Colin Brush, Director of the Sarah & Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio
Colin Brush visited Cascais for the first time. He was drawn by the competition’s international scope – over 500 applications from more than 50 countries, with singers from 25 nations auditioning over two days – and left deeply impressed. “The standard is absolutely wonderful”, he says. “Great expression, great musicality, great communication. And I was particularly impressed by the number of very young singers, at the start of their careers, delivering such solid performances”.
The Director of the Sarah & Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio – the artist development programme at the Houston Grand Opera in Texas – is used to assessing young voices. It’s his job. But he admits that Cascais Ópera has something not all competitions have. “There’s a very positive, very luminous energy. And there’s a genuine respect for the singers that you don’t always find in these situations”.
What makes a competition special
One of the details that surprised him most was the provision of explanatory leaflets for the audience, describing how the jury evaluates the singers. “I think that’s very important”, he says. “Cascais Ópera is engaging the community, bringing opera to the people and showing them how we think about what we hear. Artistically, it is essential that the audience understands how we are assessing the singers”.
For Brush, this is a sign of a competition that cares about more than just the result. “In just three editions, they have built a reputation here that other competitions have taken decades to build. That is impressive. And it has a lot to do with the calibre of the jury, the openness to the community and this atmosphere of support for the singers”.
The advice he would give to any singer
When speaking to young singers, Brush always starts with the basics: vocal technique. “We sing at full volume over an orchestra. It is essential to have a healthy vocal support mechanism and sound vocal production, because we want long careers, ideally lasting until we are 60 or 70. A solid technical foundation is irreplaceable”.
But there is a second piece of advice, which he considers equally essential: “Don’t be afraid to show your unique perspective. What we want in opera is always a new way of telling the story. We want a unique artistic perspective. It’s extraordinary when we see a singer who embodies their own ideas about who the character is and does something special and different”.
And Cascais Ópera, as a platform? Brush is clear: for him, it doesn’t end with the finalists. “There are singers here whom I will invite to audition in Houston. And all my fellow casting directors are always on the lookout for interesting people they can bring into their companies. A competition is an extraordinary place to see so many different and wonderful singers all at once”.
