www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, May 1, 2015 | 52 Oakville singer takes love of opera `one step at a time' by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene "Connected to your Community" P ursuing a career in opera singing is not an easy task. To put it simply, there's too much supply and not enough demand, according Oakville's Rebecca Cuddy. So why is the 21-year-old still choosing it as her life's work? "I've always had a love for classical music. I used to listen to it with my grandfather and my uncle, who is a big influence on me, he also loves classical music and opera," Cuddy said. The King's Christian Collegiate alum has been singing since she was eight years old, performing in small cabarets and community theatre. She says her mother had always dreamed of her singing and enrolled her in lessons at a young age. Cuddy noted that her love of music and opera truly developed when she auditioned for postsecondary school programs and was accepted at Western University, where she has nearly completed her Bachelor of Music with honours degree with a focus on vocal performance. "I had music around me all the time. It was really a great opportunity," she said. And the opportunities continue for Cuddy , who will be attending the Royal Academy of Music in London, England in the fall. There, she will be pursuing a two-year master's degree in arts, voice performance with a focus in opera. The mezzo-soprano also applied to the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and London's College of Music. Cuddy admits her heart sank when she read the email that contained her fates at the four schools. "At first, I only saw `unsuccessful' at one of the schools and it didn't really register that the other three said, `guaranteed conditional offer'... I thought I didn't get in anywhere," she explained. "But then, when I actually opened my eyes and looked, I just broke down crying, (and) woke my dad up from a nap, shouting, `I got in. I'm so excited.'" Cuddy says she chose the Royal Academy because it not only has one of the biggest names in music schools, but also because London is RING U T A E F R E INN D & T R E C N CO R E S I A R D N FU TRAIN HON 5 1 0 2 , 9 Y A M , Y A D R SATU 55 + hst $ ton , burling + a n e r a l centra EN AT 6 PM | 19 DOORS OP in support of E T I U S n O O M EY DOM WITH FREE Rebecca Cuddy hopes to pursue a career in opera and will be attending the Royal Academy of Music in London, England in the fall. | photo by Graham Paine Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_ photog or www.facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) A C . C I S U M F O D N U O S T A TICKETS where the majority of performances are held, so "it was just logical to go there." "I also took tours of all the schools while I visited there in the summer and Royal Academy was just really excited I was auditioning there and then that I was coming," she said. "I just had a good feeling from them and had to go with my gut." When asked if she had an end game in mind, Cuddy says she's trying to "be realistic about the whole thing." "It's a very hard career to pursue.... There's quite a few who want to pursue it but... opera's not growing by any means. I think it's a hard career when there's a lot of competition," she explained. "Essentially, my goal is just to keep moving up the next step." After completing her master's degree in London, Cuddy says that next step would be to join a young artist program or an ensemble at an opera company. "I would be very happy to get at that level of the working professional," she said. Until then, Cuddy will have plenty to keep see Cuddy on p.53