Singer’s busy schedule; maximizing concerts, while minimizing conductors’ ire

Do you ever wonder how opera companies and classical ensembles can have those “casts of thousands?” The answer is a host of peripatetic vocalists who sing everything from madrigals to Mozart.

On this episode of Recap, we hear what one singer’s work week is like.  Daniel Schwartz sings with Opera Philadelphia, The Crossing, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. He also is director of the Philadelphia Voices of Pride choir and choral teacher at Friends Select School.

“It’s a lot of different types of singing. For instance, in The Crossing, we’ll do more straight tone singing, while for the opera, we’ll sing with a lot of vibrato,” he explains. “Often, I’ll go to an opera rehearsal and then an hour after that, I’ll have to be at a Crossing rehearsal. Switching in and out of those two techniques can be vocally demanding.”

Still, Schwartz feels lucky to be in Philadelphia, where there’s so much opportunity. “It’s definitely a good city,” he asserts. “I never thought I would be able to make it as a full-time choral singer. But there’s a lot of the singers in these groups doing it. Lots of us overlap, so I see a lot of them every night of the week.”

Schwartz’s next performance will be in the chorus of “Oscar,” with Opera Philadelphia.