BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Last year, we took you backstage with opera stars in our interview series Behind the Curtain.
This year, we’re going to take you inside the minds of these performers.
Our new series Blood, Sweat, Opera exposes the inner workings of the opera singer, from performance anxiety to memories; sources of passion to the thoughts that race as they perform.
The West Australian Opera states that, for us all, “blood is life-force, symbol, power, and passion”. So we’re teaming up to bring you exclusive and personal conversations with world-renowned artists.
And they each have opera in their blood.
Meet Chris van Tuinen, WAO music director
Chris is a highly skilled leader in the arts. See for yourself: he graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Music in 2001, and a Masters in Conducting in 2005 with scholarship. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland, a Bachelor of Laws from the Queensland University of Technology, and an Associate in Music, Australia from the Australian Music Examinations Board.
Chris has been nominated by the Musical Theatre Guild for Best Music Direction, and by the Green Room Award for Best Conductor. He was a member in the Opera Australia Young Artists program from 2008-9, after receiving the inaugural Australian Ballet Conducting Fellowship in 2007.
He has worked with leading orchestras, opera companies, and chamber music organisations across Australia. Here’s what he has to say about life in the industry.
Take us back to your earliest memories of opera and music productions. What were your dreams of the stage?
It didn’t start out that way for me: I really began by playing the piano and trying to make the best of that I could. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be, just loved making music. But I’d always loved the theatre, going to concerts and seeing what other people were doing. I started working a lot with singers and exploring that music. It was then a growing interest in how all the artforms come together that led me to opera.
Tell us about the memory you felt was your first ‘big break’, or made you realise: I can really do this.
Many fits and starts! First time I played a recital with some singers, then the first time preparing a chorus for a production, repetiteuring for a rehearsal, [and] working with an orchestra for the first time are all important moments. Then being asked to conduct performances. It seemed to go all right, and people asked me to do other ones.
It’s a long apprenticeship, so you learn whether you can do things along the way. Sometimes you can’t, and need to go back and think about it again. If you have the right support and mentors, it can work out, and I’m still learning as I go.
As you started to build up your career, what sources of passion did you draw from to push you forward?
The thing that helped me move forward was to see and work with more senior and experienced people, and watch them get the heart of a piece. That’s a very personal thing, and what works for one conductor won’t work for another: knowing what to focus on at a particular moment, when to push, and when to let things develop of their own accord; the interpersonal skills and talents that everyone brings to a project. The inspiring moment is to see something of great beauty come together out of the balance of the practical and indefinable.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way, which you thought would set you back or crush your confidence?
Self-doubt is probably the greatest challenge for all musicians, and certainly for me. Sometimes things don’t go well, and you have to get over that. Sometimes you’re presented with an opportunity, and you’re either not quite ready or there are other circumstances which make it challenging. Preparation is always key and can help you overcome these.
Working with opera performers, how do you accommodate for issues such as performance anxiety in your teams?
Everyone suffers from performance anxiety at some level. My method is to know as clearly as possible what I’m going to do, and to have rehearsed that as well as I can with everyone else.
It sounds a little mundane, but for me, if I’ve taken as much of the uncertainty out through preparation and rehearsal, then we can be more spontaneous with the music, enjoy ourselves, and suffer less performance anxiety.
What are the things that are going through your mind while you work?
I try to be as in-the-moment as I can. I’m not thinking technically about the conducting, and I’m generally listening carefully and responding to what I’m hearing. Obviously, performing is a live act, so if I can hear shifts of tempo, balance, and colour in the moment, then I can respond to those, hopefully in a meaningful way; looking at the performers, both in the pit and the stage, and trying to engage with everyone. Also, looking like I’m engaged, connected to the music, and present is essential!
How important do you feel it is to achieve a balance between work and your ‘self’ off the stage?
Very important to maintain this; something I struggle with. I don’t listen to music in the car, and very rarely at home. I like finding time for non-musical activities: cooking, reading, seeing friends. I need to be interested in non-musical things to be a good musician. The perspective is very helpful.
What are some of the goals you hope to achieve through your 2019 appointment as WAO’s music director?
I think opera is for everyone. It’s really the people’s artform. Telling stories through singing, hearing, and participating in this great music is something I believe we can all take part in.
If I can make some of that happen during my time at WAO, I’ll be very happy.
To young singers or budding music directors, what advice would you give to help forge a healthy career in this industry?
Take what you do very seriously, but stay balanced. Listen to everyone and explore widely. No experience is ever wasted. Make sure you take care of your colleagues, musicians, singers, stage management, company staff, patrons and audience. They’re all part of this. Stand up for yourself, but be nice. Your opinion is valuable, but not the only valuable opinion in the room. Hold onto the idea that everyone wants the best result. Count yourself lucky that you get to do this!
Visit the WAO website to check out the events and workshops coming up soon. Stay tuned as we join together with world-class WAO talent to bring you our next interview in Blood, Sweat, Opera!
READ NEXT: Blood, Sweat Opera // Emma Matthews, soprano
Images supplied. Emma captured by Carolyn Mackay-Clark.
