Interview with Carlos Seise

Jaime: When and where were you born and raised?

Carlos: I was born in New York City, but raised in Puerto Rico. My father was Puerto Rican and my family came to New York in the early 1950s. When I was about 4 years old we moved back to Puerto Rico.

J: How many brothers and sisters do you have?

C: I have 2 sisters, and 1 brother.

J: Are any of them in entertainment?

C: No. One of my sisters is a dentist. The other owns her own business. My brother is a professor of law at the University of Mexico.

J: When did you first realize you could sing and wanted to make a career of it?

C: I was 21. I came home for vacation from the army for Christmas break. I was in a group and played the guitar. The singer got sick and we had to play for a wedding. He had to sing Ave Maria. I said I knew the song so I sang it. In the audience was a vocal teacher. She heard me and asked me for an audition. She was the one who convinced me to try to pursue a singing career. If not, I would probably be doing something else.

J: Did you always want to be a singer, or did you think you would be something else when you grew up?

C: I never thought I would be a singer. My father sings very well. I enjoyed playing the guitar and the bass, but I never thought I could sing. I would sing at home, not seriously, but I never thought I had the voice to sing. I knew I had the talent to play the guitar very well.

J: What has been your biggest challenge in accomplishing your goals towards becoming a singer?

C: The most difficult thing was not to believe what the people would say to me. There were always people who had a misconception about starting a music career. They always thought one could start a career, but would not make it. They thought that it would be too hard and said only few can make it. It was very hard to deal with that situation and to avoid people putting negative thoughts into me. I looked into the mirror one day and said, “I think I can do this. I think I can be a singer.” I went back to my vocal teacher and I said, “I think I am going to be a singer. Do you think I can do it?” She said, “Sure, you have all the potential. You have it. I give you my full support and you can make it.” So that was the hardest part. Not so much with my family. My family was always supportive of me. But friends, and people close to you, might make it hard for you by telling you it is too hard to have a music career.

J: Where did you begin your musical studies?

C: I started in the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico. I studied with a great vocal teacher, Susan Young, who taught me the fundamentals. She is an American who married a Puerto Rican conductor. I studied with her for almost 5 years. She was the one who taught me the basics. Then after that, Carmelo Savoca and Peytton Hibitt, came to see one of their students. They came to hear him singing Faust. One of my friends spoke with them and said, “Hey we have a tenor, and we’d like you to hear him.” They allowed me to sing for them and audition. So they were the people who arranged for me to come into the United States.

J: Well that leads into my next question of who was your most influential teacher?

C: Between Carmelo Savoca, Peytton Hibitt and Susan Young. They shaped my technique, character to be a musician, discipline, and taught me to work hard. You have to know how to do all of these things to be able to do this career. It requires such a large amount of sacrifice.

J: Where did you perform your debut and in what opera?

C: My debut was in the Dominican Republic in Carmina Burana with the Dominican Republic Symphony. I did the tenor solo. That is one of the most difficult arias for a tenor to do. But my Opera debut was in my own country, Puerto Rico, in 1989. I did La Boheme and sang Rodolfo.

J: Do you have a role that would just love to play?

C: Rodolfo from La Boheme, and Mario Cavaradossi from Tosca. I don’t know why I like the phrases by Puccini. I think he makes you sing from your in most parts, and I love that.

J: What about those characters did you identify with?

C: I identify with Rodolfo because of his free spirit. To be a dreamer and try to achieve your goals, to be so in love with a love that drives you so strongly in life, and to fight for something that can be hard to conquer. I identify with Mario Cavaradossi for the politician that he was. He fought for his country, for what he believed his country needed for their rights and privileges. So I believe in the love from the side of Rodolfo, but the more rational side of Cavaradossi.

J: What advice do you have for students who are looking into a career in Opera?

C: The same advice that many people have given to me, just dream high. The more you dream, the more you will force yourself to be better. Nobody can take that dream from you. For example, if you say you want to become one of the best 10 tenors in the world. That is a high goal that you have set for yourself. You might not conquer that, but you can guarantee that you will be working very hard to achieve that; if you don’t conquer it, at least you know you did your best. That is the best advice I can give because that will force you to keep working and keep improving. Also, listen to the things people tell you that you are doing wrong. Those things are going to make you improve. My ears are more open to the people that say, “I think you can breathe differently here, this phrase should be tendered,” those are the people I listen to.

J: Do you have an advice for those who want to be private voice teachers?

C: It is very gratifying to be a voice teacher. Why? Because you are able to mentor somebody, you become more than a friend; you become a trust to those people. Those people believe in whatever you set forth for them. To be a vocal teacher, you should be looking to help in the success of your students. The studio, or classroom, should be a provider for them to conquer their fears. There’s nothing harder than when a young singer comes to a studio and feels that he/she has to prove themselves. My job as a voice teacher is to help that person conquer those fears, and help them feel that they don’t have to prove themselves, but instead move on to enjoy what they are doing. So, my advice to voice teachers is to abandon yourself to the purity of teaching someone, and mentor them so they can achieve their dream. By helping them achieve their dream, you feel like a father, you get the same gratification. I became part of their life, and they became a part of my life. It is a very beautiful attachment.

