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| Tiffany Tobias |
by Ilaria Gelichi
1.
Tiffany, tell us how you became an opera singer.
I have
always loved music, but my love for opera started when I was 14. I was in New
York and I saw my first opera, La
Boheme: I literally fell in love with everything about
the production, but at the time I don’t think I understood exactly with what -
until recently.
2. So, now
you understand why?
Yes, of
course. I love singing and this form of technique fascinates me because it is
difficult to conquer. Before the voice, you have to understand your body, mind,
spirit - everything. I like the challenge of acquiring these difficult skills.
3. How
do you have to set up your body to sing best?
It’s a
combination of two main components, the physical one but also the psychological
one. You need to learn how to utilize every muscle in your body all while
staying relaxed and clear minded and you also need a lot of discipline to
synchronize all of this. I like this challenge!
4. Do
you think there is a relation between the star sign and the career?
Why not?
What I know about my sign, Sagittarius, is that they are adventurous and
creative – and so am I!
5. Do
you think that you are a creative person who can innovate?
Because I’m
a beginner, I don’t think I’m prepared to be as innovative right now as I’d
like to be in the future. What I do think truly makes a great singer though, is
sincerity. For me, a singer who can
connect with their emotions and convey this while she/he sings while also being
able to have this tap into something genuine for the audience is what truly
makes a powerful performer and performance.
6. In your opinion, what is more
important - technique or heart?
Both. But if
I had to choose, I would say heart. For example, let’s think of Maria Callas:
her technique was fantastic but not without flaw, however, because she could convey
emotions so well, she was believable and successful.
You can watch a video of her singing, turn off the volume and still feel moved
by her performance. There’s something to be said about that. Technique is
wonderful, vital and important but if there’s no feeling behind it, it becomes
quite stagnant and there’s a feeling of disjuncture.
7. Which
are your feelings while you perform? Do you have to change and think about
something?
When I’m singing
I try to focus on the feelings of the character I’m playing and/or the song I’m
performing; I do this by creating a persona in my head for this character so
that they are as three dimensional as possible. I also think about an
experience – a personal one – that I find helps me to perform and convey the
emotion as realistically as possible.
8. Why
did you choose Italy and Florence for your music studies?
Because I
had just entered a point in my life where I was, and still am, “starting over”,
it made sense to me that I wanted to go back to the beginning in all other
aspects regarding this change. So, it was logical that in order for me to
understand the city where opera was born I needed to move to Florence, which
just happens to be in the beautiful country that is Italy.
9. Are
there any differences between Canada and Italy in regards to music studies?
Yes and no.
It’s difficult for me to judge, because sometimes I feel like my comprehension
and ability to develop is limited because of the language barrier. However, here
at Istituto Europeo I have an excellent teacher. Maybe I could say that here in
Italy teachers have stricter expectations when training, but I cannot say for
sure because I’ve had limited experiences with classical teachers in general. I
also recognize that I was in a different place in my life when I lived in
Toronto and wasn’t as focused on dedicating myself to music as I am now.
Anyway, some details are the same everywhere. For example, a good teacher
doesn’t focus only on one element, because what could be more important for one
student’s development could be less imperative for another.
10. How
was your experience at Istituto Europeo?
Absolutely
positive, I would recommend the same experience to a friend. My teacher,
Valeria, is very good. She places importance on every aspect of my life, not
only the voice – but nutrition and my physical health as well - now I run 5
days a week!
11. Is
opera popular in Canada?
Yes, there
are a lot of amazing teachers and companies all over the country and they seem
to be on the forefront in this industry right now. Ironically, I actually sang
with the company Toronto City Opera for two years before moving to Florence and
our three main directors were all of Italian descent.
12. You
are a singer but also a blogger. How do you adjust the two things?
I like
reading and writing, it’s a way of self-reflecting about things that happen in
my life, like singing, so it sort of functions organically. Plus both of these
expressions are creative outlets so I feel like they go hand in hand. As soon
as something significant happens in my life, I take a mental note of it and
start pre-structuring how I’d like to share this part of my life with others
through my writing. One day, I’d even like to write a book on the process of becoming
a singer because the journey is quite fascinating.
13. What
advice would you give to a young person who wants to become a singer?
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