"Jump in the fire. Don't be scared. Don't sit around and wait for people to push you along and hold your hand and don't sit around waiting for people to give you their stamp of approval."
Those are the words of tenor Michael Fabiano as he speaks about his way of managing his career. The American tenor recently spoke to Latinos Post about his upcoming run at the Metropolitan Opera in Johann Strauss Jr.'s "Die Fledermaus" as well as the continued development of his career.
In this context, the "fire" that Fabiano speaks of is the competitive world of opera that could burn you if you take the wrong step. But this is a simple definition of fire in the context of Fabiano and his career. His eloquence and intensity reveal a fiery passion for not only his work, but the world around him. The tenor's continual rise has actually taken a rather unique journey that has in some ways been a trial by fire.
Beginnings
This is not the story of a child prodigy who knew from his childhood years that opera was for him. In fact, Fabiano noted that despite some knowledge of the art form in his early years, he headed to college thinking about an economics degree.
"I went to college with the suspicion that I would get a degree in economics and then an MBA with maybe the idea that I would get a law degree. I wasn't actually sure," he revealed when asked at what point he wanted to jump into the proverbial "fire" that is the opera world. "I went to college thinking that while wanting to study voice because I liked music."
Fabiano noted that despite many attempts at trying to enjoy the popular music groups like Nirvana and Green Day, he always found himself more interested in the classical composers.
"I much preferred listening to Dvorak or Rachmaninoff," he noted before elaborating on how he learned to appreciate opera. "Then I got the opera bug when I was 17 and started listening to all the greats and realizing that this was what I really loved."
He noted that the first of many turning points was the attendance of a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's "Il Trovatore;" the choice of composer would actually foreshadow what was to come.
"The first performance that I remember seeing where I felt something tangible was 'Trovatore' in Michigan when I was 18 and I took my father because he loves 'Trovatore,' Fabiano noted.
While in college at the Academy of Vocal Arts, Fabiano eventually made the switch to studying music after his first year and finished college in three years; he has never looked back since.
"Once I get the treadmill, I want it to go as fast as possible," he stated. "That isn't to say that I am trying to rush everything. Once I'm in it, I go. I study very hard and I don't turn off. I took extra classes and studied in Italy every summer. I was very excited to study and it took off very quickly."
At the age of 19, Fabiano sang in Giacomo Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi," his first operatic endeavor onstage. Despite learning a great deal from the experience, Fabiano noted that he faced a tremendous amount of challenges along the way.
"I was a very heavy person, much more than I am today. I remember people being tough on me and I didn't know what to do at that point," he revealed. "I didn't really know how to move on stage. I didn't know to use my voice. It was voice with no refinement and the administration at Michigan gave me a chance at a young point. I wouldn't say I had unbridled success but I made a go at it."
Once school was done, Fabiano continued down his own path; the path defined by a strong will and determination.
The Audition
During his school years, Fabiano took a stab at the Met Council Auditions at the age of 22. The tenor notes that he was warned about taking on the competition at an early age; some people even told him that he was not ready. But true to his word and beliefs, the tenor saw no reason to wait around to "be ready" and gave it his best shot.
"Many people told me I was too young and not ready. I'm not the one to sit around and calculate all the time," he noted. "It takes a lot of time and people will pass me. I can calculate while I am in the fire. A lot of people don't want to jump in the fire. They want to stand on the sides and look at it. I jump in it and I try to figure out how not to get any burns."
The Council Auditions are held every year, but the year that Fabiano chose to compete was special; the process was being documented by filmmaker Susan Froemke.
Fabiano notes that the depiction of his character in this particular film really highlights his "edginess" but he also notes that it fails to truly describe why he brought such a competitive spirit to the process.
"When I was in high school I was in debate mock trial. I never did artistic things save being in choir. I always had a competitive edge and I had an instinct of right and wrong. When I made the shift to some intellectual field, I still maintained that edge," he explained. "When I did this competition I was conscious that I was doing a competition. I wasn't making wonderful art or painting rainbows. That's not what it's about. In that moment it was about competing and I had to do my best. It's nice that there are other artists here but it is my chance to try to shine. Roger Federer would never show up to the US Open without his game face on and that's exactly how I handled it.
