Boston Singers' Resource News Bulletin, July 23, 2003

What is the difference between an agent and a manager? What is the difference between "professional" singer and "semi-professional?" BSR member, Bob Quintana, of Octave Artist Management Company answers these questions and more as he give us the ins and outs of the singer management business.

Bob Quintana's professional background has taken him to the stage and various performing arts firms, as well as marketing and management positions with a number of consulting firms on both U.S. coasts. He attended the High School of Performing Arts and the Mannes College of Music in New York City, training as a countertenor at the latter institution before abandoning the idea of a singing career and moving into the world of business management. After nearly ten years in that field, he decided to combine his passion for and knowledge of the classical vocal repertoire with his experience in management and marketing-and Octave Artist Management was born. http://www.octaveartists.com

Octave Artist Management's artists have appeared with such companies as the Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, The Kirov Opera, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, The Canadian Opera Company, Opera Memphis, Sarasota Opera, Natchez Opera, OperaDelaware, and The Chattanooga Opera.

Octave Artist Management officially launched its inaugural Excellence In Arts Competition in May of 2002 as a service to the classical singing community. The Grand Prize winner receives a professionally designed and customized ten-page web site valued at up to $10,000. "We understand the importance and benefits of working singers boasting an online presence," says Quintana, "But we also know that many emerging professionals in our industry are simply unable to afford the work that goes into constructing a full-scale website. So, we thought the EIAC would be an excellent way of rewarding great talent with professional-quality web creations that complement their artistic contributions."

The Excellence In Arts Competition is open free of charge to all members of the classical singing community. Both managed and non-managed singers are encouraged to participate. There is NO AGE LIMIT. The 2002 winner of the EIAC, bass Ethan Herschenfeld, has enjoyed a number of important debuts in the past season both regionally and internationally. His forthcoming season will see debuts with both San Francisco Opera and San Diego Opera. The grand prize web site created for him can be viewed at http://www.ethanherschenfeld.com.

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BSR: So Bob, please tell us more about your musical background.

BQ: I began musical training at the age of 11, studying classical guitar in New York City. At 13, I entered the High School of Performing Arts and gained an interest in classical singing while studying there. After a switch to vocal studies, I entered the Mannes College of Music and studied as a countertenor with Myron McPherson.


BSR: Sorry to hear that you 'abandoned the idea of a singing career.' We can always use another good countertenor in New England, particularly! What was your path from the corporate world to Arts management?

BQ: I entered the business world and worked on a number of large scale projects in the realm of marketing and project management for IT consulting firms in San Francisco and New York. It was during this ten-year period that my management and marketing skills were honed, but I was quite unhappy working in a non-musical environment. After a particularly frustrating layoff during the infamous dot-com bust, I knew that the tech sector was not where I wanted to remain. And after consulting with a number of administrators and other members of the classical singing community, the combination of my substantial experience in marketing and an exhaustive knowledge of the operatic and vocal repertoire seemed a logical next step for me, professionally.


BSR: Are you a manager or an agent? What is the difference?

BQ: There are a number of differing opinions on this point among many in our industry, but in my mind, an agent primarily secures auditions for singers and tells him or her where to be and when. A manager goes a bit further, actually managing the progress of an artist's career and offering assistance and guidance as to appropriate repertoire and venues that will best help the artist's career to grow. A good manager really needs to invest time and energy in the artist/manager relationship in order for a successful partnership to grow. I consider myself to be a manager in every sense of the word.


BSR: How does one become a manager or agent? Is there specific certifications or paper work you need to acquire?

BQ: There are currently no requisite certifications that one must have in order to become a manager or agent, other than the usual business permits wherever he or she is doing business and the filing of State documents in order to declare a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation. For this reason, it's extremely important for artists to interview prospective managers at length in order to determine his or her level of musical knowledge, their way of doing business, the level of artistic excellence of his or her current roster and the number of contacts he or she has in their arsenal.

BSR: Great advice, thanks.


BSR: Many of us, who are not in school anymore, consider ourselves "professional singers" because of our attitudes, dedication, decorum, and musical backgrounds when, really, we lead the lives of a "semi-professional" singer. Can you tell us the difference, in your opinion, between a "professional" singer and a "semi-professional" singer?

BQ: I think the keyword in that question is "dedication." A singer isn't only a "professional" when he or she is making a year-round living from singing. This is an extremely difficult and competitive industry, and there are a large number of very talented artists out there working the proverbial "day job" until the right opportunity comes along.

