Singing opera when the economy has center stage

Being an opera singer in New York is not nearly as glamorous -- or well-paid -- as it may seem.

Unless you're at the level of Renée Fleming or Luciano Pavarotti, an opera singer's career usually comprises long hours and hard work for little pay. Most singers also need another job while starting out, which keeps them from focusing fully on singing.

Add to this the tough economy, and opera singers have been hit hard. Donations, often the biggest revenue source, have dried up for opera companies, symphonies and other arts organizations. Bankrupt opera companies leave singers with worthless contracts and big holes in their schedules. Losing just one contract can break the bank.

An opera singer's income is inconsistent at best. Full-time opera singers can expect to make $3,000 or more per performance at "A-quality" houses, doing 20, 30 or even 50 performances a year. But the companies I recently have worked with are smaller and pay less - sometimes as little as $500 per performance. Plenty of small companies don't pay their singers at all.

Additionally, because many of us have day jobs, we are vulnerable to the faltering economy.

As a singer just getting her career off the ground, I was hit by the economic downturn at precisely the wrong time. In 2007, I started planning a trip to Germany to pursue singing opportunities. The dollar was weak, but I had many colleagues signing great contracts in Germany. And because we were paid in euros, it seemed like the right time to start building a European career.

Unfortunately, when the recession hit, Europe's economy was in worse shape than the United States', and singing jobs disappeared.

As a result, I have to rely on my day job in New York as an executive assistant. I'm lucky to have a job with a decent salary and health benefits. But I didn't receive my annual salary increase, and my hours are being cut. My financial outlook is uncertain because I don't have many paying singing gigs on the horizon.

However, there is an upside to all this: I am exploring alternative ways of making money, which allows me to be creative and work when it's convenient. And, for the first time in a while, I will have plenty of time and energy to devote to practicing my singing, perfecting my foreign languages and bettering myself as an artist.