The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Ross MacDonald Chronicle Special How does someone who spent his formative years playing in pop rock groups while at the same time emulat- ing crooners such as Engelbert Hum- perdinck, end up auditioning for Can- ada's premier opera company? Hardly a natural evolution one might say, but for aspiring tenor Wayne Berwick, it was simply a matter of focusing his priorities. And if aiming for the pinnacle of Canadian opera was the target, his recent addition to the Canadian Opera Company is surely the bullseye - the culmination of a series of career stepping-stones, hard work and giving more than just token lip-ser- vice to setting goals. Sitting in his comfortable Waterloo home, 1 recently spoke with this personable thirty-one year old about a singing career that started some twenty years ago. Everything I needed to know about the voice behind the man was conven- iently situated on the living room table. Call it the Wayne Berwick Story, the chronologically-organized scrapbook is essentially his resume. a testament to that old adage "paying your dues". For Berwick though, paying dues or being paid for them, has never oversha- dowed the fact that singing has always been a labor of love. Sometimes, however, a pastime requires more than just a part-time commitment. In his case, juggling the moonlighting. a family of four and a full-time job necessitated a decision, but one he was ambivalent about. Singing for your own supper is one thing; singing for five is another. regardless of how good the voice is. The eventual resolution to make it a full-tinte career, therefore, wasn't an easy one. But as he recalls, it wasn't the first time he seriously contemplated such a decision. "Several years ago I was singing with a group called Tangent and considered making it a full-time venture. But I was reluctant because of the fickle nature of the business and because I didn't want to jeopardize the security of my fami- ly." In retrospect. he sees the decision not to pursue a career in pop music as a turning point. It was partially the result of a growing disillusionment with what he was doing and at the same time, what it was doing to his voice. "Because of the years of singing rock music, I was developing bad technical habits that were in effect damaging my voice," says Berwick. "I felt that in order to remedy the situation, I would have to redirect my energies." The bad habits started back in 1973 when he first became interested in pop music as a vehicle for his skills. In the years that followed, he played in a number of groups. did solo stints at weddings and other occasions, and even recorded a couple of singles. His voice, which was still in the seminal stage, was described by one program director as a "smooth, adult sound". Unfortunately, the positive feedback didn't compensate for the persistent sore throat or the fact that his interests were shifting towards opera. Having performed in several local Gilbert and Sullivan productions. he knew that rock and opera would never mix. In 1981, he decided to put an end to the eonflict of interest. With several years of studying voice and a modicum of operettn experience under his belt, he felt the time was right to give opera his undivided attention. Lennon and McCartney were out; W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan were in. W Leaving something as devil-may-care as the rock business for a genre as Waterloo man pursues dream of full-time career as opera singer me iiini' disciplined as opera is not an easy transition. But Berwick - who by this time was a regular member of the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society - was well aware of the rigor and discipline that lay ahead. "The voice is like a machine and opera requires a well-oiled machine, The key for me was to remove the snags so the machine ran smoothly." isl knew I would have to undo all the bad habits created from doing pop music. Fine tuning his voice over the past few years has been facilitated through a combination of experience and more intense training. Since 1980, G has done the tenor lead in a half-dozen K-W Gilbert and Sullivan productions and served a five-year term as a member of the operetta chorus of the annual K-W Oktoberfest production. A guiding force behind his progress has been John Kerr, a retired school teacher who has directed Berwick in several G a S productions. The rela- tionship between the two is one of mutual admiration. "John Kerr is a walking encyclopedia of Gilbert and Sullivan," says Berwick in a tone of obvious reverence. "He was the one who gave me a chance and he has been responsible for increasing the importance of my roles over the years. From a professional and personal standpoint, I cttn't speak highly enough about him." Kerr remembers first seeing Berwick in a K-W Musical production. He was looking for someone who could play a young person in an upcoming produc- tion of "Yeoman of the Guard" and he couldn‘t help but notice Berwiek's boyish qualities. But more importantly. he was