Rebecca Carvin
Gratitude

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 Rebecca Carvin, Metropolitan Opera Chorister, discussed the abrupt change of life and provides a compelling comparison to her experiences with 9/11.

Rebecca Carvin, Metropolitan Opera Chorister (Alto)
Interviewed September 29, 2020

TB: I always like to start these interviews with something positive, so what is the best thing that has happened to you in the last week?

RC: The most positive thing in my life right now is my view of the Hudson River. My husband and I moved into a section of the Bronx called Riverdale, which is right on the river. Every morning, I get up and look out over the river and see hawks flying or eagles crossing the water. Seeing that on a daily basis has been a really positive reminder. I am also able to see the trees. It is not like living in the center of Manhattan or where we lived in Harlem, where the seasons would change without me. I wouldn't even know it was winter until the snow came down. But now we are a part of the change of seasons. We live within walking distance of a forest which has always been a wonderful part of the experience of being at home here. (And it is unusual for a chorister to be home at all.) So, I am admiring my view watching the trees and the hawks.

TB: Would you mind talking about your background and the work you were doing before the pandemic?

 RC: My background in music is very typical of most singers. My parents told me that I sang be-fore I talked. My father was a Baptist minister, and so as soon as I could behave myself, I was standing in the choir singing. Until high school, I lived in Princeton, New Jersey, which is home to the wonderful Westminster Choir College. So I heard that music all the time and loved it. Choral music has always been a powerful influence in my life.  
      Then I went to high school in Ohio where they have a great tradition of choral competitions for high schoolers. I started participating in those competitions with my high school choir. Interestingly, there were three graduates from my high school who ended up performing at the Metropolitan Opera: one soprano from my high school choir began as a chorister in Porgy and Bess the first time the Met did it and continued as an extra chorister for many years after that; one of the clarinet players in the Met orchestra; and myself. We always joke that there was some-thing in the water; they had a great high school music program in Warren, Ohio.
      From there, I thought I was going to study music therapy. But right before I went to col-lege, I auditioned for Robert Page at the Blossom Music Festival. I auditioned for him, not knowing who he was because I was as "green as the grass." I don't know what I sang, but he said, "Miss Carvin, would you like to come and study with me at Carnegie Mellon?" And I said, "No, I am going to Ohio University to study music therapy." He got kind of stern and said, "Miss Carvin, you are not going to be a music therapist." I was mortified and didn't know what he was talking about, but he was right. I wasn't going to be a music therapist—I ended up being a singer. So, one semester into my college career at Ohio University, my teacher said, "You need to be studying voice," which is what I did. Then, I went to Temple University, but before I finished their Masters program, I burnt out and was very broke. I never finished my graduate degree. I had been working in a hospital all during grad school, so I just focused on that and did some singing on the side. But many years later, I went back to my teacher and started studying with her again. I also started working with coaches, doing bodywork, and studying languages on my own. I replicated an opera program individually and continued to work at the hospital the whole time.
      One of the first professional auditions I did was for the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, and that was the beginning and the end of my auditioning experience. Previously, I never would have even considered a chorus job. It wouldn't have even crossed my mind that was even a possibility when I was in school. It is a great job and a perfect fit for me because I don't like being the center of attention (surprisingly). And I love choral music. It was an excellent fit for me and continues to be so.

TB: How many seasons would this have made for your being a part of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus?

RC: I debuted in 1995, so 25 years. This year would have been my 25th season. I started in 1995 as an extra chorister, but I count those years because the extra chorus is just as important as the regular chorus.

TB: Can you describe where you were and how you first realized that you were going to be affected by COVID-19?

RC: Yes, it was a very strong reaction. We were onstage doing the final rehearsals for Flying Dutchman. We had heard about this terrible disease, of course, and I was watching Senta singing. There are cross lights in this production (not front lighting), and when we have cross lighting, you can clearly see the spit coming out of someone's mouth while they are singing. It is obvious. You can always see the spray coming out. She was just spraying all of us, and I had this head-to-toe feeling of, "We are all in trouble." 
      We were fortunate because none of us got sick. But we have sadly had two losses in the Met family. And I do know of one other person who got sick but hasn't spoken about it. So, I had this feeling of... doom is not really the right word, but it wasn't good.
      A couple of days later, we were with Donald Palumbo in List Hall rehearsing, and we went on a break. (We get a break every hour for ten minutes.) Usually, when we come back in, Donald very quickly gets back to work. But we came back in, and he said, "I have an announcement to make. We are closing. You will need to gather up your things and leave."
      Our chorus administrator came in and gave us the details. He said that our health insurance would continue and we would be paid to the end of the month. After that, the chorus stayed to have a meeting to talk about what the implications were. Then we all went back to our dressing rooms and picked up what we needed from our tables. (We each have a desk, a closet, lockers, drawers, and stuff like that.)
      We did all of that thinking that it would be two weeks [of closure]... Then, the rest of the season was cancelled. On Tuesday of last week, we were told by Mr. Gelb that our Spring season was completely cancelled.

