Dina Shikhman, a young Canadian soprano at ISTITUTO EUROPEO for a Study Abroad in Music

Dina

by Ilaria Gelichi

1. Dina, you are studying Vocal Technique for opera singers at ISTITUTO EUROPEO with Susanna Rigacci. Why did you choose her and how is your relationship?

When I was researching places to study in Italy, I came across Istituto Europeo and I kind of just knew I had to study here. I researched the teachers at Istituto Europeo and came across Susanna Rigacci. I listened to her singing on YouTube, then I spoke to my teachers back home and they all agreed that she would be the right choice for me. I didn’t give up until I received confirmation that she would be my teacher. I am currently studying with Susanna here in Florence and I really enjoy the lessons and the relationship we have, we have a great mutual understanding.

2. What do you think you are learning particularly from Susanna?

I can say that the Italian style of singing and the North American style are very different. In North America, there is more pressure to be perfect always. Before coming here I was focusing completely on technique and Susanna gave me the opportunity to actually sing and blossom in my own singing style. She is helping me to explore different ways to achieve vocal greatness. I’m doing a lot of exercises and different techniques I don’t usually do at home. She is also helping me to become more free.

3.  Culturally speaking – but in regards to music too - have you noticed many differences between your country, Canada, and Italy?

I have always had pressure – as I said earlier - to be the best but what I learned here and particularly from Susanna is that I cannot be perfect now. I will eventually get better but “no one is ever perfect”, she said, “I’m still learning now”. For her it’s important that I achieve the right position, the right point, from which I can then improve.

In regards to culture in general, I find that Italians are very relaxed and not very strict with time. Their lifestyle is much more taking it day by day, minute by minute almost. You will hardly ever see an Italian in a rush, which is very different than Toronto.  

4. What do you think about the city of Florence?

I have heard that Florence is the most beautiful city in the world, from everyone who had been here before I came. I can say that this is definitely true. In Florence there is a lot of beautiful art, history and architecture and I love that. Here I’ve seen some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and that’s just on my walk to school. I feel that in Toronto if you want to see art and history you have to go out and find it; whereas here in Florence, it’s everywhere. I wasn’t expecting the city to be so full of history, like the old cobblestone roads, the buildings, etc. I think it’s extremely difficult to drive in this city. I always walk and that’s great because I don’t think I would have seen as much as I’ve seen if I wasn’t walking around everywhere, exploring and being able to stop – if I had a car this wouldn’t be possible.

5. How did you start as a singer? How did you realize that you wanted to become a singer?

When I was very little, about a few months old, my parents where shocked because my dad used to sing to me and I hummed the melody back. When I was 3 I started doing “concerts” for the neighbourhood, everyday at lunch time. Then we moved to Canada and my parents put me in a music school, where I performed and studied for many years. One day my mother saw an advertisement in the newspaper for an opera singer who was offering lessons so she suggested we go hear what a professional’s opinion. I went to see him and he said “she has to sing opera, she’s got a talent”. So I started studying opera when I was 11 and I just never stopped. Then I went to university to study classical voice performance and that’s how I ended up in Florence finishing the last credits of my undergraduate degree.

6. What are your plans for the future? Do you have goals to reach?

I definitely have goals to reach. Of course my plans are to become a famous opera singer, a really famous one. Like Susanna, because she is known all over the world, I’ve heard of her in Toronto. I want to be known… It would be true success – that, and also being able to have an equally successful family life.

7. In your opinion, which is the best quality an opera singer should have?

Patience. Which I don’t have! I want my voice to just “work” right way, but it takes time and lots of meticulous work. There are lots of seemingly boring, annoying exercises which will get you there and you have to do, and patience is the key… A quality that I definitely lack, but I think it’s really important for opera singers. And also perseverance- you really need to have a goal in mind and you have to work towards it, you can’t give up. You have to be positive all the time… Also something I lack!

8. “A winner never quits. A quitter never wins.” Is that true?

Yes, that’s true for sure. I know people who have quit and others who even though they might not be the best, they don’t give up. It’s like that with every profession I think, not just opera: the minute you give up, you’re not serious, you don’t want it badly enough.

