In Conversation With... Patricia Rozario

‘A Teacher’s Perspective’

For the first 25 years of my singing career I didn’t consider teaching singing as I was too busy learning new repertoire and performing and I felt that teaching carried a huge responsibility with it.  I felt I needed to hear and experience a lot of different voices and personalities, also listen to recordings old and new to build a bank of knowledge from which to draw. Eventually, I did try my hand at helping a few colleagues and discovered that I could make a difference. In 2006, I was invited by Neil Mackie (Head of the Vocal Dept) to join the teaching staff at the Royal College of Music and I have had an amazing adventure developing young talent, many of whom are doing very well in the profession, and I continue to be inspired and challenged by young singers to this day and it doesn’t feel like work!

I quickly discovered that as a Professor of Singing, it wasn’t just the development of a good technique for the student and an understanding of how the body works in the singing process, but a psychological understanding of each student and their particular needs was also essential. I have my set of breathing and vocal exercises which never fail to develop range, tone quality and stamina in a student, but I am intrigued by how students need to approach text and emotion, how they can create illusions and delve deep into each piece of music to make it their own. The challenge today; when we have such easy access to numerous recordings; is to find a unique and personal way of performing a piece of music with attention to all the details provided by the composer.  

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My advice to any young singer is to keep working with someone you trust until you perfect your technique. Learn and memorise your music with great attention to all the composer's details several months before the performance dates. Recital performances are by far the most difficult because you have to plan a schedule of learning for yourself, whereas an Opera production puts you through your paces and drills you until it flows effortlessly. We singers need to be like athletes - fit, strong and agile in body and voice. I used to run 3 times a week to maintain core strength, maximise breathing capacity and enjoy the beauties of nature through the seasons. Finally, it is very important to make time to rest your voice,  although this can be difficult when you have a busy schedule, to ensure your voice is at its very best for every performance.