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The days of the fat opera singer are waning. Opera has become an increasingly
visual medium, because of the influence of television and film, and directors
want singers to look the part, not just sing it. They now demand more physical
prowess from performers - a swordfight should resemble a swordfight, not a
couple of guys vaguely lunging at each other.
But singers who have jumped on the treadmill have discovered something else -
being fit makes them better singers. It's why mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic is in
the basement gym of her expansive Pasadena home gearing up for an intense
hour-long workout with her trainer.
Kitic, who has sung with the Los Angeles Opera, Opera Pacific and the
Washington National Opera, has learned that being in shape makes her better
able to handle the rigors of performing and touring. She embodies the new
generation of fitness-minded opera singers who understand that good health and
their careers are inexorably intertwined.
A former competitive gymnast as a child in her native Yugoslavia, 38-year-old
Kitic has always been active, regularly incorporating some kind of exercise
into her routine, even if it was doing aerobics and stretching in a small hotel
room.
She stepped up her training almost three years ago, when a friend gave her some
sessions with Pasadena-based trainer Ulli Matsuura. Since then, the two have
been working out several times a week, taking breaks when Kitic has to tour or
travel.
Although fitness has always been part of her life, the renewed focus on
strength and endurance has made a difference in her performances. "If I'm in
good physical shape and my endurance is good, then I don't need to work extra
for my voice to stay in proper position," she says. "I can sing, move as much
as I like, and still look nonchalant about it, not out of breath and sweating."
She's not the only one who's noticed the difference. While performing "Carmen"
in Los Angeles last year, Kitic says, tenor Richard Leech, playing the role of
Don Jose, remarked that pulling and tossing her around the stage wasn't that
easy. "It was hard for him to do it because I would give resistance," she says,
laughing. "He said, 'You must be working out!' "
Kitic will reprise "Carmen" when she makes her debut at the Metropolitan Opera
next month. "If you're playing Carmen," she says, "you have to look the role as
much as possible, and that helps you to bring that role out easier and helps
the audience to accept you. The industry has changed. It's become a whole
different business nowadays."
This became glaringly apparent last year when American soprano Deborah Voigt
was unceremoniously dumped from the London Royal Opera House production of
"Ariadne auf Naxos" because her abundant physique wouldn't fit into the black
evening dress designed for her character. It was then that the world caught a
glimpse of this major shift in the opera world: With a few notable exceptions,
there is little tolerance for obesity - especially among women.
No longer do singers and audiences believe that big sounds have to come from
big people. Excessive weight can actually impair not only a singer's ability to
move onstage, but also proper phrasing, which requires breath control.
When speaking to students, Kitic explains why staying in shape is paramount for
professional singers. "Whatever health issues they might have will slow them
down because this job is strenuous," she says. "You travel a lot, you have time
changes and climate changes and stress, and those can really knock you down.
The final product is gorgeous, but the preparation period is really, really
hard."
Performing isn't the only demand on Kitic's time. She's also the wife of
pharmaceutical executive and former Yugoslavian prime minister Milan Panic, and
mother of a 4-year-old son she calls "Little Milan." The couple have another
house in Newport Beach (there's a gym there too) and travel and entertain
extensively. Kitic says she tries to stick to a healthy diet that includes
fish, salad and whole grains, but never denies herself an occasional treat of
the good stuff like bacon and cheese.
On a recent day, Matsuura puts her client through an hour-long circuit training
workout designed to tone Kitic's muscles and keep her heart rate elevated. A
few minutes on the treadmill and some warmup stretches are followed by a
combination of free weights and weight machine work (low weight and high reps),
lunges, abdominals (some on a stability ball), leg lifts and a few yoga poses
for good measure.
Matsuura changes the routine to stave off boredom, sometimes upping the cardio
(there's also a stair climber and stationary bikes in the gym) or taking the
workout outside. Kitic hits the gym by herself on days when Matsuura's not
there, but cuts back on rigorous exercise on days when she's performing or
engaged in long rehearsals, preferring some stretching instead.
Kitic mops her face between sets and pulls her shoulder-length blond hair up
into a clip. Black stretch pants and tank top accentuate a figure that is trim
and strong. She seems used to the rigorous training and never whines or begs
off an exercise.
Young singers seem to be living healthier lifestyles, says William Vendice, the
L.A. Opera's chorus master. Even chorus members are "into improving their
health, and a lot of them tell me they go to the gym," he says. "When I see
people eating, it's not often the candy bars and Cokes, but salads and other
good things. You see a lot of people . taking care of themselves."
It's usually the old-guard coaches and singers who caution younger singers
against strenuous exercise, especially weight lifting, believing it expends too
much energy and creates tension in the neck and shoulders, in turn creating
tension in the voice.
Although sensible weight lifting is regarded as safe for singers, some
techniques are better than others. Holding the breath while lifting heavy
weights may eventually strain the voice, says Ingo Titze, executive director of
the National Center for Voice and Speech, a division of the Denver Center for
the Performing Arts. Breathing through the exercise - and not grunting - can
help avoid that.
He adds that the principles learned in working out also apply to singing: "You
learn how to pace yourself and how much recovery you need."
Bruce Schoonmaker, music professor and opera director at Furman University in
South Carolina, did an informal survey of 32 professional singers and teachers
about six years ago and found that 81% favored aerobic exercise for singers,
and 41% advocated weight lifting. Schoonmaker, a singer himself, exercises
regularly and believes in fitness for singers.
"As a performer you transfer energy to the audience, but you have to feel like
you have the energy to transfer," he says. Singers should find an activity that
works for them, be it swimming or biking, instead of sticking to one prescribed
routine, he says.
Young singers appreciate her candor, says Kitic, when she discusses the reality
of the business and the importance of exercise. "I don't think everybody talks
about it," she says. "Then they ask me questions, like do I think I got this
role because I'm blond or because I look good, and that makes me laugh. Even if
that happened, I wouldn't know about it.. Of course, I always hope it's because
of my voice."
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