Leandros Taliotis Baritone at Portobello Dock
The upcoming set of blog articles I have planned (and written in part!) is dedicated to my rebuild as a singer and singing teacher following recovery from life-defining illness. But before that, it occurred to me that a more personal ‘who am I?’ post might provide some context. Sure, you can check-out my biography. But what has my professional life really felt like?
Q: What do you do for a living?
A (choose one from the list…): I’m a classical singer. I’m an opera singer. I’m an opera singer and singing teacher. I’m a Baritone: An operatic Baritone.
Q: Where are you based?
A: I live in London but work all over the UK and abroad.
Q: Are you a member of a company?
A: No, I work freelance.
And so the conversation continues…
Telling people what I do is generally met with a degree of interest - sometimes even fascination - and I always get asked plenty of questions: About what precisely I do, how it ‘works', my thoughts about particular performances or artists and, when I talk about my work as a voice teacher, even more specific questions relating to voices and singing technique. It always strikes me how many people have thoughts, experiences and opinions about opera and classical singing: seasoned opera-goers, aspiring students and amateur/semi-pro singers at one end of the scale to those who don't proactively follow the art form, but couldn't help be moved by Nessun Dorma way back at Italia '90 and other of the opera greats that crop-up on TV and in the media at the other.
So who am I? I’ll spare you the long biography this time (you can find all that on my brand-spanking-new website). In short, I am a baritone from London and have often described myself as something of a 'Journeyman'. I've undergone intense and drawn-out training, from a music degree at Cambridge through to vocal and opera studies in London and Belgium and, several years down the line, continue to hone my craft with leading teachers and coaches. I've already performed with many opera companies and opera houses, both big and small, in the UK and other European countries, and enjoy a busy time on the concert circuit which takes me all over the UK from small rural settings to major London concert halls. In addition to this I spend several hours each week teaching singing to talented teenagers and adults, diagnosing and correcting their technical issues, exploring the riches of classical vocal music with them and helping them with matters of confidence, motivation and mindset.
Leandros Taliotis Baritone in his Kensal Rise studio, listening to a student
So, I'm neither fresh out of college, nor am I a celebrated opera star or distinguished professor of voice but inhabit that area between the two. I'm regularly being sent to far-flung and at times random places to audition for roles and the next ‘big break’. I'm constantly thinking about what I do and re-evaluating elements of my 'package', as well as trying to keep things fresh for my students. Experiencing the highs and lows of this at times precarious, but ultimately most rewarding profession is pretty frequent.
Leandros Taliotis Baritone. Sid in Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten, Teatro Rendano Cosenza
This blog is my chance to voice my thoughts, ideas and observations about singing, music and opera-related matters and beyond.