This rising opera singer is a master of the side hustle

This rising opera singer is a master of the side hustleThis rising opera singer is a master of the side hustleThis March in New York City, 34-year-old Bernard Holcomb welches rehearsing for thetitle opera role of RossinisOtello at night. He welches serving foodat Harlems Blujeen by day.Most audiences only see the glamour of show business, but Holcombs story shows us the hustle and grind to make it to that stage. How exactly does a modern opera singer make it work in 2017?Ladders talked to Holcomb after his six-showrun as an Otello descending nightly into madness in a Bushwick loft to find out.There are no black male opera singersGrowing up in a musical family in Detroit, Holcomb first realized that opera could be a career through his uncle he came out to the family that he wanted to be an opera singer, and everyone laughed at him becausethey said, Youre black, youre a black man. There are no black male opera singers. And he said, forget it, Im gonna do it.Being dragged by his mother to his uncles shows, Holcomb thought operawas very weird-sounding at first, but it exposed him to the possibility that opera wasnt just a white, expensive, mostlyEuropean art.By high school, Holcombs voice was opening doors. Winning a full scholarship to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy and earning a 6-person slot at the Lyric Opera of Chicago set the course to where he is now a professional opera singer who gets to performin top opera houses.But that doesnt mean that one success automatically precludes another. To make his dream really happen, Holcomb knew that he had to make the leapto New York City.Financially supporting your creative ambitionsLike many people who move to New York City, living in acity of more than 8 1000000 peoplemeans opportunity, but also struggle.I do have to have side hustles, Holcomb said. Id prefer not to, butwhat I had to realize is thatnot everyones trajectory or story or future is the same. Some people just go and they start singing at internati onal top opera houses or they get on Broadwayright away, and they get paid well and they can support themselves. Thats not in my story. I developed a career in the restaurant industry like a lot of us do. I started as a server. I was fortunate to have a friend who was a manager at a restaurant in Harlem, and he hired me to do my first server job After about a year, they promoted me to assistant manager. Recently, I had to step down from that role and go back to being a server because I was getting so much artisticwork, which is great.Credit Angela OwensFor Holcomb, having a creative life means not living above my means. It means having roommates, it means living in the Bronx. I would rather be in Manhattanor even Harlem, but Harlem is very expensive now. I do have my own bedroom and I make it work, I make it as beautiful as I can on my budget, but I sacrifice, I sacrifice for my dream. Its a beautiful sacrifice and its one Im willing to make because I get to live a creative life.Man y people who dream of stardom often quit due to these very unglamorous realities, but Holcomb persists. It is possible. A lot of people think its not possible, I cant live in these conditions, but I choose to make it work.On choosing a challengeIn a way, opera chose me. Opportunity after opportunity present itself, Holcomb said. I can sing John Legend, I can sing gospel like the back of my hand, but opera was something that was foreign to me and not always accessible, and I see that as a challenge and I love it.Opera is often seen as inaccessible, not only because its two hours of singing in Italian, but also because tickets to see it are prohibitively expensive. Tickets to a 2017 Metropolitan Opera performance cost more than $300. Tickets for Brooklyns LoftOpera, where Holcomb performed, cost $30.Thats vital for operas future, Holcomb believes If opera is going to survive, we need to have new diverse creative ways to make it accessible to people. Thats why I love LoftOpera so much. On being told noBeing a black man who is an opera tenor has both helped and hindered Holcombs career, he says. Ira and George Gershwins Porgy and Bess opera has launched many a black opera singers career due to the Gershwinestates directivefor Porgy and Bessparts to only be played by black performers.Through his Porgy and Bess performances, Holcomb has gotten to travel the world. Ive gone to Europeto Russia to Poland, Greece, Italy, everywhere. Its taken me everywhere.On the flip side of the coin, there have been times I havent gotten a role because casting wanted someone who wasmore European-looking, or maybe someone who wasnt a person of color, and that hurts, Holcomb said abouthow his race can hurtcasting opportunities. Those rejectionsare usually more coded, unless Holcomb knows someone on the inside who can illuminate the reasons.When that rejection happens, Holcomb advises opera singers of colorto not allow it to deter them from what they really want to do. There is a place fo r them. Rejections happen to everyone. Even people who are not people of color, even white people have a hard time with these creative, artistic careers, because there are lots of nos.For opera singers of color to succeed, Holcomb says they need toreally be excellent, and find their own path, and be on fire, and dont take no for an answerYou may not want to keep knocking on that door with that person, but there are many doors and many people and eventually youll find a door that will open for you and a person who will say yes.