5 Things you only know if you’re…a soprano

We’re not all divas

There is a longstanding rumour about the behaviour of ‘diva sopranos’ in opera. Certainly, in the older age of opera singers that might have been true, but today I find we’re mostly a bunch of normal people just trying to get on with our work. Our work just happens to be singing very loudly on a big stage!

A cold can jeopardise your income

Ever heard a rumour of singers being hyper-sensitive to illness?
Unfortunately, there’s a reason for it: one short cold can completely ruin your prospect of earning any money for the month if it falls at the wrong time. If we can’t do a concert, we don’t earn money. There’s no sick pay as a freelancer.

It can be a lonely life

As a singer, some of us can spend anywhere from three to nine months on the road travelling between different productions of operas and concerts.
It might sound glamorous, and it is fun to see so many places, but mostly, it’s just being alone in your digs and waiting for your rehearsal schedule to come through.

We’re not fluent in all of the languages we’re singing in
I can definitely confirm this! There are a lot of resources that have word-for-word translations of a lot of opera and songs, as well as using a trusty dictionary. We often hire language coaches to assist with pronunciation and interpretation (a lot of older versions of languages are very florid and the translations make little sense).

We don’t listen to classical music all the time
Classical music is my job, and it takes up the majority of my brain when I’m at work. So, when I’m relaxing, I try not to listen to it at all.
Personally speaking, listen to podcasts about TV shows and films, Dungeons & Dragons and video games. Others may vary…

Soprano Ella Taylor joined Sheffield Cathedral Choir aged ten and studied at The University of Sheffield.
They are now an emerging star, part of the one percent of opera singers who are trans and dedicated to performing work by people underrepresented in classical music.

Ella is back in town for Music in the Round’s 40th Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, taking place 17-25 May.
They will perform at St Mark’s Church, Broomhill, in an afternoon of choral music with Abbeydale Singers, Ensemble 360 and Anny Huntley on Sunday 19 May, and in the Crucible Playhouse with Ensemble 360 and Robin Ireland on Monday 20 May.
Tickets cost from £5 for under-35s and can be purchased from musicintheround.co.uk.
@ellataylorsoprano