9. Has this experience in Italy changed you in some way?

Yes, I think it has changed me in a lot of ways. It taught me to be independent: I still live with my parents and I’m the youngest of 3 children and I’ve always had my family and friends and around me as my support system. Being alone in another country made me stronger mentally and taught me to be my own support system. Also, when I’m at home I always find a reason not to practice, because I don’t like singing in front of my family. I also have practice rooms at school back home, but I never found the time or reason to. Maybe I was too unmotivated… I find that I practice here a lot more than I do at home, which definitely helps me.

10. Have you already started working with any opera companies?

Yes, I have. When I was about 12 I joined the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus in Toronto. They are an excellent chorus led by excellent musicians and people. The Canadian Opera Company (who is the resident company in the Four Seasons Opera House in Toronto) always turns to the CCOC first when casting children in their productions. I performed in the children’s chorus in productions such as La Boheme, Carmen, and I even had the role of 3^rd spirit in the Magic Flute when I was about 12-13. Last year during the 3^rd year of my undergraduate my teachers suggested I audition for Opera in Concert, which is a company in Toronto. I guess they liked me because I’m still working with them now-it’s my second season. I haven’t only performed in the chorus of Opera in Concert, I also had the supporting role of Myrtale in Thais. The director of Opera in Concert is the same of Toronto Operetta Theatre, and I’ve done 3 opererttas now with them. While I was in Italy now I went back to Canada for 2 weeks because I got an offer to do a role with that company. Opportunities come and go… and since this was during my fall break I am grateful that I had the ability to accept this one.

11. Would you recommend an experience like yours at ISTITUTO EUROPEO?

Definitely. Especially If you are studying opera as I do. I think it has helped me to grow, and to learn a lot. Studying Italian in Italy (as studying any language in its home country) is extremely helpful, because you are forced to speak it with people who don’t understand you. I’m good at languages generally, but I never learned one so quickly. Studying Italian here helped me immensely to learn it much quicker. But also singing: where else you can study opera if not in Italy?

Tiffany Tobias: dal Canada all'ISTITUTO EUROPEO a Firenze per studiare canto lirico

 di Ilaria Gelichi

1. Tiffany, raccontaci di come sei diventata una cantante lirica.

Ho sempre amato la musica, ma l’amore per la lirica è arrivato quando avevo 14 anni. Ho visto la mia prima opera, La Boheme, a New York e mi sono innamorata subito di quest’arte, ma in quel momento credo di non aver capito esattamente di cosa e perché – fino a poco tempo fa.

2. E adesso, sei riuscita a capire il perché?

Certamente. Mi piace cantare e mi affascina questo tipo di tecnica perché è molto difficile da acquisire. Al di là della voce, bisogna prima imparare a conoscere il proprio corpo, la propria mente ed il proprio spirito – tutto. Acquisire queste difficili capacità è diventata una sfida per me, e l’idea mi piace molto.

3. Come devi impostare il tuo corpo per cantare al meglio?

Si tratta di un connubio di due fattori, quello fisico ma anche quello psicologico. Devi imparare ad utilizzare ogni muscolo del tuo corpo rimanendo contemporaneamente rilassata e con la mente fresca e quindi c’è bisogno di tanta disciplina per sincronizzare il tutto. Mi piace questa sfida!

4. Pensi che ci sia un legame tra carriera e segno zodiacale?

Perché no? Quello che so del mio segno zodiacale, il Sagittario, è che ha un carattere avventuroso e creativo – e io sono proprio così!

5. Pensi di essere una persona creativa e capace di innovare?

Al momento sono ancora una principiante in questo campo, quindi non penso di poter essere tanto innovativa quanto vorrei esserlo in futuro. Comunque, secondo me ciò che fa diventare grande un cantante è la sincerità. Per me, un artista che riesce a trasmettere le proprie emozioni mentre canta, riuscendo quindi ad attingere dalle esperienze personali e mostrare al pubblico una certa genuinità, è ciò che fa diventare lui/lei e l’esecuzione davvero eccellenti.

6. Secondo te, cos’è più importante – la tecnica o il sentimento?

Entrambi. Ma se dovessi scegliere, direi il sentimento. Pensiamo ad esempio a Maria Callas: la sua tecnica era di altissimo livello ma non senza qualche difetto; eppure, riusciva a trasmettere le emozioni così bene da risultare genuina ed otteneva un grande successo. Si può guardare un video di lei che canta togliendo il volume, e riuscire ugualmente a commuoversi grazie alla sua esecuzione. Bisogna proprio dire quindi che avere un’ottima tecnica è splendido e di vitale importanze, ma se dietro di essa non c’è alcun sentimento si viene a creare una sorta di dissociazione e l’esecuzione diventa piuttosto “statica”.

