Turns Out Opera Singer Cindy Chang is a Seasoned Pro?
Ok, I had to use that special title with the word “opera” since I know long time reader Kitty will love it. I’ll start out by saying that Cindy Chang is not an opera singer. Plus, I don’t know why they were acting like they were blown away. Seriously? I thought she was one of the worst “operatic” sounding voices that I’ve heard on the show. At least ones that they put through to Vegas. Was I missing something? In case you didn’t catch it, her audition video is below.
Cindy Chang’s Operatic Audition
Turns out she’s also a bit of a fake. AGT News wrote an article talking about Cindy Chang’s real background. Turns out there might be more to Cindy Chang’s story than what she let on. She’s been singing for quite a while and has an agent.
Of course, this isn’t really news for anyone that’s been reading this site for a while. Many past contestants had stories told for them (I give the producers credit for not telling the full story) on America’s Got Talent that weren’t completely true. It’s not really that big of a deal to me. Although, some people won’t like the fakeness of it all.
Either way, I didn’t like Cindy Chang’s singing before I knew that she had more experience than she let on, so I don’t like her any more or less now. Although, her random laughing was pretty funny to watch.
As a 30 year veteran in the field. She could not sing at the lowest level in the opera world. When will people stop thinking that because you can copy a sound on mic, very poorly, does not mean you can do it without amplification in front of 3000 people over an orchestra of 70 pieces. It makes light of all the years and training that go into a true opera voice. Besides that, she changed Puccini’s Aria and took breaths every other word. UUUGGHHHH
joe,
Even if you set her against other singers outside of Opera, I don’t think she’s very good at all. Definitely far from Opera.
why do they do that….. I do not like the fakeness of it all.
I do not think others would either if they knew. I found her laugh and snort kind of stupid…. I would think her agent would tell her to control herself…. does not make a good impression on auditions….
John, thanks for stating she isn’t an opera singer.
You are not missing anything. Now she does have a voice which is probably better than mine, but then I am a software engineer so singing better than I can isn’t enough to be a singer in any genre.
Other than that, her singing is very wobbly and as Joe mentioned, she has to take breath after every word. I couldn’t actually listen till the end of it.
What I wonder is why the judges and the audience love it. Is any rendition of an opera aria that sounds somewhat “operatic” enough to impress the judges and the audience? If so, why don’t they just go to opera?
kitty,
You raise a really interesting question. How can they love these poorly performed operatic voices, but I bet they don’t go to actual operas. It also makes me wonder how they’d react if a real opera singer auditioned.
Besides the fact that theere was absolutely NO technique; she was making up sounds. Not even words…just sounds. That was not even remotely anything close to Italian. She’s ridiculous. It’s an insult to those of us who spend countless hours working and coaching diction. AND F.Y.I. opera singers don’t take baby demon breaths…
John,
Based on the singers we’ve heard so far on AGT, I think people would love a real opera singer.
There are different types of singers who get labeled “opera” on this tv show. There are those with lighter more popular/musical theater voices who sing in somewhat classical style but who don’t have operatic resonance, the trumphet-like quality that opera singers have; there are those who have voices with operatic potential but are untrained; but there are also those who do have operatic voices and training but who didn’t make it in opera for various reasons – not good enough, illness, accident, etc. People seem to have liked all of these singers, not just those with lighter more popular sound. They did like Donald Braswell who before his accident was a real opera singer and one who showed much promise. Sure, his voice might not be up to full opera performances now but he still has the operatic sound, and I’d imagine he still could project.
Barbara Padilla was probably the closest we had to a real opera singer, I’d probably classify her as one because I believe she is capable of singing a role in opera. She’s had some serious issues with her technique, but she had a good operatic voice and training – MA in voice performance, she also sang some roles in the past apparently. She is able to project the sound without amplification – her post-AGT recitals are all in strictly classical music venues, more difficult arias and unamplified, although no roles. But her concert performances are considerably better than on AGT. Her problem is that she is a good lyric soprano (and with technique that could use improvement) in a world full of good lyric sopranos who are also much younger and she doesn’t really stand out from them. But if the public liked her real operatic voice why wouldn’t they like another soprano who is actually successful in opera?
kitty,
I think one could do well. Although, if you look at pretty much all of the “opera singer” type voices that you mention, they all had a sob story. So, was America voting for their singing or their sob story?
John,
You are totally right about the sob stories, but I don’t think anybody without either a sob story or a “surprise” factor – some discrepancy between looks and voice – has a chance of getting past the judges except for maybe via you tube auditions, so we’ll never find out. As to America voting – it’s probably a combination of everything: voice which is better than most of the pop singers today, beautiful music which is again better than most we hear on tv and the sob story.
The other side is that there isn’t much reason for anybody who is serious about an opera career to go on AGT. AGT isn’t an opera competition, even victory would do nothing for an opera career, it’ll actually hurt it as the winner may be required to sign a contract and do concerts that can potentially be damaging for one’s voice. The singers wouldn’t be allowed to sing anything but one of a couple of popular arias, but they may be asked to sing material that’s not good for their voices, and they’d be judged by people with no background in opera. The prize of a Vegas show doesn’t do much for an opera career and while one million is better than prizes in opera competitions, it’s not really a million.
The “opera” singers who come on AGT are really after popera career – either because that what they prefer or their voices aren’t strong enough for opera or they aren’t musical enough or if they are young they want to keep their options open just in case they’ll not make it in opera or they have already failed in opera and want to try any other way to make a living singing.
But say, someone like an opera singer that won “The Biggest loser” – she is a real opera singer but not one who has been able to earn a living entirely from opera so like most music/acting graduates she has another job. Will she be able to get better roles and earn more now that she is thinner? Who knows, but until she decides that she no longer wants to pursue opera and that she really wants something else, she’ll not come on AGT. Would people like her – I am fairly sure they would, but I don’t see her coming on AGT any time soon.
One other thing. Classical crossover/popera which is what AGT can realistically help with has its own requirements. Sure, the level of opera-arias-singing by classical crossover singers isn’t at opera standards, but the singers have to be able to do other stuff, like sing musical theater pieces or popular pieces written specifically for crossover like Con te partiro. Most opera singers aren’t really good at those, they often sound “too operatic”, only a few can “cross over” to pop well.
Historically, we’ve seen an AGT ask for say one aria (selected from maybe 4-5 popular arias), one art song (usually an Ave Maria), and musical theater/crossover/pop pieces. This isn’t the type of material that would show an opera singer at his or her best. I’d imagine the audience might still like it, but a singer that goes on AGT has to be prepared for this type of a career.
This is by the way very different from opera competitions where singers choose arias that are both suficiently difficult to show what they can do, and that they can do well.