impressed with what he heard. Wayne Berwick "He had a powerful voice, undeve- loped mind you, but the raw potential was obvious," says Kerr. "He could hit the high notes softly or with power." That was six years ago, and since then, Kerr and Berwick have been an integral part of the K-W Gilbert and Sullivan Society. And if Berwick is a charter member of the John Kerr fan club, the latter certainly reciprocates the acknowledgment. "Wayne has tremendous potential," says Kerr. "Over the years, his voice has improved dramatically, especially his technique and control. "But most importantly, he is dedicat- ed, loyal and very easy to work with. I've been very lucky to have a person as talented as him." While Kerr has been instrumental in providing the artistic and moral sup- port, Victor Martens maintains a cru- cial role in honing the technical aspects of Berwick's voice. Martens, who teaches voice at Wilfrid Laurier University, is renowned for his acumen in the opera field and over the past two years, Berwick has benefited greatly from his tutelage. As Berwick sees it, Martens has been responsible for eliminating the bugs and refining the raw material. Martens himself has witnessed a tremendous improvement. "When I first heard him, I recognized a very fine voice with a lot of raw potential but one that needed to be developed," recalls Martens. "Like a body builder, the voice has many groups of muscles that have to be energized and kept in shape to with- stand the rigors ot performing. And for the voice to become expressive. the groups of muscles have to work to gether and the training must be an ongoing process. WATERLOO CHROMCLE. WEDNESDAY. “Nil 2, 1989 - PAGE " "Wayne has made excellent progress. Because of the intensity of the weekly workouts, the muscles are being ener- gized and toned. "The result is a voice that has a greater range, is more sonorous. and generally has an overall beauty to it. These qualities give his voice the capacity to be expressive, a quality that is crucial from an opera standpoint." Such words of encouragement are music to Berwick's ears because as he prepares tor the biggest challenge of his life, he is understandably apprehensive about the uncertainty of the future. When he leaves his full-time job in several weeks to begin a three-month contract as a chorister with the Cana- dian Opera Company, job security will cease to exist. In becoming an equity card holder - he is now a professional and receives a professional rate of pay - he's won at least half the battle. Part two begins when Kismet ends its three-month summer run at the Royal Alex in Toronto. Other than the fact the Canadian Opera Company has ex- pressed an interest in him auditioning for its Ensemble - which is basically a type of apprenticeship - nothing after Kismet is guaranteed. Berwick realizes that it will be difficult to find roles. Like most forms of professional entertainment. opera is no different when it comes to the imbalance between supply and de- mand. There simply aren't enough good parts to accommodate every burgeon- ing talent. Regardless. Berwick has plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Most impor- tantly, exposure to the Toronto market will be crucial for his career and is an opportunity afforded only a few. It will be a big measuring stick in determining his future. . . "The key will be getting as much exposure as possible," says Berwick. "Even though you‘re only as good as your last role, I'm confident the credi- bility will follow." He has plenty of faith in the product and after many years of marketing it, he's determined it will sell. Maintaining such a high level of confidence will no doubt test his mettle but even as he ponders the ifs and buts, he remains on timistic. Helping to make the transition that much smoother is the support he has received from his family, fellow em- ployees and people such as John Kerr and Victor Martens. Both Kerr and Martens feel the move is a gamble but one that is offset by the potential they His present employer, Schendel Sta- tionery, has been especially under- standing. Unlike some companies that might begrudge such a loss, Schendel's wholeheartedly endorses the opportuni- ty he has been given. In fact, should all else fail, a job will be waiting for him come the fall. With that in mind, he can approach the task at hand without second-guessing his decision. At this point, though, his rigorous schedule doesn't allow too much crystal ball gazing. On Friday, he starts a three-week run in Toronto with the Canadian Opera Company production of Aida. And commencing next Wednes- day, he'll be performing in Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado" at the U of W Humanities Theatre. lf history is any indicator. Berwick will succeed. Throughout his singing career, everything has fallen neatly into place __ _ -. - _ . When he leaves Schendels for the last time May 31st, the message on a card from I coworker will probably be on his mind. It reads, "No Guts, No Glory", The former has already been taken can of. The 1tttpetr1ttqt1ntr,