Patrick Carfizzi
Pack Your Patience

The purpose of this project is to provide a collection of transcriptions from the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. This project seeks to give a platform to all parts of the vocal performing arts to better understand the lived experiences and mentality of those professionals. In collecting stories from the COVID-19 pandemic Patrick Carfizzi, bass-baritone, spoke with me twice. Once as the pandemic was only beginning and then again in April of 2020. As we talked it became very clear that he doesn’t fear for the art but for the artists around him.

Patrick Carfizzi, bass-baritone
Interviewed March 23, 2020

 

TB: I like to start on a positive note. What is the best thing that has happened to you in the last week?

PC: I had time to study things that I have wanted to learn for years, which has been great to have those concentrated hours in the day. I also had time to do some writing, which is really fun. I am not ready to go into detail about the project, but it will be fun. My mother is laughing hilariously at the fact that I am in the process of writing because I was not the best student of English growing up.
      The third thing that has been great about this past 10-11 days has been that every day, I have spoken with friends at length via phone, Zoom, FaceTime, or whatever. It has allowed me time to reconnect with my dear friends. And I plan to reach out to many more as this progresses. A lot of us have felt that wonderful time to catch our breath and reconnect. To really be able to check in on each other and renew the connection that we have had for more than two decades—in some cases—of friendship. That has been the upside if we can call it an upside.

TB: Would you mind talking a bit about where you are in your career now?

PC: Sure, I have sung now for more than 20 years professionally. My debuts were in Santa Fe, Carnegie, and the Sydney Opera House. But I made my Met debut in 1999. I have been fortunate to sing there for 20 years and at most of the major houses in North America and some in Europe. I love my work, and I still love it to this day.

TB: What is your favorite role?

PC: Always a tricky question to answer. There are usually five on the list. Leporello [Don Giovanni] is always on the list, and so is Dulcamara [L'Elisir d'Amore]. Il Barbiere di Siviglia's Bartolo is also on the list. Then, there is Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream and Kissinger in Nixon in China.

TB: Let's talk about the pandemic and what you have been dealing with in this situation. First, could you tell me about where you were and how you first realized that this would have a major impact on your life?

PC: Back in January, as things started to bubble up in China, I was in New York. To me, it was inevitable that COVID-19 would stretch around the world. This was partly because we are so very connected and because from mid-February, there was a lot of denial from certain politicians. That was never going to aid any of us. I started to get worried about that because, first and foremost, it is a public health crisis, but if it is not handled correctly—which it hasn't been at all—that immediately impacts what we do [as musicians]. We are an industry dependent on philanthropy, and we are incredibly creative about dealing with that. It is one of the strengths that will carry us through this to the other side and see us evolve. We will have the strength of the arts and the creators, but this will be rough.

TB: I know that you have been affected by some of the closures; could you talk about that?

PC: Obviously, the monetary effect comes, but the more deeply felt product is the psychological impact of basically being pulled from your art and your community, and even more so from the communities we serve. Opera companies are service organizations at their core, and they serve the communities through the art and through bringing people into all the different aspects of the arts. Whether they be young or old, audience members come and experience an opera for the first time and say, "I want to sing someday." Or, if they go backstage, they decide to be a stage manager, director, or lighting designer. All of these are different facets of the work we do for the community.  
      That has all been sucked into a vacuum for the time being, and it is in stasis. It will return and, especially at first, it will be different. I will say that I also find it heartening that we are all turning to the arts for comfort. We turn to beauty, singing, poetry, dancing, acting, monologues, or even Patrick Stewart reading Shakespeare. In our isolation from each other and our communities, that is one thing that keeps us connected.

TB: As you mentioned, this is having a financial toll. Could you tell me a bit about how that is affecting you?