J: Can you list the steps that you took to promote yourself to begin getting hired for shows?

C: The first step, before you go present yourself before other people, is to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing. That when you present yourself in front of others, that you know that you are singing in your best condition, and that you have no doubts that you will be doing a good job. If you do, they will feel that. So make sure you are very confident in what you are doing. Second step, you sing. Third step, you wait and hope that they liked you. You need to audition at the level that you know you are at. Sing for companies that you know will hire you, until you are ready to move onto something bigger. So, never go to a company that you know you are unprepared to work with. It is better to go the hard way and be patient until you are ready. You want to still be singing when you are 55 or 70 years old, not 35 or 40.

J: How did you discover what venues to audition for? What kind of research did you do to find out where to go?

C: You have to have a team that will help you make those decisions. What I mean by a team is first of all your teacher, your vocal coach and your repertoire coach. Those people can tell you if you are ready for a certain role. For example, before I did my first Tosca, I had been singing that role in my studio for my teachers for probably 5 years. I felt that I was prepared to do it when I was in my second or third year singing it. My teacher always said no, you’re not ready yet. Vocally I was prepared and we all knew that. But to portray Mario Cavaradossi, I wasn’t ready. My teacher said, “If you can do this in a concert format, then yes, I will give you the go ahead to do it. But you are going to be acting.” For me that was kind of weird because I was prepared vocally. You know in opera, first it is singing, second it is enunciation, and third it is drama. But he put so much importance on the drama part. When I finally did my first Tosca, I knew exactly what he had been saying to me. I did my first performance when I was 34 years old, but I had been working on it since I was 29. So a team helps to let you know when you’re ready to move to the next level.

J: How do you go about getting a good team?

C: That takes years to put together. When you are beginning, you start with people that are in your area. Those people are going to present you. So you are a product for them, they are going to market you. So as you go, you start to find people that you think can work on your team, and you gradually figure out whom you want working with you. It can take almost 5-10 years to do that. They need to know exactly what your strong points are in order to market you. Once I’m on the stage, it is probably the success of 10 people working for me that allows me to be performing. I will always advise to have people that are not too busy with other singers. If they have too many other singers, it is unlikely that they will do a good job for you. It’s always good to have a manager who has 15-20 singers, because that will guarantee that you have jobs.

J: How have you used your status to help community growth in music?

C: That is one of my priorities. I always try to be involved. Here in Michigan I go to the schools and classes to talk to students about music. Michigan is one of the states that music really matters. I travel a lot to give master classes. For me it’s almost like a duty to give back to the community. I came into music very late, but if I can be an inspiration for younger people, to help them develop their own identity, that can be very gratifying. If I can help by just bringing the spectrum of the arts to them, for me that would be a blessing.

J: Do you have any advice on the steps one should take in opening a music school of their own?

C: It’s like all other businesses. You have to put in the time and make sure that the product that you are presenting to the community is something that is different from others. People should know that they will get what they are asking for. Your trademark should be that what you offer is excellence.

J: And lastly, why do you sing? What is your inspiration?

C: My inspiration has always been God. I am very proud to say that I am a Christian and that everything I have comes from God. He has given me a talent that I have been able to pursue and develop, and to earn wisdom from other people. My passion is to sing. If I go 2 or 3 days without singing, I am sad. I am very sad when I have to take a break to rest my voice. Part of my life and soul isn't active when I’m not singing. It’s not my all, I can live without singing. I think I have achieved many of the dreams that I have had in my life. Singing brings me a satisfaction that can only be compared to the love that my children have for me, or my love to my wife. It is so personal and so deep that it is hard to describe. When I’m singing I like to feel like I have touched someone’s life. That when they come to me after a concert and they say, “You know, I came in here so burdened and tired, and now I feel like I can fly.” That to me is one of the most incredible things that someone can say to me after a concert. I have the most fun when I am in my own house, sitting in front of the piano, just letting my soul go free. I always take the time to sit at the piano, and maybe sing some words that don’t make any sense, but its how I feel at that moment. That feeling that I have right there, I try to bring to the stage. That’s the reason I go to the stage every time. I feel that freedom and that responsibility of giving myself and letting other people see my soul. I don’t play a role, I am that role. I think every role I have played has a part of my life in it. The day I don’t feel that anymore, I will quit. I don’t want to be a singer that just opens my mouth because I need the money. I want to know that every time I go the stage it is a new experience and a new way to give myself to somebody else. When I sing, it’s a moment that I can feel a piece of heaven. I can forget about everything and I love to do that.

J: Well thank you for meeting with me. I really enjoyed speaking with you.

C: You're welcome and thank you.