Andrea Haines: Be kind, ask for advice, and love your art

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE

The Australian National Academy of Music is in for a treat this June, as globally loved British vocal ensemble VOCES8 gets ready to sing alongside the school’s talent.

It’s one of the many brushes with industry fame for the emerging musicians in recent months; flautist Tim Munro just led them through John Luther Adams’ scoreless Ten Thousand Birds, while pianist Lisa Moore earlier performed with five ANAM pianists in a massive grand piano collaboration.

One of the leading voices in VOCES8 is Andrea Haines, who settled in for a chat with us about her work ahead of Bach B minor Mass on June 21. This soprano tells us what it’s like to perform within the group, the excellence of the Bach that’ll appear on the program, and why networking and kindness could help you achieve as much as she has in your career.

VOCES8 is captured by Andy Staples, and you can spot Andrea third from the right in both of his fancy snaps.

Andrea, it’s great to chat with you. I love that ANAM draws from a YouTube comment about the work you’ll sing, Bach’s B minor Mass: “Probably the best piece of music EVER written, and I’m not even exaggerating, I’m being serious.” What do you think of the B minor Mass, and why is this comment completely justified?

I think that’s a view shared by musicians and music appreciators alike.

For me, it’s like The Lord of the Rings of choral music; an epic saga of huge proportions, the culmination of a life’s work, which challenges the reader and sets the standard sky-high for everything that tries to follow.

So what’s your own history with the B minor Mass?

My parents are fans of lots of different types of music, so alongside listening to a lot of Beatles, Dire Straits, and Fleetwood Mac, they also played a lot of classical music at home when I was young, including Bach.

I didn’t get to sing the B minor Mass until 2015 at the Elora Festival in Canada, with VOCES8 and the Elora Festival Singers. It’s such a great beast of a piece that you end up really bonding with your part-mates, and I love that it gives you that camaraderie.

The soprano 1 part is fiendishly high, and all the parts have long phrases that are impossible to get through in one breath alone. So you have to work together, lean on each other, and really form a partnership.

By the end of it, you feel like you’ve been on a long journey; a pilgrimage with those people both with you on stage, and in the audience.

Bach aside, for one moment: dare I ask you, how does it feel to be “one of the most recognisable facets of the VOCES8 sound”?

Well it’s an honour for me that people think so. Honestly, I think anyone who’s been a part of small vocal ensemble for more than a decade becomes a definable part of that group’s sound. This is maybe particularly true of the extremes of the ensemble, bottom and top, because that’s where the ear is naturally drawn.

It’s been, and continues to be, an amazing experience to be part of and help steer the VOCES8 sound.

So when it comes down to it, what is the VOCES8 sound?

For me, the most defining thing about VOCES8 is flexibility. We sing in so many different styles — from Bach’s B minor Mass to Justin Bieber — that we’re constantly using different vocal techniques.

One of the most recognisable sounds of the group is a colour we really developed when we were lucky enough to land a record deal with Decca Classics. This has a floated and ethereal quality to it, and usually requires singing very quietly, using just the edges of the vocal folds to create sound.

The VOCES8 fame is undeniable. Why do you think these qualities of your sound are so appealing to listeners, anyway?

I think listeners are after all sorts of different experiences when listening to a vocal ensemble. They want moments of calm perfection and finely tuned harmony, but also sheer passion and drama; to have therapy and entertainment combined.

We also find that audiences throughout the world are fascinated and attracted to the British choral sound, which developed in the churches and cathedrals of the United Kingdom over centuries, and this is something very close to the hearts of many members of the group.

Singing in VOCES8 must be wonderful, but no doubt contains a lot of maintenance. How do you keep your voice in top shape?

These days, we sing between 100 and 130 concerts each year, so maintaining vocal health and stamina is often at the forefront of our minds, what with jet lag, late nights, teaching, and air conditioning which dries out the voice.

Staying generally healthy is the main thing. Our body is our instrument, so eating healthily, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and exercise are all very important. Just like athletes, we have to be disciplined in warming up the muscles to prepare, and then helping them to relax and reset at the end of exercise.

With all the travel, it’s easy to get tension in the body, so I have a travel yoga mat I take with me on tour, and lots of different types of tea which I find relaxing and comforting!

You joined VOCES8 straight out from your graduation from Cardiff University. How much of the technique you learnt at uni did you apply straight into your new vocal career?

I studied an academic music degree at Cardiff, and one of the best things about it was the number of different disciplines I got to work on; not only vocal performance, but also performance practice, analysis, history, and composition amongst others.

I had a great singing teacher who helped me to start finding my own voice after years of only singing within choirs, and also the opportunity to direct and conduct different groups during my time there. I enjoyed that students were encouraged to become well-rounded musicians with open minds and broad horizons, and would say that ethos has been the most useful thing to apply to my professional career.

You’ll be performing at ANAM when you come to Australia, and working with the ANAM Orchestra. How would you advise emerging artists when it comes to landing their first big gig after study?

I would say being nice goes a long way in this industry. There are already enough divas in the world! If you can be patient, flexible, and open-minded in the way you use your skills, people are more likely to recommend you or rebook you.

Also, say ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as you can. Network, ask advice, and get as much practical experience as possible — something ANAM is already great at providing for its young musicians. You only get out what you put in.

What do you hope the musicians of the ANAM Orchestra learn from their experience with you?

I hope we develop a rapport with those musicians which is collaborative — an exchange of ideas and experiences, rather than simply an instructive teacher/student interaction.

Also, [I hope] to encourage them that being a professional musician is about being a lover of art and aesthetic, not just practising your scales and getting the notes on the page correct; though it’s a good place to start.

And lastly: your all-time favourite vocal work?

Well, we’ve already heard that Bach’s B minor Mass is “probably the best piece of music ever written”, but if I had to choose another work I’m really enjoying at the moment, it would be Parry’s Songs of Farewell — a beautiful collection of six choral motets written just before the composer’s death, full of nostalgia, melancholy, and hope.

Andrea will perform in VOCES8 with the ANAM Orchestra and guests Susanna Lawergren and Amy Moore, under the baton of Benjamin Bayle. Bach B minor Mass takes place at 7.30pm June 21 in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre.