October 2005
By Evelyn Jones Yu
SA: Yes, I've been performing with the Contemporary Opera of Los Angeles. It's an opera company which performs opera in a more intimate style. The wall between the company and the audience has been broken and the auience and performers feel a direct contact between each other. My partner Bill Protzmann and I just opened our show called, "The funny sexy secret world of a DIVA" in Hollywood this past summer. We had been performing it for the last 3 years out of town and decided to do it in Hollywood to get reviewed.
EJY: Opening your own show! What was that like?
SA: It was a very good challenge for me: the theater had no air conditioning, I sang nine arias, and I changed costumes and wigs as fast as I could between songs. But the experience taught me something invaluable: I learned that I can sing through anything. I used to worry, "it's too dry and my voice won't be good" or I didn't warm up properly and my voice won't work" or "I didn't get enough water, I didn't get enough sleep," etc.
EJY: It sounds like you can sing through anything. I'm sure our readers would like to know how you did that!
SA: I know that with proper training and vocal skills I can sing through anything as long as I use those skills, no matter how exhausted, hot, or frazzled I am before the performance. I still strive to have everything in order before I perform, but sometimes things happen - cars break down, costumes aren't there, etc. Now I don't get in a panic any more because I have a solid technique.
EJY: It sounds like a solid foundation of knowledge and discipline can get you through any situation. Can you talk about how you started singing?
SA: I've always been a natural when it came to singing - I've been singing harmony ever since I was a small child. Opportunities seem to come to me, or I auditioned for something because it seemed like a natural choice to me. Before singing opera, I sang in school choirs, college choirs, musical theater in college and professionally, several touring pop/rock/show bands, a U.S.O. tour, and did some TV, Film, and Theater.
EJY: Touring pop bands and a U.S.O. tour! You're quite a versatile performer! And you've been able to use those experiences to expand your opera performances. You've obviously got a rich musical and theatrical background. What made you decide to pursue a professional career?
SA: Honestly, I never really thought of pursuing a professional career. I had already sung professionally all over the U.S. and Europe but I never realized I was a professional singer until I was getting a masters degree in voice and had to go out and do resident artist auditions. THAT is when I felt I was actually pursuing a career. Most of the time, I rarely audition. People see me in a performance and ask me to do their upcoming projects.
EJY: You make it sound so effortless. What has been challenging for you?
SA: You know, the challenge for me is remembering that everything has a time and place and that there is a big plan out there deciding what I'll do next. I work on my voice, I work very hard at the business and everthing else, but ultimately, it's up to someone else if I'm going to sing at the MET, so I don't worry about it. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.
EJY: Can you give us an example of what that's like?
SA: An example is that a Broadway scout came to "DIVA" this summer and LOVED it, and so did some people who are involved at the Getty. I didn't invite them - they just showed up. I believe that if I love what I'm doing and work very hard to be excellent and do justice to the exquisite works that music geniuses like Mozart created, then I will land where I'm supposed to land. And if I trust and follow my passions, I'll go where I'm supposed to go. If it's the MET, then it's the MET. If it's LA Opera chorus, then it's LA Opera chorus. All that matters is that I do good work and take pride in what I'm doing no matter where or for whom I'm singing. I believe that if you do that, good things will happen. They have so far...
EJY: You must do some marketing, though. It can't all be "luck."
SA: I was in O, the Oprah Magazine because they picked me out of 12,000 people to interview. A lot of times in this business, great things like that just happen to me, BUT, I am always prepared and ready for when they do. If someone called and asked me to sing a role in a week or do an interview at 3pm, I'm ready. It's happened before! I actually thrive on things like that. Opportunities don't come along all that often so I have to be ready. It's important for me to be professional, to know all the music before the first rehearsal so that the director can trust me and therefore not worry about me and then be able to focus on all the other things that need their attention.
EJY: Yes, that is great advice! We certainly want to leave a good impression! Well, Susan, it has been a pleasure learning about your career. Than your for sharing your experiences with us! I look forward to seeing you in your next run of DIVA!