"That is what troubled me with the film. It makes it clear that I had this edge. It happened to be a performance but it was a competition," he added. "People win and people lose. That is the way society works. We live in a free market society where some businesses win and some lose because some businesses have more competitive prices, etc. That's the way of the world."
Fabiano wound up being among the winners in the competition and he attributed his success to this fiery intensity that drives him forward at every turn.
He did note however that the "edge" only goes so far. Once he is in the working world, he knows that a different quality is of utmost importance.
"You have to be diplomatic. You have to form bonds with colleagues; it is so different from competing," Fabiano explained. "It is important to work and build like a team. And come together and build something special because at the end the final product is most important and not just me. The whole world is more important and ultimately the public is more important than anything that I do. I am just auxiliary to that."
Mentors
The tenor made his formal Met debut in 2010 as Raffaele in Verdi's "Stiffelio." He recently appeared in Verdi's "Otello" alongside Johan Botha and Renee Fleming. When talking about Fleming, Fabiano notes that she is among the most important role models in his burgeoning career. Prior to the Met "Otello," Fabiano sang with Fleming in the same opera in Paris; he also shared the stage in Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia" in San Francisco.
"Renee Fleming has been very good to me. During the Paris [run of 'Otello'] she took a big leap of faith with me," he stated. "And there were moments when we would have time to talk and I would be able to listen to her and learn. Even small moments, three minutes or six listening to an expert is magnificent. It is something that you don't get with others. To talk with someone so special like Ms. Fleming and understand what is running in her mind about the business and how she sings and the pressures of it. Those kinds of moments are priceless."
Another major influence on his life has been soprano Aprile Millo; the tenor noted that he met Millo during a master class at age 21 and has kept in touch with her since.
"She is a wonderful soprano who has been a dear friend and given me very wonderful advice throughout the last several years," he stated. "I look up to her for the old tradition of singing. The grand opera tradition. Because she was part of that I think more of that is needed today."
Fabiano is also quick to praise his teachers and coaches for their contributions to his success.
He noted that his first teacher was George Shirley and he currently studies with Bill Schuman, his teacher of the last nine years.
"[Schuman] teaches a school of singing that I don't think everyone teaches. It involves using your whole instrument to sing," Fabiano elaborated. "Using all the apparatus of your body to project, not just some of it. When I was young, he always used the phrase with me 'young singers need to be treated like wild horses, they need to be allowed to run free."
He noted that Schuman taught him to sing open and let his voice run free; a teaching method that Fabiano himself advocates strongly.
"The work to open it up is much harder than it is to close down, which I have done. In time, I've learned to gather my voice," Fabiano noted. "I think more like a cylinder when I sing, straight up and down rather than just an open area."
"If you bring an individual to a gym for the first time and tell them to pick up a 45 pound dumbbell and do a set of 20; there is no way that that person can do that," he explained. "It's like telling a singer to sing really closed because that is the way to sing. It won't happen. It will sound terrible. And they will train themselves to sing close in time but they will sing tight, the position of their throat will be messed up. They may not be able to breathe.
He also listed his coaches Laurent Phillipe and Danielle Orlando as other major mentors.
"I chart my path with them on my arms," he said. I'm fortunate that I've had these mentors around me to council me and give me the advice and support that I need."
Of course Fabiano did not overlook his own family's contributions to his success.
"I am fortunate to my family as well for being supportive. That's a huge blessing that a lot of people don't have. I count my blessings," he noted. "My grandfather always said that it was a blessing to have work and it's a double blessing to love your work. And I do love my work."
Getting Burned
Fabiano noted that jumping into the fire carries its risks and in the opera world, getting burned is costly.
When asked about his past difficulties, the tenor noted that one instance in which his path led him through a tumultuous road was during his first performance stint in Italy.
"Working in an Italian environment is difficult. Especially as a foreigner," Fabiano explained.
