All those experiences they mention in the article are pay to sing gigs. You pay for the opportunity to sing in Europe, sometimes with big names in the hopes of being discovered. 99 percent of the time, you pay your hard-earned money, sing and go home empty handed.
And singing one role with a small opera company does not make you “discovered”. Those jobs hardly pay (sometimes as little as $1,000 for weeks of rehearsals and a few performances). After you finish the job, you are back to your day job.
For those of us who have tried to do this, being a pro means at least making more than the expenses involved in training, workshops, travel to auditions and the like.
I hope he makes it for all the rest of us.
PS If you want to hear a brilliant version of Nessun dorma, listen to the digitally remastered version of Jussi Bjorling singing it on Youtube.
Wow,
Keepitreal and I are on the same page here. You should also check out the one I linked - it is what most people consider to be Bjorling’s best - a 1944 radio broadcast.
Still, the 1960 recording Keepitreal linked, made the year Bjorling died, is a marvel to hear as well. With Birgit Nilsson as Turandot and Renate Tebaldi as Lui, in addition to Bjorling’s Calaf, it is my favorite recording of the complete opera.
Pavarotti could coach me for the next 20 years and I wouldn’t even make the first round of the Gong Show, let alone sound as good as Paul.
Exactly, he mostly had “PAY to sing” gigs.
In fact, many American Idol contestants were PAID to sing before they made it on TV, some even had contracts to sing publicly, and nobody moaned about that. The opera angle just confuses some, and in general, people are ignorant of what it takes to do anything well. And jealous.
Paul Potts is wonderful just the way he is...I will buy his CD!!!