a soloist is the shared responsibility, the shared commitment and the resulting shared sense of achievement. There is a camaraderie and a sense of connection. It’s not all about you, singing in a quartet really demands listening to others and being flexible and responsive.

I think it is the vocal quality that sets it apart. There is a depth and a darkness to the contralto voice regardless of the actual pitch being sung. A mezzo-soprano, even possibly a rare soprano, may be able to cover the same tessitura, but the quality of the contralto voice imbues those notes with a warmth and richness that other voices won’t achieve. I’m really not sure of the physiological reasons as to why it is so much more rare than other voices, but I’ve always loved being a little bit different!

Britten opera is a favourite of mine, so singing Nancy in “Albert Herring” for Victorian Opera was a particular joy for me. I fell in love with the opera in my teens and listened to it so much that when I came to performing in it, I could virtually sing everyone’s roles - not accurately, I hasten to add! As I said previously, I do love working in an ensemble so singing Third Lady in “Die Zauberflöte” for Welsh National Opera was a highlight for me and particularly rewarding. And of course the contemporary opera “The Piano Tuner” by Nigel Osbourne would be a bit of a favourite as that was how I met my partner!

I don’t have a huge amount of spare time – I teach, I have a family, I’m currently studying, I read, I walk the dog, I observe my partner gardening, I watch a little Netflix…

I would say that if you have a real passion to pursue singing as a career then go for it, give it everything you’ve got. A word of warning though: it’s a tough gig, very competitive and there are no guarantees. Consider carefully whether you might get more joy from continuing to sing as a hobby without your livelihood depending on it. After these considerations, if you feel this is your path right now, then commit yourself 100%, get a great singing teacher if you don’t already have one, work HARD and enjoy the ride!

Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Listen to the repertoire you’re singing outside of your rehearsals – the better you know a piece of music the more you can bring to it and the more enjoyment you will get out of it. Be your own best singer, be inspired by others but don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself with them. And finally, enjoy yourself, remember that singing, and particularly collective singing, has been scientifically proven to make us feel good!