"There is a prestige with working in Milan or Naples. Because it has been one of the anchors of this art form, there is an expected level that you have to attain. The first few times that I went, I didn't know. I didn't have a full grounding in the language. I didn't speak Italian beautifully."
Fabiano noted that his lack of preparedness often put him in difficult circumstances with colleagues. He soon learned to face these difficulties with astute diplomacy.
"I learned working in a hostile environment to be diplomatic. Arguing is easy, diplomacy is not," he noted. "It was rewarding but tough. Working in Italy is a unique experience but it is a completely different world."
2013 and Beyond
On New Year's Eve, Fabiano will sing his first performance of the new Met "Die Fledermaus" as well as his final performance of what has been a terrific year for the tenor. He has traveled around the United States to such cities as Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Fe, New York, and Washington D.C. to perform at such venues as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center among others. He also sang in Paris, Oslo and Toronto throughout the calendar year.
When looking back on his run in 2013, Fabiano was quick to pick out a few major highlights.
"I'd say [Verdi's 'I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata]," he noted first and foremost. "I didn't expect it to be as successful as it was. It was something that I'd never had in my life. I did it and I could not believe what was happening. It's rare that ovations happen like that. I was very fortunate."
The performance took place at Avery Fisher Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York. Regarding Fabiano's performance, Steve Cohen of The Opera Critic wrote, "New York audience members had not previously seen Fabiano in leading roles and they responded with exuberant surprise to his fine singing and to his dramatic persona. He threw himself into his character and ignored his music stand, showing that he had the part totally in his memory... He's ready for leading tenor parts at the Met. In fact, he would have been an asset in this season's performances of 'La Traviata' there."
Fabiano also noted that he was particularly fulfilled by his experience of working with Michael Tilson Thomas in Beethoven's "An die ferne Geliebte" in San Francisco.
"It was a joy. He's one of my favorite conductors," said Fabiano. "I have immense respect for him. What an incredible musician."
He also brought up his experience of debuting Edgardo in Donizetti's "Lucia Di Lammermoor" in Paris.
"Singing Edgardo in Paris was also a juicy experience for me. It was the other big highlight because Paris is a wonderful opera house with a great history. We had the fortunate of singing with great colleagues and a wonderful maestro Maurizio Benini who is a terrific Belcanto specialist. I like conductors that are clear and he is one."
Singing in Paris brought more a few unexpected twists and turns. Fabiano revealed that the opening night of the production featured a strike that forced the singers to perform on a blank stage with no set.
"We were notified an hour and a half before. It was a bit scary, especially for a debut of a role that important," noted Fabiano. "However, as it progressed it got really fun. And I had to be creative and impromptu on what I was doing and use the stage in a way that I wasn't able to do before. It was a great challenge."
Fabiano also lists his experience of singing Giacomo Puccini's "La Boheme in Toronto," though it was actually a surprise appearance as he stepped in for an ailing colleague.
"It's nice to work in a city where there is an audience with an interest in the art form," said Fabiano of working in Toronto. "It makes us want to give more for [the audience members]. For their own betterment and for their own sense of being a part of something wonderful."
Now Fabiano heads to the Met Opera to take on the rambunctious tenor Alfredo in "Fledermaus." The character is known for his larger-than-life persona as well as the traditional portrayals that have him adding music that Strauss never actually put in his score.
"If you are an operagoer then you know that Alfred is known for being a bombastic tenor and he sings a lot, in addition to his written music," Fabiano noted. "There is a lot of that going on offstage of me just singing to the benefit of Rosalinde or singing to myself. There are many moments where I get to show off."
When asked which opera arias might make cameo appearances throughout the night, Fabiano remained tight-lipped.
"I'm not telling you," he smirked.
Taking on Alfredo has its own challenges for the 29-year-old, most notably the preponderance of spoken dialogue. The original version of Fledermaus is sung and spoken in German. This version is completely in English with new dialogue added by director Jeremy Sams.
"It is a new pattern for me. Intentions are always the same but there is a different way of communicating when speaking than when singing," explained Fabiano. "Thankfully I was trained to sing with a lot of chest voice and use my whole body as well. When I speak, it applies as well. I speak on the core of my instrument so I think my voice will be very well heard.
