Behind the scenes: The reality of being an opera singer in a modern world.

Written by Amanda Windred (Core Artist - Soprano Voice)

There is a common fantasy that once a performer has made it, the art alone will sustain their lifestyle. The days are imagined as neatly filled with rehearsals, performances in beautifully lit studios, and a life of grandeur.

For most performers, that is simply a fantasy.

Even at a professional level, income from performing alone is rarely enough to cover the cost of living. Many artists build parallel careers alongside their craft. From teaching and Pilates instruction to nursing or real estate, these roles often become the financial foundation that supports artistic devotion. Over time, many of us become hyphenated professionals, not only by necessity but also by design.

This is my story — a glimpse behind the curtain of my life, and why I continue choosing the arts.

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that deeply supported my artistic ambitions. Within their means, they invested in my training so I could receive the best education possible.

Early in my career, I was flourishing. I studied at leading Australian universities and trained with exceptional artists and mentors including Lisa Gasteen, Christine Goerke, Siegfried Jerusalem and Liza Connell.

LGNOS 2013

By 2015, my career path felt established. I was preparing to cover the title role in Turandot with Opera Australia and moved to Berlin to pursue international opportunities.

In October, I relocated to Germany, securing auditions across Berlin, Vienna, Paris and the United Kingdom with several major houses. It felt like I was stepping into the life I had worked toward.

I returned home for Christmas as I was on hold for a few weeks and feeling a tad homesick and took a short pause from commitments.

During my visit, I learned that my mother had been diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer.

Naturally, I placed my career on hold.

Looking back, I realise this was a pivotal moment in my professional journey. The decision created challenges that I continue to navigate, but it was the right choice for my life at the time.

For ten months, I became my mother’s full-time carer. I attended medical appointments with her, managed medication, and supported her emotionally through an aggressive and devastating illness.

My mother passed away in 2016, one week after her sixtieth birthday. She had been determined to reach that milestone, and we celebrated it with a large birthday gathering. Despite our hope, the disease ultimately took its toll.

Before she passed she made me promise to never give up and to keep singing as I was born to be a performer and I have a talent that the world beads to hear.

After her passing, I felt lost.

My mother had been my best friend, manager, agent and emotional foundation. Without her encouragement pushing me forward, I questioned who I was as both a person and an artist.

I stepped away from performance to discover my identity outside the stage.

During this period, I worked as a makeup artist in a local salon, developing my skills in hair and beauty, and later worked at a petrol station to manage living expenses once caregiving support ended.

In 2018, a friend suggested I return to Sydney because she believed the city would offer more opportunities. After an emotional conversation with my father, who assured me he would be fine, I packed my life once again and moved.

Sydney became a base for rebuilding.

I first worked as a manager within a skincare distribution company that supplied products to professional beauty therapists, focusing on business operations and industry support.

Later, I moved into management at a coworking centre, where I was responsible for multi-site operations, workplace coordination, community engagement and daily administration.

I built a very successful career that had serious trajectory, however something was missing in my life. I realised that something missing was music and performing.

So, in 2019 I began returning to physical training with the hope of performing again.

Date being the mistress that she is, in late 2019, I sustained a gym injury that resulted in a permanent neck condition requiring lifelong management.

Paradoxically, the rehabilitation process became part of my artistic preparation. Many of the techniques used in recovery aligned with rebuilding the stamina and bodily control required for opera singing.

After two and a half years of rehabilitation, I applied for a summer training program in Berlin to explore whether returning to performance was truly what I wanted.

The program became the catalyst for my artistic return.

While the role of Nella in Gianni Schicchi was not traditionally aligned with a dramatic voice, it represented the opportunity I needed to step back onto the performance path.

Following this, I auditioned for an emerging artist production in Melbourne. I told myself that if I were offered a role, I would relocate and commit seriously to performing again.

I was cast as Vava in Melbourne Cheremushki with Victorian Opera.

Amanda as Vava in Melbourne Cheremushki with Victorian Opera

It was through this production that I met Evan Lawson, the artistic director of Forest Collective and many other friends and colleagues who have been paramount to my success in reestablishing a career.

Returning to performance did not mean opportunities simply reappeared. Like many artists, I have to actively pursue work and make difficult choices along the way.

A significant milestone was acceptance into the 2023–2025 Resident Emerging Artist Development Program (RDEAP) with Melbourne Opera. The program provides subsidised coaching, language study and performance development opportunities for emerging artists.

These experiences are invaluable, but they do not cover the cost of living.

Here is that absolute truth. To sustain my artistic practice, I maintain multiple careers.

My primary income comes from merchandising execution for an international company, where I build store fittings, lead teams implementing planogram layouts and support retail expansion projects.

Alongside this, I work as a freelance social media and marketing consultant, helping businesses develop cohesive brand identity and digital content strategies.

Add into this calculation the desire to perform - majority of the work that I do is work that has a small fee or is profit share etc. but it takes up a significant portion of my time.

Outside of all of the above, I try to maintain balance. I enjoy reading, visiting cafés for coffee, watching live theatre and supporting friends and colleagues in the arts.

Despite the complexity of balancing multiple careers, and pursuing a professional career again one promise remains that keeps me true to myself.

I promised my mother I would share my voice with the world.

Amanda on stage at Sydney Opera House