As I'm sure you know by now, I have a 'real' job, and I enjoy it. I love the stability, the financial security and the knowledge of exactly where I need to be and what I need to do the next day. While the office I work in is particularly unique, it has been an eye-opening experience for me. When I was younger, I always swore that I could never work a 9-5 regular job, that I would always have to live on different time table and spend time with what I call 'Wednesday People', those who don't have anywhere to be except the coffee shop on a Wednesday at 3pm. I wanted to spend my time singing, and rehearsing and teaching and that was all.
Circumstances dictated that I take this real job in order to survive in my new country, and I am ever grateful for it. I think I would've gone running home to Canada if I hadn't found it. But now, after a year and a half of the corporate life, I can't help but to think that I've sold myself short. I'm a great singer, and should be singing/performing as much as possible.
I came to this conclusion on Tuesday night, when I went to see the symphony perform a new work by Robin Gibb of the BeeGees. It was not a very good concert, and deserving of a blog post of its own, but the thing that stood out to me was how bad the soloists were. I sat there cringing and all I could think was:
"if these people can sing for a living, then it should be easy for me!"
Of course, I know from experience that it is not easy for me, and I imagine it hasn't been easy for them either. After the concert, I went home and got to work looking for opportunities to start to sing again, my first action being to email a conductor I'd spoken to in the past about singing with the Chelsea Opera Chorus. They are an amateur chorus that performs lesser known operas in concert using professional soloists. I figure the best way in was through the chorus, to get to know them and show off my skills.
And this is where my two paths diverge.
The conductor e-mailed me back and was happy to invite me to come to rehearsal and sing for him, so long as I could commit to every rehearsal date scheduled. I was overflowing with excitement, until i read through the list of the rehearsal dates and realised that there was no way I would be able to get involved. Several of the dates fall at times that I already had commitments with my day job, things that I can not back out of and am being paid to do.
So here is my dilemma: How can I have my cake, and eat it too? How do I maintain the financial security and stability of having a 'real' job while continuing to feed my passion and move my music career forward? Is it impossible for the two world's to exist simultaneously? Will I ever get to be a Wednesday person again?