7. Che sentimenti provi quando canti? Pensi a qualcosa in particolare?

Quando canto provo a focalizzarmi sui sentimenti del personaggio che sto interpretando o del pezzo che sto eseguendo; immagino il mio personaggio come un vero essere umano, in modo da renderlo più tridimensionale possibile. Penso anche ad una mia esperienza personale che possa aiutarmi a trasmettere l’emozione nel modo più realistico possibile.

8. Perché hai scelto l’Italia e in particolare Firenze per i tuoi studi di musica?

Perché mi sono trovata (e mi trovo tuttora) ad un punto nella mia vita in cui volevo ricominciare da capo e ritornare alle origini sotto ogni aspetto. Quindi è stato logico per me trasferirmi a Firenze, in modo da poter comprendere fino in fondo il luogo dove la lirica è nata; per l’appunto, questo luogo si trova in questo bellissimo Paese, l’Italia.

9. C’è differenza tra studiare musica in Canada o in Italia?

Sì e no. E’ difficile per me dare un giudizio, a volte ho la sensazione che la mia abilità di comprensione e di “crescita” sia molto limitata a causa della barriera linguistica. Comunque, qui all’Istituto Europeo ho un’insegnante fantastica. Forse potrei dire che qui in Italia gli insegnanti, durante la pratica, sono più “severi” ad hanno aspettative più alte, ma non posso affermarlo con certezza, dato che in generale ho avuto poca esperienza con gli insegnanti di lirica. Devo anche riconoscere che quando vivevo ancora a Toronto non mi dedicavo così tanto alla musica come faccio adesso. Comunque, alcuni dettagli rimangono uguali dappertutto: per esempio, un buon insegnante non si focalizza solo su un elemento, perché ciò che può essere importante per la crescita professionale di uno studente, può esserlo di meno per un altro.

10. Com’è stata la tua esperienza all’Istituto Europeo?

Assolutamente positiva, consiglierei la stessa esperienza ad un amico. La mia insegnante, Valeria, è molto brava. Dà importanza non solo alla voce, ma ad ogni aspetto della mia vita, come ad esempio la salute e l’alimentazione: adesso vado a correre 5 giorni a settimana!

11. E’ molto comune in Canada l’opera lirica?

Sì, ci sono tanti ottimi insegnanti e compagnie che sembrano essere in prima linea in questo settore al momento. Ma è buffo pensare che prima di trasferirmi a Firenze ho cantato nella compagnia Toronto City Opera per due anni e i nostri tre direttori principali erano tutti di origine italiana.

12. Sei una cantante ma anche una blogger. Come concili le due cose?

Mi piace leggere e scrivere, è un modo di fare un’auto-riflessione su ciò che accade nella mia vita; come cantare, è una sorta di bisogno organico. Inoltre, entrambi questi modi di esprimersi sono una sorta di sfogo creativo, quindi per me vanno di pari passo. Ogni volta che nella mia vita accade qualcosa di importante, prendo una sorta di “appunto” mentale e inizio a pianificare come mi piacerebbe condividere questo pezzo di vita con gli altri attraverso la scrittura. Un giorno mi piacerebbe anche scrivere un libro sulla nascita di un cantante, perché il percorso è piuttosto affascinante.

13. Che consiglio daresti ad un giovane che vuole diventare cantante?

Gli direi: se ti piace cantare, fallo. E’ così semplice… Certo, richiede tantissimo impegno, duro lavoro e pazienza, ma se sei così fortunato da avere la consapevolezza di cosa ti piace fare nella vita, devi sfruttare l’occasione: fallo! Anche se come me hai avuto una carriera totalmente diversa in passato, scacciare la paura è il primo passo da fare nella giusta direzione. Le grandi opportunità si presentano solo a coloro che sanno cogliere le occasioni.

Tiffany Tobias: from Canada to ISTITUTO EUROPEO in Florence, to study opera singing

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?

I would say: if you like singing, go do it. It’s that simple. Yes it takes a tremendous amount of diligence, hard work and patience but if you’re fortunate enough to even know what it is that you love to do in life, then you need to honour that, so – go do it. Even if you’re like me and you have had a completely different career in the past, being fearless is the first step in the right direction. Great things only come to those who believe in taking chances.