PC: I had to rework my budget for the remainder of the year completely, and I am in a very fortunate position that I could rework it. One of the challenges of being an independent subcontractor is that we don't have access to unemployment. We are not employed in such a way that allows us to contribute to unemployment, and therefore, when the time comes, we don't have access to it. That is a big challenge.
      So, I've been invading my savings and making it work. I have also taken a look at my spreadsheets because I am a planner and organizer. I like to get into the nitty-gritty, and my husband is the same way. The two of us took a step back and worked together to cut things. It was a whole bunch of things that went: two vacations and many other extracurricular activities. We pulled back on all of that and reduced the cost of my health insurance by nearly $600 a month. Then, we reduced discretionary spending almost completely and stopped ordering in, and really said, "This is where we are for the next six months." We will do our best, and if we can't live off savings, we will figure out what's next.

TB: Thank you for sharing that. I know that it is a difficult time for many performing artists. Could you talk about the hardest lesson that you have learned during this experience?

PC: As self-reliant as I am and for as many experiences as I have had in life (because of medical issues), the need for social community is huge, and it is a massive part of how I enjoy my day-to-day life. I don't enjoy drinking wine by myself; I would much prefer to be out with a dear friend or colleague. I've done the Zoom toasts and all that kind of stuff, and it is great, but it is not the same.
      Human connection. That has been the biggest struggle because there is that great desire for human connection. But out of an abundance of safety, I have not really been out of the apartment for eleven days. I have tried to keep my body energized and my focus positive. I don't allow myself to give in to despair or to watching too much news. I am a news junkie and believe deeply in the freedom of the press and journalism. We have some amazing journalists in this country, but I think very few of them are at Fox News. I say few because there are definitely some that still believe deeply in journalism and telling the truth. But this is a very trying time already, and the fact that they must deal with the never-ending string of lies coming out of the orange monster's mouth has compounded that. There are no outlets for them that are positive. Humans need connection. And that has to be the biggest challenge.

TB: Would you mind talking about how you are keeping your energy and awareness up during this?

PC: Sure, some of it is a bit obvious. Like, regiment your day and don't allow yourself to linger in bed until 11:00 am or noon (especially if you are a morning person like me). Though I know other people that are up until 1:00 am, so noon is excellent. That's wonderful, but I can't do that. My biological clock wakes me at 7:00 am every morning—maybe 7:25 am if I'm lucky—regardless of when I went to sleep the night before. So keep a fairly concise schedule.
      Also, I try to keep regular contact with people and schedule. Like knowing that I will talk to my family around 11:00 am and that my husband and I will talk in the morning. I'll do some reading for a couple of hours, then some studying for an hour or two after that. We may chat again and have lunch. So it is all about making a schedule for yourself and then including a fair bit of meditation time and time for breathing and yoga. All the exercise that you can do on your own without a gym. Then at night, I make sure I spend some time with friends talking or texting. Then, I also clean up part of the apartment, all that takes a lot of time.

TB: So, how are you staying engaged with your musical life?

PC: I sing all the time. My neighbors probably hate it, and that's okay. (Sorry to them...) I have always said that a significant part of our study is in silence: we absorb in silence. We learn. We practice. And we are athletes. That is all true. But the way we really absorb something is with time, silence, and focus. Some people can focus and need to have some white noise or other music in the background. I am not that way. I am happiest when it is me, the sounds of birds, and the smell of pine trees. Then, I can sit there and memorize whole scores for days.
      Musically, there is that, and then I go back to my favorite recordings. I listened to Leontyne Price the other day, and it was exquisite. I also listened to some Tito Ruffo and some Nicolai Gedda. I took myself on a bit of tour and had a listening party over Zoom with a friend.

TB: Reflecting on this experience, how different was your life six weeks ago?

