<p>boiler4ever – what is your ultimate goal? If you are looking to start an international opera performance career, you may well be a little late in the game to start – particularly if you are a soprano. </p>
<p>However – if you are looking to train your voice, teach voice, sing professionally or semi-professionally there is no reason you could not pursue a master’s degree or diploma in voice… possibly performance and pedagogy. This if offered by some schools. If you are missing the requisit undergraduate course work in music history, theory, voice lit, diction, etc… you could find out what you need to “make-up” before applying, and what you might be able to take as part of a program.</p>
<p>My mom was 26 or 27 when she started the MM program at Eastman. Her undergraduate degree was in French. She had always played the violin, piano, danced, and sang, and had taken as many music courses during undergrad as her college offered. When she was still performing she performed principal roles with smaller regional opera companies, was a soloist with professional music festivals, and was an active recitalist. This performing was not paying all of the bills, but her “day” job was (and still is) teaching voice both privately in a home studio and at a university. 12 years after completing her MM she went on to her DMA in performance and pedagogy. She no longer performs regularly, but continues to teach, music direct, and is active on a regional and national level in NATS </p>
<p>I am not in the opera world… and maybe the path that she followed is no longer a viable path in the current market. I am not sure. But, if music is your passion and you would like to make the shift to making career in music it may be worth finding out what routes are available to you.</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>