"If you are maintaining an edge when I am singing and speaking, it will all be communicated well."
Fabiano also spoke briefly about the production and issued a great deal of praise on some of the choices.
"It is turn of the century 19th century. It is a choice to change the period slightly and I think that the costumes in that period are more progressive, in a positive way," he stated. "[They are] more beautiful and elegant. I think it looks beautiful. It will be a fun night for everybody."
After Fledermaus, Fabiano heads to Washington D.C. for a concert performance of Verdi's early work "Il Corsaro." Fabiano notes that Verdi has always been a major part of his repertoire and that his plan is to continue learning more works from the venerated composer, especially his early ones.
"I love early Verdi. Verdi is where I see my career really going. In the next three seasons I am going to roll out several Verdi roles. My voice settles well in it," he enthused. "I enjoy being elevated but I don't need the raucousness of Puccini orchestra all the time. I can soar high and then glide in Verdi; it's a bit different from Puccini. I also enjoying singing contrasting scenas where there is a beautiful cavatina where I can do something intimate and elegant and then get right into something more energetic, a great big cabaletta."
Among the Verdi roles that he hopes to learn in the future are "Luisa Miller," "I Due Foscari,"
"Ernani," and "Un Ballo in Maschera."
"I am looking forward to 'Attila' if I get the opportunity," he added.
Fabiano also noted that he had ambitions of singing more rare Donizetti works in the future and even hinted that he might have a few lined up.
"I'd like to do more of the big Donizetti. Really explore 'Roberto Devereaux,' 'Caterina Coronaro,' 'Poliuto,' 'La Favorita,'" he revealed. "There are a few in there that I will be doing, but I can't really talk about where and when."
After "Corsaro," Fabiano heads to Amsterdam to sing his first French opera professionally. The tenor will take on the title role in Charles Gounod's "Faust" and revealed it was the first time that he was singing French since taking on Jules Massenet's "Manon" in college.
"It's very weird to think that I've done more operas in Russian than in French," he added before noting that he has already sung three operas in Russian.
Fabiano went on to elaborate about the differences between French opera and Italian and hinted that Massenet's "Werther" could be a part of his future.
"The French style is more linear than Italian. I think that Gounod requires a more inherent use of piano. I mean that in the crudest sense," he stated. "With French, it has to be even more linear and cleaner. There has to be sheen on the music that there isn't in Italian. There is a refinement, even an explosive opera like [Massenet's] 'Werther.'
"We are not eating Pasta Marinara; we are eating a fine foie gras."
"I think it is a very different sensibility," Fabiano continued. "And the way that someone comes off a phrase has to be in that romantic but classical style. 'Werther' I am looking forward to doing in future seasons."
More than just an opera singer
While Fabiano is completely dedicated to his art, he also has a wide range of interests outside of opera.
"I'm a baseball fanatic. I was an umpire for 10 years. So that was one of my ways to get over being bullied for being fat. I got back at the bullies behind the plate. I learned the game very fast and I know the book perfectly," he revealed. "I'm a Yankees fanatic."
Fabiano also mentioned being in love with cars and airplanes.
"My parents always say that I could always walk up to any car when I was two and say 'I know what that is. That's a Chevy, that's a Buick, that's an Acura,'" he stated. "I drive an Audi S4. I shouldn't even have a car in New York City, but I do because I love cars. When I get out of rehearsal, I am going to go in the car because I love driving."
There is also a big interest in history, particularly American history. Fabiano noted that he keeps up with current events and actively posts his opinions on a blog that can be found on his official website.
"I love to write. I think it's important to show that even though I am opera singer I am dynamic, I have opinions and I can think for myself," he noted. "To be able to write and communicate ideals and opinions about many things is important because it cultivates an audience.
"Sometimes people don't agree with me. But that's okay. We don't live in a dictatorship. We live in a free society where people have a lot of different opinions. Everybody has an opinion and every opinion is valuable and fine," he continued. "I think it is important to have a constant dialogue, even with my fans. Even with ones who have disagreement with me because it builds mutual respect and love."
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