Singer Spotlight: Andrew Penning
Tell us a little about yourself! Where are you from? What is your educational and musical background?
I'm a Minnesotan tenor. I grew up in a musical household. My father is a voice teacher and my mother has probably sung more performances as a MN Opera chorister than anyone in the history of the company. I started my own opera career in the children's chorus of MN Opera and that instilled a love of music and singing that led me to undergraduate studies at Lawrence University, then on to a Masters Degree from The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and stints in various young artist programs: Tanglewood, Glimmerglass, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Seagle Music Colony.
What is one thing you wish you had known as a young singer and why?
That it is brutally hard to make a living as an Opera Singer in America. I received amazing training in all of the young artist programs I attended and at the end of my run as a young artist, culminating with performing lead tenor roles at Arizona Opera, it was clear that for me, there was no good financially viable way forward to have a career in America. There are too many incredible singers, too few opera houses, not enough performances to go around, and health insurance is too expensive. The rise of young artist programs is a snake eating its own tail. On the one hand, it's wonderful that young singers are given the opportunity to hone their craft by performing secondary roles and often second cast performances of leading roles, but on the other hand this opportunity takes away well paid opportunities later for singers who are finished with young artist programs and need to make a living.
Tell us about an obstacle you have faced during your career and how you overcame it.
The greatest obstacle was figuring out what to do after I was finished with my time at Arizona Opera. I didn't want to continue down the young artist track and I didn't want to move to New York and enter the rat race, so I cashed in all my savings and bought a one way ticket to Germany in October 2016 in search of new opportunity. I didn't have an agent and I really didn't have a plan other than to write as many emails as I could, figure out as quick as I can how the system works, learn German, and apply to absolutely everything in the hope that I could find a job before the money ran out and I had to fly home. I was invited for an audition with Oper Bonn, I think mostly because I was using my friends address on my materials and he lives in Bonn, and a couple of months after my audition I was invited to sing as a guest in the chorus for their production of John Adams' "The Gospel According to the other Mary" being directed by Peter Sellars. That incredible experience led to more guest work with Oper Bonn and by the time summer came along I was quite happy living the chorus life and had secured a fest position in the chorus of Oper Köln. I'd also met the woman who would later become my wife.
What is one role or piece you could perform over and over and never get tired of?
While I was at Arizona Opera I sang the role of Monsieur Triquet, and covered the role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky. While I was learning the piece I would find myself listening to the whole opera and not just "my" moments. The chorus music is incredibly beautiful, Tatiana's letter scene is meditative and other-worldly, and Lensky's aria is still my absolute favorite aria to sing.
If you could only give one piece of advice to a young singer, what would it be?
Open your mind to the possibility of a chorus job. It's not as glamorous, but it pays the bills and you're still using the expensive education you've paid for and living your life in the theatre as an artist. No one looks down on an instrumentalist playing in a professional orchestra because they didn't make it as a soloist. If you really want stability in your performing career, come to Europe sooner than later and know that in most cases the chorus makes more money than the soloists. It really breaks my heart to see incredibly talented American singers posting on Facebook looking for recommendations for side jobs or announcing that they're pursing a different career because they've been squeezed out by the American Opera industry.
Is there anything you spent too much time stressing over that didn't end up being a big deal?
Vocal Technique. Building a solid vocal technique that will sustain a career and allow one's artistry to shine is truly a daily battle, especially when one is in the young artist phase. If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be to keep working hard, but also to give myself a break, knowing that many vocal issues sort themselves out with time and age.
Where can we catch you performing next?
My next performances are in Offenbach's La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein with Oper Köln, opening on June 9th.