PC: For me, again, the most significant difference is the social aspect. The fact is I would call or text a friend and say, "Let's go for dinner." It is one of my favorite things to do, actually. I'm not a big drinker, but I love to eat out and am a big foodie. That has to be one of the biggest differences, not to be able to go out and have that wonderful social connection and gastronomic experience. And if that is the most significant difference, then lucky us.
      Beyond that, I have been working on better budgeting habits for several years. This experience just reinforces that a lot more and forces me on that path. I feel fortunate that this is the case because I know many of my colleagues are not in that position. I am grateful that there seem to be some support options springing up. I hope that they are as viable as they seem and that they can be of enough assistance to many of our colleagues through this time. On the positive side, I have had more time to study and to do this writing. I will probably get a little stir crazy, but that will ebb and flow.

TB: Do you think that this pandemic will change the musical landscape? And how so?

PC: Yes, of course, it will. In what way is the big question. It will probably take a while for people to feel comfortable being in a room with two thousand other people, initially. It will also be a while until we feel comfortable being back together in a rehearsal space. But I hope that it will make us innovate, find new efficiencies, or rekindle much-needed respect amongst us for the different contributors to what we do. That goes for every aspect: performers, technical crew, front of house, managers, and administrators, every single aspect. We are a family. So if we have taken that family for granted, we are all looking forward to having that connection back. When we do come back, that may make it look quite different.
      It will also look different from a purely financial point of view. I don't have enough information to know where different companies are, but one can only imagine and hope that after 2008 that companies can shore themselves up a little more. But, of course, this is going to take a bite out of that. Hopefully not as much, but we will all be more cautious. It may set back our recovery from the recession, but our human element will be much more focused.

TB: As someone who lived through the 2008 Financial Crisis and maintained a career through it, what would your advice be to this generation?

PC: The constant for me was always, "I love this, and I want to keep doing it. I'll do whatever I need to do to make that happen." I always did that in the context of mutual respect between myself, writers, presenters, artists, and the like. But that was my guiding principle. Hopefully, that is enough of bedrock for people to carry through when things suck because things are going to suck.
      We—humans, markets, and whatever—are cyclical, so ups and downs are going to happen. They're going to happen vocally, financially, and in the world externally. Everyone has to respond to their own instinct, needs, and desire, but prepare as much as you can. Be conscious of your day-to-day a little more and let that inform your activities.
      At the same time, when you have the opportunity to do things that give you a break from singing, embrace those too because you will want them when singing is on hold for a while. For me, it is yoga, travel, and swimming. We are grateful that we've been able to have some really spectacular trips and experiences but are still outwardly conscious that it doesn't last forever. So stay in the moment but also try to be aware of the rise and the dip. Try to see the cycles and envision how you can healthily fit into those cycles so that you are not just plummeting. It would help if you allowed yourself to find some stability within. That is also a big part of what we do. It is not arrogance; it is confidence. The ego is part of us, but it is not necessarily ego.
      We have to keep working and keep trying. We are going to make mistakes, but hopefully, we learn from those mistakes. More importantly, we stay connected to our family, and that is biological and beyond. The nature of what we do grants us that unique gift of having an extended family, and everyone defines it in a different way. All those foundations will make these times more bearable and give someone the perspective to keep looking towards what is next. Or it may provide them with perspective to be done with the instability and lack of security. That is really okay. Because if that is the case, do something else that you love.
      Part of the great fortune that comes with music is more turbulence, just by its very nature. Hopefully, the passion, love, and focus carry us through and keep our heads on straight because it is going to suck. You get one phone call for a cancellation; then the next thing has been cancelled, another after that, and then another. At a certain point, you have to pull back and not take that out on someone else, but say, "What can we do together to help this?"
      One of the most remarkable things has been the companies that have been able to step up and compensate their independent and contracting artists in some way. That is really, really great. And it is part of the connection to humanity that keeps us all going.

TB: Thank you for that and all of your thoughts today. Lastly, what is your recommendation for a TV binge?

PC: Always any science fiction! I am waiting for the next episode of Picard to come out on CBS. So far, I like the series a lot. My husband is addicted to Westworld. He has been counting the days and is very happy it is back. If not that, I give myself about 45 minutes of news in the morning and about half an hour in the afternoon. Then if there is something on in the background, it is HGTV. My current favorite is Home Town, and then Property Brothers is great too.
      Also, courtesy of my husband, I have picked up drawing, which is hilarious because I have always said I don't have a talent for it. However, the iPad makes even me look like I can do something that isn't completely embarrassing. So that has been a new addition to my creativity.

