Is it to late to start an opera career?

I am 43 years old and started singing a little over a year ago. I have a three octave range and am in love with opera. I would like to pursue roles but wonder if, with the necessary training I need, if it would be too late. Any advice?

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You have got some very good answers here. I will add only a bit more. I started in opera chorus in the Aachen City Theater when I was 29, and that was considered fairly on schedule here in Germany.

Most of the young soloists I have seen here seem to be about that age. There are some exceptions, most of them basses, as their voices ripen later.

What we do have is an extra chorus. This is a fairly eclectic group of people, some of them are students from the local conservatory, some are talented amateurs. They are auditioned and called upon as the need arises ( we're performing Lohengrin this year, and need over 40 people to stock up our regular "house" chorus)

If you are in a big city, and there is a fairly stable opera company there, you might want to research this. Do they have a stable of regular, or is there a subsidiary chorus that you can audition for? It's an option. It will be demanding on your time and resources, and generally doesn't pay very well.( but then, nothing in the business pays that well until you hit the very tip of the iceberg) It is less demanding on your voice in that you do not carry the responsibility for every note you sing, as a soloist must. It is more demanding on your voice in that you need to be able to do without hearing your own sound in the mix, and relying on your body's "radar system" of feedback to know that you are staying true to your technique. Many chorus singers with excellent voices have gone bust because they forget this major point, and abuse their voices in an attempt to make themselves heard.

If you continue to develop through this type of work, it may be that you will be heard by someone who counts. But I wouldn't bet on it, or waste too much time day-dreaming about it. Keep on singing to your heart's content, and be happy that you have found your talent ( where so many others are content to push buttons on their computer)

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It's not impossible. Pavarotti started his performing career late.

Then again, sorry to say but it's still true, older men get more consideration than older women.

It also depends on which opera. Your odds of making it to the Met--well, divide Pavarotti by all the other tenors in the universe. Your odds of picking up a part in the chorus or a minor role in a regional or university opera production--not nearly as astonomical. Volunteer singer for a local symphony orchestra's choir would be the easiest spot to attain in your style.

Your odds increase with greater knowledge. I'm going to assume that your 1+ year of singing included professional instruction and your teacher thinks your tone, stamina, and volume are up to par for opera. Now, how's your knowledge of the literature, especially the standard repertoire? Do you know about basic stage movement (can be learned from any intro. to acting book)? Can you read music fairly well? Is your sense of rhythm and meter as fine as a good Swiss watch?

Turning yourself into a full-time professional singer at this juncture would be a very hard slog, but if you're aching to do it then it's your life and so I bid you the best of luck.
Yes, at 43 figure it out for yourself! If you are no more resourceful at your age, then I feel sorry for your lack of intelligence, common sense, and drive.
It probably depends on how much natural talent you already have. When you say you "started singing" a year ago, do you mean, with the training of a vocal instructor? Or that you began seriously pursuing it on your own? Either way, I wish you the very best. As the poster above me said, you probably have a much better chance of being chosen for a chorus role, but perhaps even a lead, if the company is small and you are very good. You may want to look into some of the musical theatre companies of the community variety in your area, if opera does not end up working out.

Best wishes.
Yes i think so , your tutors should have advised you , it takes anumber of years for the vioce to go through different levels of trainig in different parts and honestly I dont think you wopuld be able to survive proffesionally as a lot of singers have got a head start .

But by all means if you love singing carry on I am myself joining a choral group this thursday , its good fr your soul and your health
In regards to the positive feedback from the other posts, I would agree. There's just one big block standing in the way if you want to pursure something beyond chorus. It's the fact that at 43 you don't have a lot of experience. The world DOES need older singers to fill in roles designated for older characters (not saying you're old, but you know what I mean). And unless you are totally amazing, they will probably choose someone with more experience. My suggestion- go out and try and get as much experience as possible. If you want to start with opera chorus auditions, make sure you have other chorus singing experience (community choir, university choir, etc.). Even trying to get roles in musicals is better on your resume than no roles at all.

Sorry to be the only post that might put a damper on things, but this is from my experience. At (nearly) 32 and with 14 years singing expierence and 4 degrees, I'm considered a bit old.
It depends on what you consider a career. Depending on how well you can sing and memorize music (range is the least of your concerns- necessary but expected), careers range from performing in amateur groups to being a simi-professional opera chorus member to being in European operas, to performing lead in American Operas. The further you go, though, the worst the competition, and believe me, from simi-professional on up the competition is horrifying. It's not that you need to love opera, it's that you want nothing else in your life than to sing opera. Some of these people know every aria of most every opera, have spent 10 years in the university, and have no other job skill- really, some are my friends, they will work for very little because at this point in their lives, they don't really have a choice.

Can you still start an opera career? To some extent, of course, and it can be enormously fun, but if I was you (thinking you have other job skills), I would keep opera fun and focus on Amateur and simi-professional roles. A good way to start, if you haven't found a place yet, is in City choruses, most major cities have large choruses of adults that sing with the symphony, and perform a lot of major works. Most these people don't get paid for it, but are strongly connected to high end amateur music in your area. Joining something like this will get your foot in the door form more to come.
43 is a bit old to start a career but , If u say u r that good than I'd say go for it! I'm 17, Believe it or not when I was 10 I coulv'e been in some opera organizations, One word : Pl. Don't smoke! Any who Now I'm a soprano 2 still can hit as an opera singer nowhere near as a beautiful Mezzo soprano though!!
I think pretty much the other posts have given you a good idea of what to expect starting your career at this point in your life. However, I wanted to turn you on to one of the worlds greatest sopranos, Edita Gruberova. She started a serious opera career near your age, after raising a family, and singing as a hobby. Now, after her sixtieth birthday, she has attained world class status, and is in demand around the world, as one of the foremost and sought after coloratura sopranos.

Sing for yourself, audition, and love every second of it. You've nothing to lose, and the beauty of music to gain.
its never too late for something u love! hell, my grandma still designs clothes! lol go and find out at a theatre and i hope ur wish of becoming involved with an opera comes true!

good luck!