TB: I'd like to hear a bit more on the historical perspective that you have on this because you have had such a long trajectory at the Met. Could you compare your situation now with 9/11 and what your experiences have been?

RC: Sure, 9/11 was completely different because except for that day, we never closed. It was pre-season, so we had rehearsals scheduled for that and the next day. (Of course, rehearsals on the 11th were cancelled. I was in early for a fitting, and security came through telling us all to gather our things and leave immediately.) It was completely different on an entirely different level; our country was being attacked. We didn't know what was happening. Were we going to war? Would we be bombed again? It was frightening and emotional in a completely different way.  
      The pandemic is such an unknown. We know what we are fighting, but we don't really know. As a country, we have not united the way we were during 9/11. So, in addition to the stress of the unknown of Covid-19, we have the stress of division in our country. In 2001, we were such a united front. All of the political differences seemed to go away. We were united in not let-ting this stop our country. We were not going to let this stop our art, which was why we were at work the next day. Joe Volpe [General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera from 1990-2006] had a very strong feeling that we needed to go back to work. At that time it was all about, "If we don't go back [to work], the terrorists have won." The Met was sympathetic to people needing to stay at home, but many of us, myself included, were very happy to have a place to go.
      That has been different in this situation because we are not gathering, and we can't gather. I am not with the people that I am closest to other than my family. When you are in a chorus for this long, and with the amount of work that the Met Chorus does, you get really close to your colleagues. We are together all the time. The people in your dressing room aisle become your sisters and brothers. In comparison with 9/11, that aspect has been a difficult part of this pandemic; then, we could be together, but now we can't.

TB: Have you ever experienced the Metropolitan Opera closing before?

RC: No, not during the time I was there. It has closed a couple of times for snow but only for one day. Nothing like this at all. Those closures are more celebratory, "We get a snow day!" It was wonderful. This is not wonderful.

TB: It has been six months since the Metropolitan Opera closed. Would you mind talking about the financial impact that this situation has had on you?

RC: I am one of the fortunate ones. Because, as I said, three years ago, my husband and I purchased an apartment up in the Bronx. We were also fortunate enough to purchase an apartment in a cooperation that is called a limited equity partnership. It is a different situation where when you sell the apartment, you sell back to the corporation, and they keep a percentage of the sale. That means the prices and maintenance are quite low. 
      We are so thankful that we made that move because had we stayed in Harlem, I honestly don't know what we would have done. Our rent was cheap at $2,000 a month. But there is no way that we would have been able to afford that now, just on unemployment benefits. So, we have been really lucky that we did this because our costs are minimal, and we are safe.
      Fortunately, the Met has continued our health insurance. My husband is at the age where he is on Medicare, so that wouldn't have been terrible for him. But I would have had to purchase health insurance, which I don't think I could afford, quite honestly. I have a 403(b), which I could dip into, but I prefer not to because that is our retirement. I am fortunate that I am eligible for my pension and can retire if I choose (or if I have to). I might have to if unemployment discontinues and we still haven't opened. That would be okay with me, but it isn't how I planned it.
      I am fortunate, though. My colleagues that I worry about are the ones just getting started. They got their dream jobs and then had the rug pulled out from underneath them. I am also worried about my colleagues who have been doing this long enough that their resume is not up-to-date for a different kind of job, but they can't yet retire. That is a difficult way to get back into the job search.

TB: What I am hearing is that you are safe because you can retire if you choose to and that your living costs are lower due to your move out of Harlem. But had you been living there still, this would be a completely different situation.

RC: Yes, if we had been living in Harlem, I think we would have had to abandon ship and leave. I don't know where to, but I think we would have had to leave the city and find a rental like many of my colleagues have done. Or I would have had to retire immediately and then incur the cost of health insurance on top of Harlem's expensive rent. We would have just squeaked by, but it would have been very scary. My husband and I often talk about how lucky we are that we made the move when we did.

TB: How would you say this has impacted your creative process?

RC: I would say that my creative process at this moment is not musical. I haven't sung a note since this happened. I haven't really wanted to. And I think my reaction has been typical. I've talked to other colleagues about this too. We agree that we just didn't feel like singing at all. It is just a weird feeling not singing with that group.
      Opera choral singing is not always emotionally satisfying (it’s not all “Va Pensiero” or “Patria Opressa”). In opera, the chorus has a lot of 'oom pah pah,’ accompanying an ensemble and I'm a mezzo. We have a lot of B's just in a line. But there is something about the physical act of singing with a group, working together, and using your singing voice to combine with others; that is a powerful thing. Everyone should sing in a choir, whether they can carry a tune or not. It is an excellent thing to do as a human. I am sad that we haven't had that in the past six months. That is weird for someone who has been singing in a choir since they were a child.

TB: What would you say is the hardest lesson that you've learned in this situation?

RC: I don't know the answer to that question... Surprisingly, there have been many positives out of this experience, from appreciation for my home to appreciation and gratitude for my situation, gratitude for my life, and gratitude for my connections.

