Diva’s sound advice

American diva Grace Bumbry

I realise I am in the presence of a true diva when I talk with the legendary American singer Grace Bumbry, the distinguished judge of tomorrow night's Lexus Song Quest.

I've been immersing myself in Bumbry's back catalogue for some weeks. Last year's Deutsche Grammophon three-CD set of her 1960s work is bulging with treasures, from her creamily seductive Venus in the 1962 Bayreuth Tannhauser to her 1965 Lady Macbeth, with a sleepwalking scene to curdle the blood.

"I am very pleased with the set," says Bumbry. "These recordings bring back memories, especially the arias from Israel in Egypt and Judas Maccabeus because I was still a student in Santa Barbara. For me it's like a documentary of a career."

Bumbry's has been and still is a distinguished career. Her recital from the Theatre Musical de Paris, which the Arts Channel screens on medium rotate, reveals her in remarkable voice for a singer in her mid-50s.

She laughs when I ask her whether young singers today need advice.

"You need interminable advice," is the answer. "What do you know? You know absolutely nothing. Everything in life is a learning process and the same thing is true with singing.

"The main thing is getting to know the instrument, what it wants to do and its limitations. Singing is a matter of freedom: freedom of the throat and freedom of the psyche - all of these go to make a well-rounded vocal production."

The main danger is "wanting to make it before you are ready".

"You have to allow yourself enough time to develop," Bumbry sighs. "The period that we are going through is a totally electronic age and everything is fast, fast, fast. They have no alternative but to think very quickly and want to do everything in 10 minutes' time.

"But the voice consists of your entire body. The entire body is the instrument and the body takes its time to develop."

On the topic of looking the part, she says: "Although the voice should be the number one point of interest, if you can find the physical match for the part then you have the icing on the cake".

Remembering Bumbry's sensational Carmen Jones back in the early 60s, I am interested in her views on crossover.

"There's good and bad music everywhere," she says. "It's a matter of taste. The number one thing is style. You have to know the style and do the same sort of research as if you were putting together a recital of lieder. You find the things that go well for your voice and your theme, you find the composers, the keys, all of that."

Does she feel singers take enough care with this preparation? "No, I really don't," is the firm reply. "Often these things are left to other people and you just follow their instructions."

There's a significant pause. "Well, I've never been one to do that," she adds, with a conspiratorial laugh.

Bumbry, who as a young singer was game enough to take on the great Karajan, feels that "it's our job to try and convince the conductor and usually, if you are totally convinced of what you have to say, he will acquiesce.

"Molinari-Pradelli was a conductor who didn't like me at all until I sang for him. He had heard me as a mezzo and then when I had to do Tosca with him at La Scala he came in with his own sets of ideas and I had to show him. You just have to show a conductor, they don't know about singing."

An ardent campaigner for civil rights - in the late 90s she formed and toured with the innovative Black Musical Heritage Ensemble - she copes with the fact that "discrimination is still rampant in the States. It doesn't mean you are totally left out".

It's a matter of honing your strengths, "finding the repertoire you can excel in and that you can sell".

She recommends demanding roles like Lady Macbeth ("not exactly a walk around the park") and, "once you've got your foot in the door, the management are going to want you. It's all about business."

Competitions such as the Lexus are very important, Bumbry stresses. "Otherwise how can singers know where they are among their peers. You cannot get around auditioning and this is a very difficult type of audition."

For her, the thrill comes in "being able to give a portion of my knowledge to the young people who are coming up because, after all, I've been at this for over 45 years and perhaps I know one or two things that could benefit them".

A laugh subsides into a crooned "I do" when I ask her whether she enjoys giving masterclasses. "If you have really good singers you can even build a characterisation."

Competition

* Who: American diva Grace Bumbry, judge of the Lexus Song Quest
* Where and when: Auckland Town Hall, tomorrow, 7.30pm
* What: Grace Bumbry Masterclass, Town Hall Concert Chamber, Friday 7pm