Question 15

What should voice students learn in their studies?
When should voice students go to auditions?
How do you rate participation in singing competitions?

These and similar questions reach me again and again. A career as a singer always has to be considered individually and there are countless "success stories". However, I agree with my long-time teacher, the Norwegian singer Ingrid Bjoner, who said that the "success" of a vocal study can actually only be determined at the end of a singing career. She emphasized again and again that it is a matter of arriving "at the goal" as voice-healthy as possible. For me, mental integrity is added here, without which this "arriving at the goal healthy" can hardly be realised. There were and are different levels, which also affect the pecuniary circumstances. At the beginning of a professional career, it is often impossible to predict "where" the singing career will go.
For me, the prerequisites are first of all the instrument, i.e. a healthy, viable voice with (beautiful) timbre and the person who is present and enjoys his own transformation and is thus able to create many colours with voice and personality and to transport "something" in the sense of composition and / or staging.

Studying, practicing and accepting the constant improvement of one's own performance as indispensable for vocal development is another foundation for me. For example, mindfulness, concentration, diligence, imagination, discipline, determination and humility can be very useful tools for success. If you dream about the singer profession you should know that there will be no security. You need a stable health and also a big portion of luck. Singers are always dependent on being hired. This will be true for soloists for their entire career. In choirs, for example, it may be necessary to change from soprano I to soprano II for the high female voices. The inner fire should be very strong that it burns for the next 30 years and drives the engine of the singer. Also, it should always be kept in mind that for some voice subjects there is a natural age limit before the legal retirement age, and that it can be good to start looking for alternative career paths at an early age.
The studies should enable the young singers to be well prepared for the profession. In addition to theory, piano playing, physical training, basic acting work and improvisation, I consider foreign languages to be very important. Internal class lessons adapted to individual development and university practice evenings should be added to singing lessons, correpetition and song class. In this way, voice students can develop in a protected space and gain vocal and interpretive confidence within their individual possibilities. This will give them a chance to review their progress and adjust or change their goals if necessary.
In my opinion, the program should be as broad as possible to give young voice students a real opportunity to find "their" way.
The question of when to introduce oneself to the public as a voice student can certainly only be considered on an individual basis. In my experience, young singers should be trained to the point where they can present a "product" that is within a professional framework. This means that there should be a chance that an engagement can be "sung" and also accepted.

Competitions are a good way to find out what the competitive situation is like - and you can start with smaller, local competitions. Regular and informative auditions, e.g. at ZAV - Künstlervermittlung with subsequent counseling, can be helpful in assessing the prospects in the singing profession.
It seems important to me that the young singers are well prepared for the singing profession. It is also important to be able to fulfill the contractual requirements. Therefore, it is important to answer the question whether a whole part can be sung in several performances.
To do this, one should have studied some of the most important parts in their entirety during their studies. Mastering an audition aria says little about whether an initial engagement is possible. Often the really difficult passages are not found in these arias; problems can arise with the order of ensembles and arias, orchestration or the length of the part. The number and size of the parts and their scheduling within a season must also always be considered.  Stamina builds with (proper) singing.
My first teacher advised me to develop my own feeling for what I could perform. So I always studied complete works and over time was able to decide well for myself if and what I could sing, when, where. The great Wagner heroine Astrid Varnay always pointed out that as a singer you have to study intensively and be very well prepared, but that the test of whether the preparation holds up can only take place on stage, and that you should only engage in this high-wire act without a safety net when you feel for yourself that the time is ripe.