TB: I like to hear positive lessons too! So what is the most positive lesson that you've learned that might be unexpected?

RC: How much I like being at home. I'm a little homebody, and I'm really enjoying it. I don't want you to get the impression that I'm cleaning and that my house is clean because it is not. [Laughter] Isn't that weird? I have all this time, but it is not about that. I am just enjoying the home that we've created. I have also enjoyed trying different cooking. I did the whole bread thing and learned how to make pasta. Cooking every single meal has been a very interesting thing. We just recently went to a deli near us that had outdoor seating. We sat outside and ate some food that someone else prepared for the first time since March.

TB: Being in New York, you eat out a lot, right?

RC: All the time. I go to Lincoln Center in the morning from the Bronx, and I usually stay there until the show is over. That means I have often had breakfast, lunch, and dinner out. The only time I would have dinner at home is on the occasional night off and Sunday night. That was al-ways a wonderful thing to celebrate and look forward to. And now, we have done that every single day. We always talk about dinner and think about what we are going to make. That has been a fun and unexpected part of this whole experience.

TB: So, today is September 29. Minus a pandemic, where would you be, and what would you be doing?

RC: Let's see, it is Tuesday at 2:34 pm. I would probably be ending rehearsal on stage or pre-paring to go to List Hall for a musical rehearsal. I would be doing that until about 4:00 pm, and then I would go outside for a walk, get some dinner, come back and maybe rest, and then get ready for that night's show. That is what I would be doing right now. I'd be in List Hall complaining about how picky the conductor is being.

TB: How do you think that this is going to change the musical landscape in the future?

RC: It is definitely going to change the job at the Met and how we present opera. I don't know exactly how, but I would imagine it would be easier to stage operas with fewer cast members in them. I know that they've [The Metropolitan Opera] scheduled some big grand operas, like Boris Godunov. But I think people will be very cautious because you see people going back to normal in Europe, and I can't fathom that right now. I just saw the Sondra Radvanovsky and Piotr Beczala concert. It freaked me out because the audience just looked too close, though I know they were distanced. I just thought, "I don't know if I'm ready for that."
      I imagine it is also going to change how we enter the building. Perhaps we will be getting our temperatures taken and maybe getting rapid tests done. That would add extra time to our day because we will have to accomplish these health checks before going in. So, I don't know what they are going to end up doing. For instance, the orchestra pit is a certain size and can't be expanded. So, how do you socially distance?

TB: And the pit at the Met is in front of the stage.

RC: It is right in front of the stage. So what is it going to look like? Is it going to be space opera, and we are all going to be wearing bubbles?

TB: I hope I get to see that! What would your advice be to younger artists as they are going through this situation?

RC: I have a few friends that were in the children's chorus at the Met, who are now young professional singers. One of them just did an outstanding production of The Magic Flute with Opera NEO [Opera NEO's Magic Flute]. They did a wonderful virtual production of the opera that was so charming. They have been releasing it in sections, so it is very digestible for newcomers to opera. The singers recorded it in their homes with a green screen, and then someone incredibly clever with video put it all together. So, it looks like they are all together.
      So, my advice to my young colleagues and friends who are studying or performing is to keep doing it. They have great ideas. For that particular Opera NEO production, they used an orchestra and still performed the opera while at home. It was really, really excellent and a completely innovative way to present opera. I also just sat in on a masterclass by Jamie Barton at my alma mater, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. And I was just in awe of the amount of talent that these kids have. I don't want any of them to get discouraged and think that opera is over. It is not, and with productions like the one Opera NEO did, there will be all sorts of things. They are going to be on the cutting edge of a whole different way of looking at this art form.

TB: Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts today. Lastly, what is your video binge recommendation for the pandemic?

RC: We have actually been watching M*A*S*H from the very beginning. And we have been watching a sci-fi type thing called Hanna. I don't watch that much television, though. Just the baking stuff and M*A*S*H.

TB: It has been a pleasure, and thank you again.

 

Addendum: July 19, 2021

In catching up after our conversation, Ms. Carvin was able to get the COVID vaccine; however, tested positive for the virus asymptomatically. She credits the vaccine with keeping her symptom free but notes that others have not been so fortunate. The Metropolitan Opera is looking forward to the opening of their season and the chorus is set to return to work on August 9, 2021. Yet, Ms. Carvin remains hesitant to return to singing without a mask, especially with so many people in close proximity. The Delta variant is raising concerns across the country with many state and local governments revisiting mask mandates. Ms. Carvin is also concerned with this situation but looks forward to reuniting with the Metropolitan Opera family. In fact, the 2021 season will also hold a special 20th anniversary concert memorializing the September 11 attacks. This will feature Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, soloists; Ailyn Pérez, Michelle DeYoung, Matthew Polenzani, and Eric Owens, and the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra.

Act two finale from La Bohème
The Metropolitan Opera
Stefano Ranzani, conductor

The Met Chorus in Rehearsal
The Metropolitan Opera
Donald Palumbo, chorus master