TB: Well, thank you again so much for your time and thoughts today.

April 20, 2020

TB: So now you are safely in Brussels, would you mind sharing a bit about your epic journey across the Atlantic?

PC: Sure, I will share the cliff notes version of the epic journey. I got on the second to last flight that left New York (on March 29) and had to fight my way over the border into Belgium politely. The Germans had done a pre-clearance, but the Belgians had not. The Belgians were basically ready to put me back on the plane to Frankfurt and send me back to the US after the entire journey was almost over.
      But I got here and went into quarantine for two weeks because my husband and I wanted to be safe and ensure I wasn't asymptomatic. (Thankfully, so far, so good.) Traveling at a time like this is as highly stressful as anyone can imagine. Because it is crazy when you have this level of uncertainty and risk, it was not something I care to repeat anytime soon. I hope and pray that we will have some treatment, vaccine, or mitigation soon so that we can all feel more confident in traveling.

TB: Well, I know we talked for some time about COVID, so I would like to follow your lead and train of thought.

PC: Yes, it definitely seems that we're moving towards a new normal, not a return to normal. There will be many aspects of what we considered normal before all this happening that will absolutely be part of our lives, but there will be many adjustments and changes. More and more during this time, the performing arts and the arts, in general, have continued to prove themselves even more life-sustaining and necessary than ever. That message is not going to hit all the people that we want at the same time. That means that at the reopening of life—it is much more than just the economy—that new normal will be something that we all get to craft together.  
      The next thought that has been dancing around in my mind is opportunity. I say this with the absolute awareness that we are deep in the midst of a pandemic, and there is so much tragedy, sadness, and death. People are suffering on so many levels and in different ways. But as we move through this together to the other side in our ways, there is opportunity. There is an opportunity to reshape a bit of what we do: find efficiencies, learn better practices, and take care of each other. There are a lot of interesting ideas floating around, and everything is valid and on the table. Nothing should be left to chance or discarded. Everything should be explored.

TB: What do you see as deficiencies in the world of the vocal performing arts that you would like to address?

PC: I would love to see us reach even further to broader communities. And I think that the fact that the arts have been such a source of solace and comfort for so many people during this time in the virtual realm is proof that a discussion of relevance is no longer valid. The arts are more relevant now to every single person on this earth in whatever genre, discipline, or appreciation they have for it. The whole navel-gazing "Are we good enough?" needs to go. We are more than good enough, and our strength is our diversity.
 

    

Now we can build on that even more. We can take that 150 steps further because we have seen a curated version of that making its way into new repertoire in response to a need for diversity, and that is fantastic. But now, we have enough change to blow it open and to allow new and fresh ideas. And yes, we have to tackle the financial side of it. But if there was ever a time that we can turn to the public and say, "What is one of the things that got you through this?” People have listened to their favorite artists, watched a live stream, seen someone read poetry, etc. We have all turned to art.
      We being practitioners, now have both a solemn and wonderful opportunity to embrace as many of those people as we can. It was a goal before, but now I think it is going to feel even more imperative. It is also going to feel much more accessible to the broadest public we can find.
      Coming out of this is not about diminishing the pain and suffering that we will have to go through to get there. It may take a couple of years, and we will lose a lot along the way, but I still think that deep down, there is opportunity.

TB: What are the sorts of communities that you feel most passionate about working with/for during this?

PC: They can and do go beyond any kind of ethnic demographic definition. They can be regional but always full of diversity. Like people in the south of Texas (I am just picking at random), they may prefer a particular kind of folk music that has been in their heritage for years and years. We all now have learned that we really can share the access to that, but how can we go a step further? So, we look beyond the traditional diversity ideas of ethnicity, country of origin, and race to build a broader and fuller community.