In my mind, a "professional singer" is one whose primary focus is the furthering of his or her artistry. You can have a full-time job, but if a prime audition opportunity presents itself, you must do whatever necessary to make yourself available for the audition. You also need to be doing everything and anything you can do to grow as a performer - coachings, lessons, and a transportation budget that will allow you to get to auditions aren't optional luxuries that can be scheduled around your workday. You need a job that will afford you the time and money to get these things done. In short, you can have a stupendous voice and the perfect musical background for this business, but if you don't make artistic progress a clear priority in your life, that day job will become your profession and singing will eventually fade away to a hobby.

To me, an example of a "semi-professional" singer would be someone who sings a regular church job and perhaps solos occasionally with small local groups, but doesn't take the time to learn and coach full roles, work extensively on diction and expressiveness, or actively contact companies around the country to seek out opportunities outside their home area.


BSR: After Saturday's BSR audition, you said there were about 3 - 4 people you could possibly use. What do you look for in classical singers? What is the procedure for becoming a singer on the roster of Octave Artists?

BQ: There are, of course, a number of things I look for when hearing prospective new roster artists. The basics are: a voice of pleasing timbre, a solid, dependable technique, a personality and stage presence that are engrossing, and an ability to expressively convey the text of the music being sung.

Additionally, there are a number of other attributes that are crucial to making a singer "manageable." Experience is of utmost importance; these days, a singer fresh out of conservatory is rarely ready to be managed. There are so many singers out there looking for work that a number of regional companies in this country won't even grant an audition to a singer who hasn't participated in at least one well-known Young Artist Program or performed a number of smaller roles with companies they are familiar with. It's imperative that young artists receive the training and performance experience that Artistic Directors are looking for before seeking management.

I usually hear prospective new talent by attending various performances around the country, as I tend to travel frequently to promote my roster. Additionally, I sit in on auditions whenever feasible (as was the case with the 2003 BSR Auditions). Whenever I hear someone who I feel may be a fit for the OAM roster, I contact the artist and request his or her materials and demo recordings. If these materials reaffirm my original interest in their potential, I will invite the artist to sing for me during management auditions that I schedule periodically in Philadelphia and New York City. (OAM's most recent auditions were held in Philadelphia on June 21, 2003. Fall auditions in New York City will be planned in the coming months.) During these auditions, I'll request to hear a number of works in contrasting languages, styles, and dramatic situations in order to get as full a picture as possible of the artist's vocal and artistic potential. Within one week following the auditions, each artist is notified whether they are a fit for the roster or not.

OAM also accepts unsolicited materials from artists around the country. These are collected over time and reviewed as the next set of scheduled auditions approach. A few weeks prior to the auditions, I'll invite those artists who I'd like to hear in person to sing for me at that time. It's simply far too time-consuming to hear people individually as their materials arrive, so if you've sent your materials in and haven't yet heard back, don't assume that I don't want to hear you; it just may be a few months yet before the next series of auditions will be held!


BSR: I'm sure that many of us forget that you have your own challenges with soliciting and selling to organizations as much as the singers are soliciting you. What is your procedure for contacting organizations with which you have not already established a rapport? Is this procedure pretty standard?

BQ: One of a manager's most crucial tasks is getting his or her name out there, and keeping it out there. The men and women who do the hiring in this industry need to know who I am, and who I represent. I accomplish this by executing biannual brochure mailings to just about every opera company, choral group, orchestra, festival and performing arts series in the US and Canada featuring photos and bios of each artist on my roster. This allows the administrators a chance to browse the credits of each singer and also offers details on the most recent engagements that each of my artists has completed.

For those groups with which I have not yet established a rapport, I do the research to determine the appropriate person to contact, and either pick up the phone or send an e-mail. It's a standard procedure of introducing myself, offering some brief information on the artists I represent, and indicating that I'll be sending them some promotional materials via postal mail for the administrative staff to peruse until the company is next hearing auditions
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A tip for BSR members who are unmanaged and contacting various administrative staff to be considered for auditions: It's important to be brief, concise, thoroughly professional, and respectful of these folks' time. Not many people realize how busy they are, and how many hats are frequently worn by these men and women, especially companies at the "C" and "D" level. (i.e., being accountable for the company's artistic integrity, a balanced budget and fundraising duties!) Be confident, but not arrogant.


BSR: Thank you so much for your information and advice, Bob. Since the majority of BSR is currently unmanaged, you've helped answer a lot of questions.

BQ: You're welcome. Best of luck to all BSR members with the progress of your careers!


For more information about Bob Quintana or Octave Artists Management, please contact 215-824-3714 or bquintana@octaveartists.com, or on the web at http://www.octaveartists.com