TB: How does the idea of community affect the pre-COVID opera singer lifestyle?

PC: Interesting that you ask that because I've been on a few phone calls for the Soloist's Coalition, which is within AGMA. Ideas are being talked about where that [an opera singer's lifestyle and schedule] might change. That will require a balance between what we can do in terms of what we are all financially committed to doing together and where opera companies are seeing themselves going. That is going to be an exciting set of discussions that will hopefully have all the stakeholders at the table: regional soloists at the regional and local level and guest soloists that come in now and then. 
      But again, it comes back to opportunity. There is an opportunity, to some extent, to reimagine the US system. How wonderful would it be if they [the US government] included public support for the arts? (I am not holding my breath, though.)

TB: Is advocating politically for the arts something that you're becoming more interested in pursuing?

PC: Maybe... Time will tell. I don't know enough about that kind of advocacy to speak intelligently. In the current climate, though, we all have become aware that we need that kind of advocacy even more. But I would need to learn if I have the right skill or could acquire it. There are definitely some of my colleagues that have that track in their career too.

TB: So what else have you been thinking about in terms of the pandemic?

PC: About our next generation of colleagues. We have to address this so delicately because it is such a traumatic time, especially for them, especially for those that graduated ten years ago, when we were in the midst of the previous recession. They were probably just getting their legs under them from that, and they've been cut out from under them again. I hope they can find simplicity in their day-to-day existence and that this time of solitude and quiet helps them—and all of us, frankly—to be productive and make something where we can continue to grow. I also hope people can make the seemingly small, simple decisions that will give them the staying power to get themselves to the end of this and whatever the new normal is. We have, as an industry, another imperative to do our darnedest to make sure we can give young artists the chance not to give up and walk away.

TB: How do you see those opportunities taking shape?

PC: Part of this is through mentorship, and part of it is going to happen organically. In the course of our travels, we're constantly working with different generations. So, that part of it is built-in; we have to make sure that we enable connection and keep giving, mainly so that artists can ask questions and get ideas (not necessarily advice but more so ideas). Hopefully, that idea speaks to one of those individuals, and they can build on it because there is no sage wisdom to be doled out. No one can predict what is going to happen. We may have a cure for this tomorrow morning and be out partying in the streets in six weeks.

TB: Agreed. It sounds like one of the things you are interested in is the mentorship of young artists. Is that true?

PC: That is something I've been interested in for as long as I can remember. And I have been involved with mentorship over the years. I feel that we need to amplify it now and give these young people as much support as we can to discern their chosen path clearly. On the flip side, they can give us as much thought energy into where they see the industry going and how it may develop.  

TB: Well, thank you again for speaking with me again. Do you have any final thoughts for today?

PC: Yes, I want to circle back to New York. New York was one of the most anxiety-inducing things I have ever experienced. And it still is. I just think of my family, friends, and colleagues who are all still there, in the midst of what is basically a living hell. Thankfully, it seems to be ebbing a bit (let's hope). The last time we talked, I felt like I wanted the group to have really good ideas, but trying to find clarity of thought in an atmosphere of anxiety was rough. It was rough, no matter how much yoga or meditation I did. I was glad to be home with my husband but after five weeks of wait and see, wait and see, wait and see... [shrugs] It is funny because it reminds me of a phrase I've shared recently with a group of young artists, "Pack your patience." Because this career and lifestyle are painful if you don't, I don't know that there's enough patience in the world that one can pack during this kind of upheaval.

TB: It has been such a pleasure to speak with you again today. Thank you so much for your time and wisdom.  

Sancho’s Aria from Don Quichotte by Massenet
Patrick Carfizzi, bass-baritone
Peter Walsh, piano
Recorded at Conduit Studios

“L’onore? Ladri!” from Falstaff by Verdi
Patrick Carfizzi, bass-baritone
Peter Walsh, piano
Recorded at Conduit Studios